Last week, Thelmo unveiled a plan to direct $58,000 of SLUSAF funds to the establishment of a 24/7/365 phone counseling service for the fiscal years of 2021, 2022 and 2023. This is a significant effort toward the increased focus from Thelmo on improving and expanding the University’s health services.

In an email sent on Wednesday night, it was made clear that these funds will not impact any funds available to clubs and organizations, and instead comes from the “cushion fund” included in the SLUSAF budget that is saved for any unexpected expenses. 

Thelmo President Molly Thompson ’22 described how the decision has been months in the making. “The Thelmo Executive Board has been working with Dean Hagi Bradley since the Fall to secure the phone counseling service. The previous Universities Hagi worked at used this service so he was very familiar with the service and had connections with officials at the company.” 

Due to Dean Bradley’s relationship with the program, SLU’s request was moved to the top of a years-long waitlist. The only challenge now was covering the expense; the phone counseling service in question typically costs around $18,000 a year. According to Thompson, who worked extensively with the Dean and Finance Office, the $18,000 bill would be near impossible to pay without significant cuts to staffing and programming in the counseling and Student Life offices.

To solve the dilemma, the Thelmo Executive Board debated for months to find a way to pay for the $18,000 phone service and the $40,000 to retain all the staff in the counseling center.

Thompson notes, “a concession several Senators made during debate was that SLUSAF has never funded salary benefits and it should not do so. However, because of the dire need of mental health resources on campus, the Senate voted to fund both programs for the next three years.”

The phone service began operation on April 20, and students can find more relevant information in Dean Bradley’s email or on the Counseling Center page on the University website.