HN Hoffmann | Student Life

The passage of this semester’s final wellness day has left many students feeling Washington  University’s lack of holistic mental health care more acutely than ever. During a year when students face exacerbated stress, uncertainty and loneliness, the University should be putting additional resources and attention toward student well-being rather than cutting down the number of break days in the semester. While many important considerations informed the spring calendar, the administration should never have settled for a plan that fails to support students. Student well-being should always be a priority.

As the pandemic (hopefully) winds to a close, we need more than a return to normal—we need improvement. The inadequacies of Wash. U.’s mental health services existed long before COVID-19. Three scattered days of break are no replacement for a full week off, but neither is the traditional spring calendar enough to help students through the challenges they are facing. In previous years, professors often piled on work ahead of Spring Break or assigned exams for the week following, detracting from the break’s purpose and value. And even if this wasn’t the case, time off is no substitute for actual mental health resources. 

In 2018, 87% of Wash. U. students reported feeling overwhelmed, demonstrating a broadly unhealthy school culture. But in addition to the general stresses of college, 38% of students said that they felt so depressed it was difficult to function, and 9.9% had seriously considered suicide. These numbers should be viewed as a crisis in immediate need of attention rather than being shrugged off as an unfortunate side effect of higher education. While Wash. U.’s ratio of providers to students is within the upper range of peer institutions, this ratio—one provider for every 1,060 students—has clearly proven to be inadequate; rather than accepting this status quo, the University should strive to provide the best services they possibly can. Students seeking counseling through Habif are only able to be seen 1–3 times per month. This is not enough; with depression and anxiety disorders, a lower frequency of therapy sessions is linked to less improvement and a higher risk of relapse. Research also emphasizes the critical importance of starting treatment quickly, yet students often have to wait for weeks before they can make an appointment, as illustrated by many of the stories shared through the Instagram account @stillwaiting_washu. The University relies heavily on student-run crisis resources like Uncle Joe’s in order to meet student needs, but while valuable, these resources are no replacement for professional help.

Mental health is an equity issue. Underrepresented minority students and Pell-eligible students report feeling overwhelmed at significantly higher rates than their more privileged peers. In noting the frequency with which students are referred to off-campus resources, the University’s Mental Health Services website acknowledges that “students do not all have the same level of financial resources,” but it fails to take action to support those students. While Student Union recently worked to create a mental health fund, this again stems from student initiative instead of the University taking responsibility for the students it claims to care for. Any true commitment to supporting marginalized students should include expanded mental health services, with special attention given to the accessibility of those services.

Wellness goes beyond spending a day in the sun. It means professors and academic advisors recognizing and accommodating mental illnesses with the same care that they would with physical illnesses. It means readily available help on a regular, long-term basis for students who are struggling. It means setting a standard for student care that isn’t satisfied with simply being at or above the status quo. It means cultivating a school culture that prioritizes mental health on an everyday, individual level. As the University considers its shift towards a post-pandemic world, it needs to figure out how to truly prioritize student wellness.