Letter to the Editor: USC must work to improve student well-being

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Endless assignments, unforgiving professors and dysfunctional technology — the pixelated landscape of “Zoom University” — have not been kind to already-overworked students. In a state of continued isolation and anxiety, college students have continually expressed their struggle to feel motivated and focused, especially without access to the commodities available on a college campus. 

Although USC recently acknowledged potential mental difficulties in its Oct. 6 Fall Community Health Update, its emphasis on “self-care” and “spending time with family” shifted responsibility to students and parroted the same empty platitudes that the school has always expressed. Not all students have a “strong emotional support network” — merely sending out hotlines is not an effective way to offer the kind of support so many students need.

With the rise of the coronavirus, mental health in the United States has steadily declined, with symptoms of anxiety disorders becoming more and more prevalent. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of anxiety have reached 25.5% of respondents, a three-fold increase from 2019. Similarly, the frequency of symptoms of depressive disorder has increased four times since last year, reaching a staggering 24.3% among those surveyed. 

Clearly, a second, more silent pandemic has taken root. It is also important to note that these mental health conditions have disproportionately affected marginalized populations — particularly, Latinx and Black persons have experienced a more potent decline in mental health.

The worrying effect stated above is even more pronounced in people aged 18 to 24, where 74.9% reported symptoms of a mental health condition. The stress of a global pandemic and a dismal job market have compounded existing college anxiety. We have been isolated from our friends and support systems; some students have had to return to less-than-ideal home situations. A mountain of online assignments, extracurricular obligations, home responsibilities and physical isolation have led to an exacerbation of existing mental struggles. Internships and shadowing opportunities have been ripped away. Students who have moved back to their home states and were already seeking treatment may be forced to find another provider due to state licensing laws. Add heavy coursework on top of all this, and it’s no wonder 11:59 p.m. deadlines haunt our dreams.

Basically, life sucks right now — and because of a deeply rooted stigma, no one seems to be having the necessary conversations to effectively address this mental health crisis. 

Awareness is key to dismantling this stigma. 

This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week, and awareness is more important now than ever. Awareness means acknowledging that we’re struggling. It means educating ourselves on all the different forms mental illness can take, from minor episodes to severe illness. Above all, it means recognizing that we’re not alone. It’s okay if we’re feeling like crap right now — we just need to do something about it and having conversations like these is a great place to start.

It seems like a lot is out of our control as students right now, but the University has the power and resources to help. We at USC’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness urge USC to truly make mental wellness a priority. This means a standardized, more forgiving absence policy that allows for mental health days, increasing the number of available counselors for crisis intervention, educating professors on how to help struggling students, helping students find resources in whatever state they’re in and acknowledging shortcomings in the current system and asking students for suggestions. 

USC has never adequately emphasized mental health (even before this pandemic) and these cracks in support have just been exacerbated by the current situation. 

While USC has asserted that it is striving to improve student well-being, the University has consistently failed to bring about meaningful change. As an institution that has experienced its own share of tragedy, the University should have made mental health a clear priority much earlier on. Professors need to discuss the clear mental health issues on campus and prioritize a healthy academic environment, one where students feel empowered to address the mental health issues they are suffering from. 

Students are struggling. It’s time for USC to act on its promises.

USC National Alliance on Mental Illness