College is a stressful time, and it can be taxing on college students’ mental and physical health. Students are navigating their semesters with limited social interaction and hardly any breaks. Although Geneseo says they care about the health of their students, they fail to provide adequate support and resources.
At this point, most of us know how to social-distance and practice proper hygiene to avoid getting COVID-19, but how many of us actually know how to take care of ourselves if we do get it? Administrators send multiple lengthy emails about COVID-19 rules and regulations, so there’s no excuse for them not to send out advice and resources about how students can take care of their health.
Such emails could include advice for what symptoms to monitor, over-the-counter treatments that can help them feel better, ways to manage their course loads while sick and resources for medical help and other services while they quarantine. In addition to COVID-19 health tips, students should also be informed about how to practice self-care and handle the stress of college during a pandemic or how to boost one’s immune system and deal with other physical ailments.
Geneseo’s Student Health and Counseling Center could use a major upgrade, too. When visiting myhealth.geneseo.edu, there is no information on the Health Center services. Students must click “schedule an appointment” and answer a series of questions before getting to see their options. If a student chooses to make an appointment, their options are limited to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, excluding lunch hours. The health portal advises people to call Noyes Urgent Care or UPD if they can’t wait for an appointment or are experiencing an emergency, but students shouldn’t have to resort to off-campus health services.
Even though Geneseo requires students to fill out daily health screening surveys to “check-in” on their physical health, there’s no promise that anything will be done to help those that need some assistance. One student reported that although they selected the options for grocery and medication delivery on their daily health screening, they never received either service. It’s almost as if these resources are just for show since the Health Center is not seeing it through.
In terms of mental health, the Geneseo administration created a few rejuvenation days throughout the semester, beginning last fall. This was an attempt to give students a much-needed break while avoiding possible gatherings and trips that could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Geneseo. Students, however, feel like rejuvenation days don’t provide them with enough time to take care of themselves and avoid burnout during the semester, much like last semester. Rather than designate a few days to “rejuvenating,” Geneseo should consider giving students an entire week without any assignments or deadlines. Classes could still be held, but students will experience a much lighter workload. This can be more rejuvenating than single rejuvenation days, during which many students find themselves completing schoolwork, anyway.
Aside from rejuvenation days, Geneseo hasn’t put in much effort to encourage students to tend to their mental health. The most information given about caring for one’s mental health was in the GOLD Workshop “Where’s My Oxygen Mask? Sneaky Self-Care Strategies for Students.” Unfortunately, this workshop was scheduled on March 2nd, one of the few rejuvenation days. This forced students to choose between attending the workshop or taking a day off from Zoom calls and schedules like rejuvenation days were intended for. Not to mention, the Diversity Summit simultaneously took place on a rejuvenation day, so students had to make the similar decision of having the day off or further educating themselves to become more inclusive members of society.
Administration must attend to students’ concerns for their mental and physical health. It is their duty to provide proper support and resources for the well-being of their students. Educate students on mental and physical health practices, provide ample opportunities for treatment, and re-consider semester schedules. The health of the Geneseo student body depends on these changes.
If you’d like the administration to respond to these concerns, please sign our petition.