OPINION

APRIL 25, 2022 | NORTHERNIOWAN.COM | VOLUME 118, ISSUE 52 Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole. Prioritizing mental health

ABIGAIL SAATHOFF

Opinion Columnist

As students, it’s easy for us to become engulfed in our schoolwork and forget the importance of our own mental health. I’ve watched many fellow students stay up until four in the morning working on a project, study for an exam rather than attend to their own basic needs, and ignore their friends and family to write a paper. College students constantly forget to put themselves first while in higher education.

Schoolwork is difficult, and for college students, it can be overwhelming, with due dates looming overhead and ridiculously large projects that take hours to complete. The difficulty of schoolwork, matched with being away from home, along with relationships and student organizations, being a student can feel impossible.

According to Active Minds, “39% of students in college experience a significant mental health issue,” a statistic that makes sense when considering the daily lives of college students. Most of these people suffer in silence, throwing themselves into their schoolwork, retreating, etc.

College students’ mental health is alarming. According to a study titled 33 Alarming College Student Mental Health Statistics, “64% of students drop out of college because of mental health problems.” It’s clear that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to the issue, but college remains the main factor contributing to students’ mental decline.

Despite all these struggles from college students, many of them don’t utilize the resources in front of them. At the University of Northern Iowa, students get five free therapy sessions, along with free group therapy and crisis appointments. Student Wellness Services also offer wellness coaching sessions, that are a bit different, but still free.

Even if students know about all of these resources, many of them forget about them, get nervous about utilizing them, don’t recognize the importance of the service or don’t think they need the help.

College doesn’t stop for students, nor do the due dates, projects, papers and deadlines. We, as students, need to find the little moments to take care of ourselves and utilize the resources around us. Whether it be by listening to a favorite song, going to bed early, putting on a facemask or attending therapy/ wellness coaching. This responsibility doesn’t fall on students alone; it falls on friends, family, staff, professors and more to destigmatize mental health, promote the resources and support those who need it.

PEXELS

Students have five free individual sessions at the counseling center and to schedule an intitial assesment appointment.

Community care amongst marginalized students

LENNON JANES

Opinion Columnist

When talking about wellness while attaining higher education at UNI as well as other universities, self care is often emphasized for maintaining one’s personal wellbeing. However, there is another type of wellness that is equally, if not more important, especially for marginalized students on campus that is referred to as community care. Community care can be both formal and informal, thankfully both are facilitated on campus. Community care is the process of looking out for oneself while also looking out for others in your community. It is mutual accountability to each other by providing support to each other when needed. For marginalized students on campus, community care is more important than ever – having others that understand the systemic oppression that pertains to you and simply being understood by others that hold a similar identity to you is crucial for maintaining wellbeing. Working towards a degree is difficult as is, being in classes where

PEXELS

Sista Circle is a support group available for women of color who are attending the university. To learn more, contact Shantila Caston at 319-273-2676.

many of your peers do not and cannot understand what you face on a daily basis adds another level of difficulty. This is why it is so important to have a community on campus that can provide mutual support through understanding.

On campus, there are many avenues for receiving community care as a marginalized student such as numerous identity related clubs and student unions. However, there is also the UNI Thrive program which provides free mentorship to marginalized students. When I was a freshman, this was a program that I would have greatly benefited from but did not have. Now I am a mentee for this program and have watched the good that it has done for other students. While self care is important, it cannot serve as the only key component to maintaining one’s well being, mutual understanding and support must also be a part of taking care of yourself.

Furthermore, community care amongst marginalized students not only serves wellbeing but can also serve the overall community. By utilizing mutual support, this can also change the narrative in the larger community. When marginalized students are able to thrive and do well in spite of trying to survive in a society that capitalizes off of their oppression, thriving as a marginalized person can provide change within itself. With that being said, community care in marginalized populations is not and cannot be the only action to undo oppressive systems but it can be a part of it.

The flip side of this of course, is that oppressive systems can also serve as a threat to community care. Programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion that are left without proper funding and resources cannot effectively serve their student unions, clubs and mentors. Student unions, clubs and mentors that are left without proper support from the programs that sponsor them cannot serve their communities as effectively. Marginalized communities that are overall left without proper funding and support ultimately cannot change oppressive systems as effectively. This is why it is important for the university to continue to fund and support the community care programs that they already have implemented because without the proper support community care will not be as effective.