Georgia Tech gets $1 million for student mental health services

Georgia Tech president G. P. “Bud” Peterson announced Saturday evening he’s created a fund for donors to contribute money for student mental health and wellness initiatives.

The fund, Peterson said, already has a $1 million contribution.

Peterson said in a letter to students, employees and graduates that he set up the fund after discussions with student organizations and others in the wake of last weekend's fatal campus police shooting of Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz.

Videos show the student pleading for police to "shoot me." Tyler Beck, the officer who shot Schultz, had not undergone Crisis Intervention Training, which trains police on how to handle mentally ill suspects.

One student group, the Georgia Tech Progressive Student Alliance, demanded more money for mental health services and mandatory crisis intervention training for police before they begin patrolling the campus.

Peterson also said he’s created four teams to come up with recommendations to improve “student mental health, including a focus on both counseling and psychiatric services; campus culture; LGBT+ community issues; and campus safety.”

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