From the Office of the Deputy Provost for Student Life and Learning
McGill has rescinded a $20 one-time registration fee for those seeking to use the Mental Health Service and will refund any such fees already paid by students, Ollivier Dyens, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) said Friday.
The fee had been brought to the attention of some members of the Fee Advisory Committee a few days ago, and the Committee, which met Thursday, determined that it would constitute a mandatory fee and thus be subject to a student referendum. Jana Luker, Executive Director of Student Services and Deputy Provost Dyens have concluded that, given the importance of Mental Health Services, the University will make do without the fee.
This will not mean a reduction in service.
“Given the pressing and growing need for these services, we will take steps to reallocate resources within Student Life and Learning and we will actually try to improve the service, even without the fee,” Dyens said. “We are hoping to keep the service open longer, in fact, and once we get the new details in place, we will make them widely known.
“The need for mental health services on university campuses here and elsewhere is intensifying and the issue itself requires greater discussion. To that end, McGill’s annual joint meeting of the Board of Governors and the Senate on November 12 will be devoted to this issue and we will be encouraging broad participation from various members of our community, but especially students, as we try to do our best in tackling a growing problem.”
The fee had been instituted last May in mental health services, and as of the beginning of September for counselling services, in order to help cover costs and manage overwhelming demand for services – although it had always been made clear that no student would be turned away because of an inability to pay it.
Students had shown widespread support for the registration fee, and understood the need for it, Dyens said.
