The University of California - Santa Barbara (UCSB) will benefit from a large federal grant from the U.S. Education Department assisting in mental health services.
According to the Huffington Post, the ED granted UCSB with $570,000 as part of their Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program. UCSB experienced a tragic shooting rampage in May in which mental health was a central factor.
Elliot Roger, a 22-year-old student at a nearby school, shot and killed six people in an area in Isla Vista, Calif. near the UCSB campus before committing suicide. While injuring several others with bullets, many students have been left mentally scarred by the horrific event.
"The award comes at a critical time as we are about to expand our campus-based services into the community of Isla Vista, where many of our students live," Debbie Fleming, senior associate dean of student life, told the HP. "These Department of Education funds will allow us to hire additional psychologists, expand the number of social workers serving students, and bring on an additional staff member to assist with our Student Mental Health Coordination services."
Roger himself was believed to have suffered some sort of mental break, as his YouTube page contained several videos in which he spoke angrily about being a virgin and feeling rejected by women. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that Roger also left a manifesto before committing the killings.
Project SERV has been around since 2001, but the ED did not start giving grants to colleges and universities until 2008. Regardless, the department made a special exception in 2007 after the Virginia Tech massacre.
"I am always saddened by any tragic event, but especially incidents that involve young people whose entire futures lie ahead of them," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement. "We want to provide as much support as we can to the students, faculty and community who have been impacted. This grant will help provide the necessary support needed to assist the university and community as they continue to move beyond the tragedies they've experienced."
