Recently the Student Affairs division at Salisbury University has proposed sizable budget cuts to the already underfunded and under-resourced University Counseling Center. We feel that this is not only troubling given the well-documented neglect that campus mental health resources in recent years, but the timing of the cuts comes amid a historic global pandemic that has created immense pressure on students who are in need of basic mental health support now more than ever before.

While we recognize the significant financial pressures that SU is confronting due to state budget cuts, we implore the administration to not only refrain from cutting the budget for the Counseling Center but to ensure student success by actually prioritizing mental health through increasing the center's resources. This would represent a core investment in the well being of the student body at crucial period in SU's history. Such an investment would also serve as a meaningful message to the wider campus community that the "SU Cares" slogan is indeed a reality.