The Health and Counseling Center (HCC) is implementing and considering several new initiatives and programs at the end of this quarter, including extending its service hours later in the day and expanding upon the current functions of the Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC).
A major initiative currently being considered by the HCC is the extension of its hours. The center is currently open from 8 a.m. (9 a.m. on Tuesdays) to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the HCC is considering extending their closing time to 6:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. two days per week, according to HCC Director Alan Kent.
“We’re trying to get the staff to stay open later in the evenings if there’s a demand for it and if [students] will take advantage of it,” said Kent.
The HCC is contemplating this plan in response to concerns that undergraduate and graduate students might not be able to access the center earlier in the day due to classes, internships or employment. Kent said the HCC is currently calculating what the cost would be to offer later hours of service. Should the plan be finalized, the initiative would be enacted in the spring quarter of 2014.
Another initiative created by the HCC this year was the re-establishment of the SHAC. The council was created as a way to reach out to students and get feedback on HCC services in order to communicate with students and improve the functions of the HCC, according to Kent. There were 12 student members appointed to the council, who will be paid 25 dollars per quarterly meeting. Kent described the SHAC as committed to providing helpful feedback of HCC services “from students, for students.”
Finally, with final exams approaching, the HCC will have several discussion tables at the HCC and Driscoll Bridge dealing with handling stress and managing sleep the week before finals. The Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE) will also run a series of bystander intervention discussions designed to train students and others how to prevent sexual assault, along with the discussion tables.
