Stress and the Student Body

As the end of the semester draws near, a familiar topic bubbles to the surface of everyday conversation: stress. The student body, as a collective, is stressed. But we are less certain on precisely why students are stressed and how to combat it. The answers to “why” and “how” are numerous and multifaceted. One’s academic standing, financial situation, social life and extracurricular engagements can all contribute to experiences of stress. The editorial board recognizes that this issue is complex and no solution is perfect, immediate or all encompassing.

We also wish to point out, however, that no solution will be successful without an ongoing dialogue between students and the administration. In the wake of Nathan Alexander’s suicide last spring, members of the administration attempted to address student stress and implement solutions through a project coined “The Grid.” Inclusive pedagogy training and increasing Parton’s counseling staff emerged as proposed initiatives. But these efforts were conceived over the summer and student input was not taken into consideration.

This is problematic. “Student stress” is inherently a student issue and we can offer insight into what that issue looks like. Without student input, the administration’s conversation has become single-minded. Likewise, when student stress emerged as a topic in a recent faculty meeting, the faculty voted to move into executive session and remove students from the room. The opinions that were voiced during the open portion of the meeting bear little resemblance to the sentiments voiced by students themselves. Some professors talked about how students overextend themselves in extracurricular commitments, causing stress; the reality is far more complex, as students could have told them.

Professors and members of the administration are largely out of touch with the stressors of today’s college students. Students have the added anxieties of applying for increasingly competitive internships and jobs, dealing with ever-rising student debt and managing the omnipresent role of social media in our lives.  While we recognize that the administration is now seeking student input, namely at “The Grid” meeting on Wednesday, this initiative should have occurred much earlier. One must understand a problem before devising a solution. In the case of student stress, the College jumped straight to a solutions-oriented narrative.

Meanwhile, students have been leaders at combating this issue. SGA President Ilana Gratch ’16 proposed the creation of a peer-counseling program, which would enable students to connect and work through everyday stresses and challenges in an approachable environment. Due to liability issues, the suggestion is facing pushback. We understand that formalizing students’ role as “counselors” could pose potential problems. But there are plenty of other student-led initiatives that deal with sensitive issues, including JusTalks, MiddSafe and Res Life. Thankfully, under the guidance of Barbara McCall, SGA will expand the Winter Term Workshop entitled “Student Support Network” this January. This course will train students to support their peers in a robust, substantive capacity. We appreciate this effort and hope to see it eventually formalized into a mentorship program between older and younger students.

However, these initiatives cannot stand on their own. We recognize the administration’s efforts to promote wellness, particularly through “The Grid.” Suggested solutions are varied, from mindfulness exercises in the short term to additional CRAs in the long term.

In the meantime, what can we do? Policies and programs take time to implement and many of us will graduate before these plans come to fruition. But we can attempt to take control of our daily reality and of the ways we process and perpetuate narratives of stress. It often seems like we are engaged in a competitive “Work Olympics,” where everyone tries to one-up each other with how much they have on their plates. Stress becomes a humble brag; if you’re stressed, you’re high achieving.

This culture contributes to and heightens our collective stress. And so, as finals week approaches, let us make an effort to consciously avoid stress-related monologues. Let us not use our workload as a default line of conversation. By all means voice genuine concerns and seek help in times of trouble — there are resources and friends on campus who would be willing to lend a hand. But also remember that stress need not consume your daily reality; you are more than your stress. If you’re taking a much-needed break from your work, don’t spend it talking about your work. Stress should not be a defining characteristic of Middlebury culture and college is one of the few times in our lives that we will have the time and space to learn to better manage stress and anxiety. The stressors that exist at Middlebury are also steeped in the world outside of the College. Let’s commit ourselves as a community to addressing this issue and to looking out for one another in the coming weeks.​