Georgia Tech Invests $1 Million in Campus Mental Health Services

The additional funding for mental health services comes almost two weeks after a student, who suffered from depression, was shot and killed by police.

Georgia Tech Invests $1 Million in Campus Mental Health Services

The school has temporarily lifted its 16 session limit per student for visits to the counseling center.

On Wednesday, the Georgia Tech Student Government Association voted to approve an additional $1 million of funding to be put towards mental health services on campus.

The announcement comes almost two weeks after Scout Schultz, a 21-year-old engineering student, was shot and killed by police after placing a 911 call, claiming a person with their own description had a knife and a gun. Schultz was met by police who repeatedly asked to put down a knife, although the blade was not extended. The encounter was caught on video by a student in a nearby dorm.

Schultz’s parents say their child was seeing a counselor for depression and had previously attempted suicide. Schultz’s lawyer says his client was having a mental breakdown and posed no threat to officers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently examining the shooting.

Following the shooting, criticisms started pouring in regarding the limited availability of counseling for Georgia Tech students suffering from mental health issues.

The school has declined to discuss whether Schultz was receiving counseling from the school, citing federal privacy laws.

The Georgia Tech Student Government Association is contributing $500,000. President G.P. “Bud” Peterson is also contributing $500,000 from campus funds, reports AJC.com.

Officials say the $1,000,000 will be allocated based on proposals and recommendations expected to be submitted by various campus organizations.

“We will be able to do a lot of good with this,” says undergraduate student government president Sujay Peramanu. “Student groups that have ideas about how to make improvements will be able to get the support to make it happen.”

The school’s current 16 session limit on the number of visits a student can make to the campus’ counseling center has been temporarily lifted, says Peterson, in order to conduct a more thorough review of students’ needs and the facility’s capacity.

Peterson also says he has created four task teams to discuss ways to improve “student mental health, including a focus on both counseling and psychiatric services; campus culture; LGBT+ community issues; and campus safety.”

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Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.

Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.

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