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Publication: The Stanford Daily, , Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Content warning: mental illness, hospitalization
Dear Stanford Community,
Yesterday, the Daily announced the Associated Students of Stanford University’s work with the Student Affairs office regarding changes to the 5150 policy, which is in place to protect people’s mental health in emergency situations. This is a change many mental health advocates (including ASSU presidents and vice presidents) have been working toward for years. In the past, students placed under 5150 holds would be handcuffed, escorted out of CAPS and transported in the backs of police cars. This experience can be traumatizing and heightens feelings of fear during the hospitalization process. With the new policy, Emergency Medical Services will be first responders to these situations instead. We hope that this new plan will help students feel more comfortable promoting their well-being, since seeking mental health support exhibits incredible bravery.
Communicating policy changes with transparency is one of our priorities. We hope that by sharing this news, along with Student Affairs’ letter to us below, we can uphold these values. We want you to understand how much progress this means for students, and — though there’s still progress to be made — student engagement and advocacy can bring about positive change. We are thankful for all the student and administrative labor that went into making this change a reality, and encourage others to continue working towards the change they want to see on campus. Though realizing a vision of a better,...