UCL mental health funding protest to take place tomorrow during graduate open day

Campaign group UCL: Fund our Mental Health Service (FOMHS) are holding a protest at 2.30pm tomorrow in the Main Quad to disrupt the graduate open day.

The group is protesting against UCL's funding of the mental health services. Campaigners want an increase of £340,000 per year for Student Psychological services (SPS). Note that this is less than the Provost's salary of £365,000 a year.

The extra funding would allow SPS to hire around six more councillors. Currently there is just one councillor per every 270 pupils seeking support, which leads to six week waiting lists.

Campaigners also want the cap of six sessions removed, so that students can keep going to SPS until they feel better and not have to stop after just six sessions.

FOMHS are escalating their actions following senior management disregarding their petition submitted earlier this year, which demanded more funding for SPS and had over 2,000 signatures.

Rick Somer, a member of FOMHS, said: "UCL has an opportunity to become an example for universities across the country: to take a positive step forward in tackling the student mental health crisis and to put the wellbeing of students first. This crisis is not going away – and our campaign will only get louder if ignored further."

There is expected to be several thousand prospective students at the Graduate Open Day tomorrow.