Students warn against cutting mental health supports

STUDENTS have warned against mental health supports and other services being cut or withdrawn as colleges seek to reduce costs.

As around 250,000 students prepare to return to or begin third-level courses in the coming months, a conference hosted by University College Dublin (UCD) Student Union, highlighted the rising pressures facing students. “The biggest concerns for third-level students are when they start in college and worry about settling in, but finance is also always a huge thing. In our own college, recent research found two-thirds of students worry about their financial situation and one-in-four said they feel lonely,” said UCD Student Union welfare officer Scott Ahern.

“It’s about time the Government fully and correctly funded student support services to help with these issues, by allowing for more counsellors, peer mentors and other initiatives on the ground.”