Vice Chancellor Winston Crisp updated members of UNC’s Board of Trustees on how the university handles mental illness in a committee meeting Wednesday afternoon.

“What we are not, and what we don’t do and I want to be clear, is provide long term therapeutic counseling for students,” he said. “We don’t have the capacity for that. What we do is short term crisis stabilization and then we work hard to connect people who need long term therapeutic care and make sure they’re getting that therapeutic care.”

The issue of mental illness has been discussed recently after Priya Balagopal, a 2014 graduate of UNC, committed suicide on January 10.

“Anytime something tragic like what happened to Priya happens, that’s what you see so it raises a lot of questions,” Crisp said. “We don’t do enough. We’ll never do enough as far as I’m concerned.”

UNC Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, offers therapy and walk-in appointments to students and faculty in need. Crisp said the demand for these services is growing and the counseling center at UNC is at capacity every day.

“Huge amounts of our resources and time and energy go towards trying to train people,” he said. “Trying to train students, trying to train faculty and others as to what to look for, signs to look for in students and try to engage students in the kind of services and resources they need.”

Board member Charles Duckett said providing resources for CAPS is a priority of the trustees.

“We have no intention of trying to cut CAPS,” he said. “We want to find ways to increase it. We do a lot better than the vast majority. Our healthcare here at Chapel Hill is way beyond most college and university offerings, but it vital that we not just make the statement and sit there and live on it.”

Crisp said although the university does a good job of dealing with these problems, challenges still remain because people access these resources different based on culture or socioeconomic status.

“We not only have to run a clinic that people can be expected to walk into and say ‘I need help,’ but we need to figure out how to reach people who just aren’t going to come,” Crisp said.

To learn more about Priya Balagopal and her struggle with mental illness, visit her GoFundMe page.

Related Stories
‹
Steve Newmark Proposes Entity to Handle Athletic Revenue; Board of Trustees Tables Discussion
In a special meeting of the UNC Board of Trustees Tuesday, Athletic Director Steve Newmark presented a plan to create an associated entity dedicated to handling revenue generation for the department. “Over the last year, we’ve been doing an assessment on how to best position ourselves to tackle the increasing costs in collegiate athletics,” Newmark […]
The Morning News: UNC Degree Cuts, Vinfast, Michael Lombardi
In today's news: UNC prepares to cut four degree programs, and Bill Belichick and Lee Roberts weigh in on the Michael Lombardi situation.
Paused Degrees, Strong Fundraising, and An Arts District: Highlights of the July 2026 UNC Board of Trustees Meeting
Returning from an extended summer break — which saw board members skip a regular meeting in May — the UNC Board of Trustees and university leadership met this week for updates ahead of a new academic year.
Chansky's Notebook: Needs to Go...Now
With Michael Lombardi put onto administrative leave, UNC Athletics Director Steve Newmark has a tough, but clear, decision to make.
UNC's Ackland Art Museum Preparing for $70 Million Expansion, Earns Early Spending Authority for Project
UNC's Ackland Art Museum is exploring options for its first significant upgrades in decades, with plans to more than double its footprint.
The Morning News: Expanding the Ackland, Envisioning Carolina North
In today's news: UNC officials tour the future Carolina North site - and move forward on a big expansion of the Ackland Art Museum.
Past Rhymes With Present Times: Trumpism, Universities, and the Death of Socrates
Contemporary Trumpism attacks diverse social, political, and cultural communities throughout the United States, but the attacks share a common desire to discredit and weaken public institutions.
Former N.C. House Representative Dr. Kristin Baker Appointed to UNC Board of Trustees
The UNC System's Board of Governors approved Dr. Kristin Baker of Cabarrus County during its meeting on May 21, selecting the psychiatrist to fill the seat left by John Preyer's resignation.
Former UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz Elected President of Clemson University
Kevin Guskiewicz, who served as the chancellor of UNC for nearly five years before departing for Michigan State University in 2024, has been elected as the next president of Clemson University. Clemson announced Guskiewicz’s appointment Wednesday. Today, we welcome Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., as the next president of Clemson University. Together, we will continue advancing […]
UNC Selects Familiar Master Plan Designer for Carolina North Campus
Trustees approved Ayers Saint Gross, a Maryland-based master plan design company, to lead the design of the future UNC campus expansion.
›