At its Sept. 20 meeting, Student Government held a Q&A session with University President Denise Trauth and elected two senators at large.
Before the Q&A, Trauth delivered a speech concerning COVID-19 updates, student engagement and university initiatives aimed to improve the overall wellbeing and mental health of students.
Trauth reiterated the restrictions of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, which prohibits the enforcement of masks in government-funded public offices and buildings. Because of this, Trauth explained the university will continue to urge those on campus to practice safety measures and wear face masks but will not enforce them.
“Get vaccinated If you haven’t already gotten vaccinated, which means we’re also urging everyone to get tested regularly … stay home If you feel any symptoms, report positive cases [to] Bobcat Trace and isolate If you’re a close contact,” Trauth said.
To help students combat the stressors of COVID-19 or better their mental health in general, Trauth said Texas State has set aside funding to hire additional counselors at the Counseling Center. She added the Counseling Center will extend its hours to help anyone in need and a presidential task force will be ensembled to assist with mental health awareness.
“The Counseling Center is going to launch an after-hours, phone service to enhance the coverage for students who are in crisis other than 8-5 because we know there are a lot of students experiencing mental health crises,” Trauth said. “Before the end of this semester, we’re going to launch a presidential task force, focusing on enhancing the health and well-being of our students.”
During the Q&A Trauth was asked why the university couldn’t require COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated students, but she explained that Texas State is unaware of who is or isn’t vaccinated. Because of this, it isn’t possible to require unvaccinated students to get tested, however, students are encouraged to test regularly.
William Briscoe and Noah Thai were elected to the positions of Senator at Large.
All Student Government meetings and resolutions can be accessed by visiting the Student Government website.