The Council of Rectors promotes student well-being through a new University Mental Health and Coexistence Commission

The commission is headed by the rectors of the University of Chile (UChile), Rosa Devés; the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE), Elisa Araya; and the rector of the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC), Ignacio Sánchez. Experts from thirteen universities will also participate.

Initially, this new advisory body will have the mission of preparing a diagnosis of the different realities of the CRUCH universities in this area.

With the return to in-person learning, the universities of the Council of Rectors and Rectors (CRUCH) have shown that students require greater mental health support and, in addition, that coexistence has deteriorated, in relation to what was observed before the pandemic.

Concerned about this situation, at the July session of CRUCH, the rectors adopted the agreement to create the University Coexistence and Mental Health Commission, with the objective of addressing these issues systematically and in the long term, while proposing lines of action that promote the care of students.

The commission is headed by the rectors of the University of Chile (UChile), Rosa Devés; the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE), Elisa Araya; and the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC), Ignacio Sánchez. Experts from thirteen universities will also participate, having been nominated and confirmed by the CRUCH plenary session on August 25.

Regarding the reasons that led CRUCH to form the commission, Rector Devés maintains that “caring for the mental health of young people has become a global challenge, and it is also a responsibility for educational institutions.” She adds that “universities and our communities must act as protective factors and understand the risk factors at the individual, community, and social levels that can affect mental health.”.

For his part, Rector Sánchez argues that “we have a significant number of students who require mental health support, who have had crises, who have had very difficult situations in terms of their stability and personal safety, and that causes harm to people and also a very complex situation in the environment.”.

For both, the consequences of the pandemic are evident. From Devés's perspective, "the pandemic has exacerbated the problem, and there is evidence that university students are presenting symptoms of anxiety and depression in greater proportions compared to the pre-pandemic period," while Sánchez points out that "we have seen a deterioration in university life as a result of the pandemic's aftermath, the misuse of social media, gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and a lack of respect for human dignity.".

Collaborative work instance

One of the most relevant aspects of the commission is that it is a collaborative body, in which representatives from various CRUCH universities participate.

Devés says that “through the commission we will be able to share the experience of the different institutions, and through collaborative work we will achieve a greater understanding of the problem and, very importantly, we will be able to learn about the approaches of the different communities. The importance of this problem, which causes pain and also affects learning and academic progress, sometimes with serious consequences, warrants joint work, putting all our institutional capacities at the service of the university system.”.

Regarding the lines of work, the first stage involves making a diagnosis of the different realities of the CRUCH universities in order to subsequently evaluate which are the main issues that need to be addressed.

“Gathering information will allow us to propose measures to address mental health issues and related disorders, through the creation of university policies on the matter, something that the Undersecretariat of Higher Education is also considering,” explains Rector Devés.

Sánchez specifies that “guidelines will probably be issued for education, prevention, conflict resolution, avoiding the repetition of conflicts, and having a proposal for dialogue and work within the communities themselves.”.

Through this new commission, “we are sending very positive signals in terms of caring about the stability and well-being of our university community,” says Sánchez.

Members of the commission

The commission will be made up of a group of experts from 13 universities, linked to the areas of student welfare and academic vice-rectorates.

The universities will be represented by the following individuals: Catholic University of the North, Mónica Guzmán, Dean of Humanities; Metropolitan Technological University, Sandra Gaete Mejías, Director of Student Affairs; University of the Andes, Pamela Ellis, Head of the University Life and Welfare Unit; Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences, Marcelo Astorga, Academic; Alberto Hurtado University, Rosa María Olave, Director of the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Program; University of La Serena, Patricia Astroza, Director of Student Affairs; Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, Paola Núñez, Director of Student Affairs; University of O'Higgins, Irene Leniz, Director of Mental Health; Catholic University of Valparaíso, David Letelier, Director of Student Affairs; University of Chile, Pamela Díaz, Director of Student Affairs; University of Magallanes, Adriana Barrientos, Director of Student Affairs; Catholic University of Temuco, Bertha Escobar, Dean of the Faculty of Health; University of La Frontera, Manuel Ortiz, Academic.