CRUCH invites citizens and university communities to share their opinions on mental health and university life.

The survey, which takes about 5 minutes to complete, will be available from today, December 11, 2024, until January 17, 2025, through the following electronic form: https://forms.gle/U9BK8cyXJMFzHBiM6

The instrument seeks to gather input, opinions and suggestions to contribute to solutions to problems that affect university communities, which are also a reflection of what is happening in the country.

This morning, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) presented a consultation aimed at citizens and university communities throughout the country on priority issues of mental health and university coexistence.

The Citizen Consultation, framed within the participation mechanisms of the Division of Social Organizations (DOS) of the Ministry General Secretariat of Government, will be available from today, December 11, 2024, until January 17, 2025., through the website and CRUCH social media, where the following electronic form is located: https://forms.gle/U9BK8cyXJMFzHBiM6

The consultation, which lasts approximately 5 minutes, seeks to gather input, opinions, and suggestions on problems affecting students, faculty, and administrative staff of the institutions, and will help shape solutions that positively impact the well-being of university communities and society in general.

The questions were developed with the support of CRUCH Commission on University Coexistence and Mental Health, who has been working for two years on a diagnosis of the current university scenario in order to propose strategies that allow for effectively addressing the various situations.

“The problems that have arisen in universities and the Chilean higher education system have shown that they reflect what is happening in the country. Social, political, and cultural factors are essential aspects to consider when understanding these issues and designing intervention strategies,” stated Rosa María Olave, one of the commission's presidents and director of the Mediation and Conflict Resolution Program at Alberto Hurtado University.

“For this reason, the need arises to open and extend this dialogue to the general public,” added Bertha Escobar, co-chair of the commission and dean of the Faculty of Health at the Catholic University of Temuco.

The results of the consultation process will be incorporated into the report being prepared by the commission, which will be presented to the rectors of CRUCH in March 2025 and which will subsequently be delivered to the Ministries of Education and Health.

What does the consultation consist of?

The consultation focuses on some of the problems identified by the commission, as well as preliminary recommendations.

Among the problems, it is worth highlighting, for example, the mental health crisis that many students are experiencing and the tendency to resort to punitive measures instead of promoting dialogue and conflict resolution in universities; the weakening of student life on campuses; the high demand for mental health care for students in universities; among others.

Regarding the recommendations put forward, the consultation considers the following: favoring the implementation of student well-being and development models; generating institutional capacities for the promotion of well-being and healthy coexistence; implementing university policies that integrate and give relevance to mental health, healthy coexistence, inclusion and the gender approach; strengthening coordination with the health system for the care and/or referral of students who present complex mental health problems; among others.

About the Commission

The University Coexistence and Mental Health Commission was created in July 2022, in response to the concern of the plenary of rectors and rectors about the problems of students in the post-pandemic context.

Since then, the commission has held meetings; training sessions; and discussion groups with students, Student Affairs offices, Mental Health offices, school teams, national and international experts, and specialized institutions.

Currently, representatives from 23 CRUCH universities participate, who deploy different initiatives in the promotion and prevention of university coexistence and mental health in their respective academic institutions, including suicide prevention programs and volunteer work.

Text and images: CRUCH Communications