Change Hofstra University's Mental Health Counseling Policy

Hofstra University's Student Health and Counseling Center (SHACC) offers only three free individual counseling sessions per student for their entire time at Hofstra. After this, each student is required to pay $30 for each session. It is possible to obtain a fee waiver, however it's a complicated process and many students choose not to do so.

For context, Hofstra University is one of the very few universities (private or public) in New York that actually has a fee for student counseling. A few schools that are in close physical, financial, and prestige proximity that do NOT charge for student counseling are Adelphi University, Stony Brook University, LIU Post, New York State University at Old Westbury, and New York University.

Very few students are able to afford $30 per week even with a part-time job, and many feel they cannot ask their parents for more financial support when they're already paying Hofstra's approximately $58,000+ cost of attendance (tuition, housing, etc.).

We are students, alumni, parents, and other stakeholders of Hofstra University asking the administration of Hofstra to be accountable for the health and wellness of their student population. We offer two alternatives to this policy: 1) Offer five free sessions per semester for each student, or 2) reduce the fee to $10 per session and maintainthe first three free sessions. We are not unreasonable, and at the same time we care for our students. We are supposed to be the Hofstra Pride. It's time the university administration shows its support for its students.