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How come it took a pandemic for mental health to garner the sudden attention and focus it has so desperately needed at Syracuse University?

It took me returning to school to fully understand the importance of mental health and the intricate role it played in my academic experience. It was throughout my experience as a graduate student that I noticed this sudden focus on mental health and education, making me wonder where the focus was before. 

My graduate program is understandably vigorous. Yet just because it is a rigorous graduate program does not mean it needs to be taxing, taking away the joy of our graduate years. 

So, what would have helped ease the adjustment to graduate school? Having a support group. Having a support group for graduate students who are new to the experience and looking for people to turn to when you’re tired of studying.

When I first started asking the Graduate Student Organization about graduate student support groups early in the fall 2019 semester, I was given the name of someone who was the liaison across the entire university system. The advice given, while kind, did not help. In fact, when I reached out to receive more guidance, the person never got back to me. Even SU’s beloved Graduate School itself, while in its early days of making things better for graduate students, did not have any resources at that moment.

So, the only way I endured my graduate years was through intense prayers, classmates who let me vent and compassionate teachers who were willing to work with me when I didn’t understand something. But even with all that, there were times where I felt extremely alone and very insecure. I felt like dealing with imposter syndrome was dictating my experience.

It would have been nice to have had a weekly group support session. I honestly believe it would have helped me to adjust to the ups-and-downs of graduate school. It would have given me peace of mind knowing that there were people I could go to say, “I’m scared” or “I feel like I can’t breathe” or “I feel like a failure.” I didn’t feel comfortable saying that to my new professors in a new environment. It’s not always something that just rolls off the tongue. What relief that would have been for me, and I can only imagine for many others.

So, it makes me wonder why it took a global pandemic, the entire university shutting down for five months and many students learning from home for SU to decide there should be more done for students’ mental health. 

I know someone reading this is going to say, “But what about the Barnes Center at The Arch? Don’t they have services?” And the answer is yes, yes, they do have services. But what if you don’t have time or don’t feel like having to fill out paperwork just because you want to vent?

I had the chance to be part of a virtual support group for those who were in some stage of grief last summer. On the one hand, I was beyond grateful to have some place to go to deal with my own grief that had nothing to do with COVID-19. But on the other hand, even that group was originally conceived because of COVID-19. 

It made me think about what students were provided with for support before then. Were those suffering in the past just chopped liver?

To me, this does not make any sense. People have dealt with many terrible circumstances before COVID-19. Yet, for so long, so many people have been left on their own to figure it all out. Why does it suddenly matter now?  Where was this level of intensity on the issue before? 

Many students have suffered in silence, whether graduates or undergraduates, because the level of support, even as little as a support group, did not exist. Imagine how freeing and helpful it may have been to know there was a space you could go and just show up. 

I think, while it’s great that mental health issues are getting attention, it sure would have also been helpful to have these things easily accepted on greater scales to students. I hope that, as we all find ways to adjust to life with COVID-19, each college on campus finds space within it to create a support group of some kind for all students.

It should not have taken a global pandemic for mental health to finally get the attention it so rightfully deserves on campus. Mental health awareness should not be a temporary thing; it should be long-term because students always have and always will need mental help.

Camille Daniels ‘20 

Former Columnist

Published on March 2, 2021 at 11:34 pm