Today’s Staff Editorial
In early August, Newsweek came out with its annual rankings of “Most Stressful Colleges,” feeding the desire of college students and alumni everywhere to see which universities punish — or push, depending on how you choose to look at it — students the most. For students at colleges on Newsweek’s list, the distinction is usually treated as a mark of pride. The thinking likely goes: If stress is a product of rigorous learning, current stress will lead to future success.
Depending on what you value, stress can be both a necessary evil and a way to feel important and productive. But as college students know all too well, stress is frequently an indication of deteriorating mental health.
College is associated with stress for good reason: Nearly one undergraduate student in five suffers from stress, according to a 2008 Associated Press survey. In 2010, freshmen entered college with the lowest emotional health levels since annual survey data was collected 25 years earlier, according to The New York Times.
A depressed economy has created a grim outlook for future jobs, which only compounds the typical stress of college life. With two-thirds of college graduates leaving school with more than $31,000 in student loan debt, students are finding they need to make more sacrifices to succeed. Working a steady job or interning on top of a full course load is increasingly normal for students trying to stay afloat financially. These days, job prospects play a greater role in choosing a major than personal interests or passion — nationally, 23 percent of students major in business, when only 7 percent indicate a strong desire to do so, according to National Public Radio. Whether it’s lack of fulfillment, financial strains, grueling coursework or something else, stress permeates throughout college campuses.
Stress is inevitable, but how you manage that stress is essential to developing a sustainable and productive lifestyle. This editorial board has already encouraged students to take advantage of the Counseling Center and the University Health Center’s Mental Health Service, but reducing stress sometimes requires a different form of alleviation.
It’s promising to see a surge of student groups looking to defuse the negative effects of stress. Active Minds has already made a strong impact on the campus, working to increase students’ awareness of mental health issues, and the Help Center continues to offer its services as a peer counseling and crisis intervention hotline. New to the fold at this university, Project Hello Stranger will work to further combat heightened stress levels on the campus. In efforts to promote a happier and friendlier university environment, Project Hello Stranger intends to offer a model for collective kindness among students. While offering umbrellas on rainy days and passing out balloons to interested students may seem like minor initiatives to some, even the smallest of gestures may have an impact.
Even though there are fewer resources available for student group funding, new groups such as Project Hello Stranger are taking the initiative to do more with less. Along with the stress management resources available at the Center for Health and Wellbeing, the collective culture of promoting mental health and reducing stress is a positive sign.
Reducing stress on the campus is a worthwhile niche for Project Hello Stranger to address — yet, there are plenty more issues confronting students on this campus. Students should follow the path of Project Hello Stranger by taking a proactive and creative approach toward improving quality of life on the campus.
