On Wednesday, Dec. 7, students gathered outside The Eynon Ballroom in Rowan University’s Student Center where the Board of Trustees meeting was taking place to protest and demand change from administrative staff in hopes of spreading awareness and gaining mental health service funding.

According to a 2021 survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, a leading federal agency for research on mental health disorders, “More than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental illness” adding that “73 percent of college students with mental health conditions have experienced, on campus, a mental health crisis.”

With these crises on the rise, students press for recognition from the University and the Board of Trustees in hopes of gaining mental health funding.  

Outside the ballroom, students like Alexander Quinn and Raymond Wos Jr. joined others in their efforts for change and reformation. 

“We were invited into the reception where we sat with a few people and made small table chat letting them know who they are and what we do,” Quinn, a member of Rowan’s Mental Health Organization, said. “Therapy shouldn’t be limited and should be accessible to everyone, and that’s what we’ve come here to do.”

Raymond Wos Jr., a senior subject matter and history major at Rowan, frequently participates in the rallies and meetings on campus surrounding mental health.

“Mental health is a big issue, not just around the world, but in our own community. And we do see it through many different aspects of society that people don’t realize,” Wos said. “It’s not going to get done unless we secure a way for mental health to take the forefront.”

With the addition of funding to the organization, advocates like Quinn and Wos hope to bring about change for the university and look to their peers for aid in doing so. 

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