First passed in November 2023 by Montclair State University’s Student Government Association (SGA), the Mental Health Day Bill is no longer being implemented at Montclair State.
The Mental Health Day Bill would grant students one mental health day for each of their classes, in addition to preexisting absences built into the classes. This bill was created as a call to action due to recurring issues regarding student mental health on campus.
Student Government Association president Mikayla Houston presented the Mental Health Day Bill to Montclair State’s Senate. The bill was rendered unfeasible due to difficulties with the university calendar and getting it past the teacher union. Professors will be required to be aware of student mental health and not ask questions about mental health related absences, as well as providing resources to their students.
The University Senate provided a statement regarding the decision.
“The mental health of students is an issue of great importance to the University Senate. Within the Senate, the Student Affairs Council is responsible for addressing issues and concerns related to student life and well-being. The council has been examining the SGA Mental Health Day Bill and discussing the broader issue of student mental health with additional input from the University Administration,” the University Senate stated. “As Executive President of the SGA, Mikayla Houston is also a member of the Senate and sits on the Student Affairs Council. She has played an important role in bringing these issues to our attention and has been gathering additional input and information from the SGA to inform these discussions.”
The Student Government Association is currently working with Associate Dean of Students, Student Development, and Campus Life Yolanda Alvarez and Director of Psychological and Disability Services Tyla Morin to provide mental health support to students. The university received a 485,000 dollar fund to help with mental health and title IX training.
James Bryan, a junior accounting major mentioned the versatility of preexisting absences in the classroom.
“I’m a little bit confused about this necessity, because I don’t know if there’s any professor’s classes out there that don’t have a no reason given single singular excused absence,” Bryan said.
Junior accounting major James Bryan posesmfor the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
Mars Fahrenfeld, a junior animation and visual effects major talked about the benefits of an additional absence.
“In my classes, I only get two days, like two sick days until I drop a letter grade, and then fail the class automatically,” Fahrenfeld said. “So, like having an extra day when you just actually take a day off to recover mentally would be really helpful, a little bit less stressful, so I wouldn’t have to worry about, ‘Oh my God, what if I get sick for three days instead of two?”
Sophomore aniamtion and visual effects major Mars Fahrenfeld poses for the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
Julia Vasquez, a sophomore biology major stressed the importance of mental health support for students.
“I think that it’s a failure to students who could perhaps be affected, because it’s always great to have a little bit of a crutch when things are not going well in the lives around us,” Vasquez stated. “The lives are always more complicated and the mere ones and zeros in our attendance policy, to have at least some of that reflected, would be a better situation than what we have now.”
Sophomore biology major Julia Vasquez poses for the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
