Executive Committee members encourage “compassion” for students, faculty
Are you a college student whose mental health is suffering? If so, you are not alone. Photo from suicideforum.com.
The University of Rhode Island’s Faculty Senate has been working to address student mental health this academic year in an effort to maintain morale and prevent fatigue.
According to an article published by Stanford University in February, “Zoom fatigue” is a common problem students are facing and many students are burnt out. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of many, including students and faculty members, over the past year.
Audrey Cardany, a professor in URI’s music department and vice chair of the Faculty Senate, said that student mental health has been a priority for faculty this school year.
“If you look back at [meeting] minutes, you’ll see a constant call for compassion,” Cardany said. “We’ve sent out emails of resources to faculty and students.”
Some of these resources are easy to access, like using the URI Counseling Center and the Student Affairs website. Cardany said that even though students are given these resources as tools during orientation and their first year, many forget about them by the time that they are struggling at the University. This is why it is important that faculty consistently remind students of what resources they can use.
According to her, faculty members have been diligent in watching students in case they fall into difficult times. This includes watching for significant absences, which is one of the most common signs of a decline in a student’s mental health.
“Even without the pandemic, one of the markers of folks having a hard difficulty is non-responsiveness,” Cardany said. “Like, if I send a student an email, and I don’t get a response in a reasonable time, say, 24 hours to two days. Absenteeism is a strong factor. We know staying focused is very hard right now. It’s hard for [faculty] to maintain having students’ focus as well right now.”
However, Cardany says the Faculty Senate has been determined to help students in every way possible right now, including working with the Student Senate to communicate with students themselves.
Though Cardany said the Faculty Senate cannot grant days off for students and faculty, they have had joint meetings with the Student Senate where they spoke about the possibilities of promoting no-homework days as well as mental health days. Cardany also said a joint message written by both the Faculty Senate and Student Senate about the importance of prioritizing mental health was sent to faculty and students in the community.
However, many students are still struggling and feeling the pressures of this semester.
Dina Louis, a junior triple majoring in English, Chinese and secondary education, said that she doesn’t think the University has done enough for students dealing with the obstacles that COVID-19 has brought.
“As a student who lives on campus, I don’t see much happening in terms of mental health during a pandemic,” said Louis. “Even though the pandemic made it difficult for students to interact with one another, many people, including myself, did not have roommates, and so all day I was by myself in a large dorm meant for three people. I stare at a screen all day with no purpose to leave other than to go eat, and the only method I found effective was having a support group of friends in isolation.”
Cardany said that the Faculty Senate’s focus on mental health will last far longer than the pandemic.
“I don’t think we’re going to lose track of the importance of mental health,” Cardany said. “I think we’ll continue looking at mental health because the health of our community is important. If you’re having a hard time, just start with yourself. All you have to do right now is just breathe.”