By Mikelyn Britt, Contributing Writer
Mental health in college is a complicated issue which many are uncomfortable confronting. The difficulty surrounding mental health conversations does not lessen the importance of its impact on students’ lives. Gettysburg College’s mental health policies and resources are insufficient for students and creates a harmful environment, inhibiting academics and student well-being.
Gettysburg College mental health resources are limited and stretched between a growing campus population. The five full-time and two part-time counselors available are wonderful individuals who are being saturated with full schedules and demand for more sessions.
Counseling Services sees approximately 30 percent of Gettysburg’s population. Gettysburg College has approximately 2,600 students on campus. That means that each counselor is roughly accountable for the mental wellbeing of 111 students. These calculations only account for the students who go to counseling, but the population would grow if there was more positive conversation around mental health at the college.
“While every student may not feel the need to seek out mental health resources, they should be available to every student. Plan for everyone, not just the expected.”
While every student may not feel the need to seek out mental health resources, they should be available to every student. Plan for everyone, not just the expected. The College’s Counseling Services page expresses these limitations explicitly, saying that students will not be “guaranteed weekly appointments.” Once again, the counselors are not at fault for these issues. Gettysburg College must take mental health seriously.
These mental health issues are not unique to Gettysburg College. The American College Health Association (ACHA) surveyed students and the results are staggering, “about 60 percent of respondents felt ‘overwhelming’ anxiety, while 40 percent experienced depression so severe they had difficulty functioning.” College students all across America are sharing alarming levels of anxiety and depression without adequate help from universities.
While many students on campus are struggling with mental health issues, few actions have taken place to create a healthier environment in the classroom. Many professors at the college have strict attendance policies which include detailed differences between excused and unexcused absences.
“I am supposed to be finding who I want to be, but instead I am dealing with poor mental health which is not supported by the professors and the college’s ill-planning of their counseling department.”
Physical health has become a priority since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the increase in mental health stressors have not been accounted for. Professors are often more willing to excuse a fever than a panic attack. When attempting to explain situations, many students, including myself, have found that professors lack compassion for mental illness and often relate it to the idea of being a “bad student.” Of course this is not to say that all professors on campus have subscribed to these harmful notions around mental health, but there is a serious issue with those who do.
College is meant to be a time of liberation. These are the days of newfound freedom and locating autonomy. I crave the fondness I was promised. I am supposed to be finding who I want to be, but instead I am dealing with poor mental health which is not supported by the professors and the college’s ill-planning of their counseling department. I demand change. I demand a better future for Gettysburg students.
This article originally appeared on page 7 of the December 6, 2021 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
