Dear OSU community members,
The university is launching a new Community Wellness, Education & Safety Network for the Corvallis campus to better coordinate and holistically provide existing and new crisis prevention, mental health, public safety services and response, and other support services.
Like communities across the nation, our community and university leaders are focusing collective attention and dialogue on the fact that wellness and public safety are often experienced differently by those who hold marginalized identities, including Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC). This much-needed attention is occurring as OSU transitions Corvallis campus law enforcement from a contract with the Oregon State Police to a university-delivered program.
Development of the new public safety program has included valuable input from many community stakeholders, including students, faculty and staff members, who have clearly stated the university needs to rethink how it serves student wellness and safety. The Community Wellness, Education & Safety Network is in response to that feedback.
The network will consist of three program components: community health and crisis response; public safety and security services; and community relations, education and outreach. It will provide:
The university also cares about the health and well-being of its employees. As part of OSU’s Culture of Care, we have introduced a new employee assistance program called Beyond Benefits. Here is link to that program. Areas of service include family needs, financial needs, mental and emotional support, and legal needs.
The university also is joining the city of Corvallis, Benton County and other community partners in on-going discussions regarding collaboration, community needs and areas of possible expansion of wellness and crisis response services that may provide new support to community members experiencing mental health crisis.
In the coming weeks, we will provide additional information on opportunities for students, faculty and staff to learn more about the network; contribute ideas to its development, as well as finalizing position descriptions for new student-serving crisis response personnel. In the meantime, please visit the new Community Wellness, Education & Safety Network website for more information.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Green Dan Larson
Vice President for Finance and Administration Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Chief Financial Officer
Office of the Vice President
Division of Finance and Administration
Oregon State University
640 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331
Ph: 541-737-2447