TERRE HAUTE, IND. (WTWO/WAWV) – Indiana State University is working out the details of a health and wellness fee that officials hope to implement within the next year.

Last spring, ISU students voted to include a health and wellness fee into tuition.

Over the summer, the university’s board of trustee’s approved of the fee.

The Student Government Association began drafting the bill for the fee over a year ago after noticing the limited access the campus has to mental health care.

With only six counselors to take care of 12,000 students, wait times for appointments have become an issue.

“Early on in the semester, there are less wait times than there are toward midterms and finals,” said Interim Dean of Students Amanda Hobson. “Sometimes it can be a two- to three-week wait time for that first initial appointment.”

“Anxiety is the No. 1 thing that people are seeking assistance for on college campuses,” said Hobson.

The $40-a-semester fee will cover the funding for more counselors, food in the Sycamore Pantry and training and mental health first aid education of staff.

“That fee will also be going toward educating RA’s (resident assistants) here on campus and the student staff on campus on how to deal with those crisis responses,” said Braden Murphy, Student Government Association (SGA) chief of staff.

College is a stressful time, and many students look to the counseling center for help with a common issue. By funding these programs, officials hope students will be more apt to succeed at the university.

“Sycamores care about Sycamores, right? So, as SGA, we’re supposed to be advocating and helping students with their daily problems and their daily lives,” explained Murphy. “And I think that this fee shows that we actually do care about the students that walk across this campus on a daily basis.”