On Sept. 24, Temple University announced a partnership with Headspace, a healthcare app specializing in meditation. The subscription-based app, which costs $9.99 per year for students, was made available to more than 500 Temple student-athletes for free.
Ray Betzner, associate vice president of strategic marketing and communications, said student-athletes are essentially a focus group, which could result in a free university-wide subscription if the app proves helpful.
The Editorial Board recognizes the need for mental health care for student-athletes — they experience immense pressure in the classroom and on the field. However, we do not agree with giving them exclusive access, while neglecting other students.
Mental health diagnoses among college students rose from 22 to 36 percent in the last 10 years, according to the National Institute of Health, and aren’t unique to student-athletes. Students with various commitments and extracurricular activities could benefit from free access to Headspace.
We suggest Temple take a first-come-first-serve approach instead, so a diverse group of students could test the free service, ensuring that the it reaches the widest variety of students.
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