This report doesn’t even consider psychiatric care, which continues to lack on campuses compared to the increased prevalence of counseling services. University mental health funding should go to a massive expansion of the number of counselors available. This is the most obvious solution for increasing personalized care and reducing wait times.
Faculty and staff should be able to identify signs of burnout, chronic stress, depression and anxiety in their students. At SMU, theprogram provides a list of distress indicators and allows members of the SMU community to refer students to the program. Once referred, students work with staff to create a supportive action plan and, if needed, get referrals to mental health counseling.
Lastly, simple changes in the classroom can create immense relief for students. One example is the surprisingly controversial notion of implementing flexible due dates,Those opposed to flexible due dates, as mentioned in the Slate article, worry about a lack of accountability. Where is the learning of time management and responsibility when there are no deadlines to be met? However, flexible due dates put into action are much more structured than the name suggests.
The work is being done to the same degree, but in a way that gives the power of time management and choice to students, thus decreasing the pressure and stress.