New York Times: "Lighten Up"

After my first post, I decided to do a little research. I wanted to see if any major media outlets had picked up on stories related to surviving the many stresses of college. The first article that caught my eye was one from April 2004 in the New York Times titled “Today’s Lesson for College Students: Lighten Up”. This article focuses upon the efforts of Bowdoin College to decrease student anxieties when it comes to body image, grades, and career plans. Their main focus is to get students to slow down and make time to do the things they enjoy. Bowdoin College is one of many schools making an effort to foster the personal growth and emotional well-being of their students through special programs, services, and activities.

Many other colleges have begun to extend their counseling programs to include treatment for a wide range of mental and physical disorders. Whether you need help with a serious issue such as an eating disorder or just want to talk about stress management or roommate concerns, this article stresses that EVERYONE should take advantage of counseling. To raise awareness, Washington University in St. Louis has created a “stress free-zone” where students can relax and unwind during finals. Celebrating Sleep Awareness week also helped this university spread the word about the risks associated with sleep deprivation and poor health habits.

While more and more schools are becoming proactive about mental health issues, offering these services free of charge may also be driving up the cost of higher education. What this article did not address is how this increase has affected tuition and fees. My question is, in what other ways are students unknowingly paying for these services? Have other programs and services been cut or restricted as a result at certain universities?

In the past few years there has been a national increase of stress-related conditions among college-aged students. Each year, the number only continues to grow. My question is, since this article was published in 2004 have these institutions been keeping up these programs, or have the costs become too much to support them? The one thing I feel this article is missing is the student response to their university’s efforts. While many schools claim to have similar programs, how much do students really know about them? I feel the article was very informative, but also one sided. I want to know how the students really feel, not how the administrators think they feel. I am anxious to look into current statistics and student responses! Stay tuned!