Sarah Bale packed her bags on a Friday night and decided last-minute to tag along on her parents two week-long trip to Weld, Maine. Seven hours away from the SUNY New Paltz, it would be sure to give her at least a taste of the relaxation she was long yearning for.
When all your classes are online, that is the kind of thing you can do.
Instead of being crammed into her small room off-campus, she set herself up in a cabin where there was just enough WiFi to submit her assignments to Blackboard. But despite the change of scenery, relaxation was still out of reach. Now back in town, Bale, a third-year student studying English with a minor in political science, says this semester continues to be an adjustment.
“I’ve tried my best to adapt,” said Bale. “It’s been hard not having those in-person interactions because I am completely remote. Since we’re back in New Paltz I feel like things should be normal and I have the same expectations for myself. I feel that I should be doing the same amount of work and at the same level I used to. But we’re still living through a pandemic.”
The residence halls at SUNY are operating at reduced density with about 2,900 students total. Priority was given to first-year students, international students, and students in programs with labs, studio, and equipment-intensive classes.
SUNY New Paltz’s classes don’t look the same anymore either. While one class might be face-to-face, others are completely online. Some professors make the in-person aspect optional, with the professor teaching live to the students in the room and to students tuning in on Zoom. Entirely remote classes are more common.
No rest for the weary
Like many other universities, SUNY New Paltz did not give students a fall break and classes remained in session on federal holidays, including Labor Day and Columbus Day. The idea was to minimize the amount of travel to and from campus. With more instructional days jammed in, the semester is ending a few weeks early, with campus closing before Thanksgiving and finals being conducted remotely over the following couple weeks.
But students say the lack of breaks, paired with the isolation of mostly remote instruction, has been trying.
“I didn’t think about us not having breaks until we were mid-way through the semester,” said Bale. “It doesn’t sound like a problem when you think of future semesters. Now being in it, and going through midterms, I think it’s necessary for people to have breaks especially during this stressful time for the whole world.”
Fourth-year student Emily Trama, who is also living off-campus in New Paltz, agreed.
“I’ve been at school for two months and it’s been nonstop,” she said. “I haven’t had one day where I don’t have class. I want to feel like I can take a day for myself and not be behind. Not having a break makes it feel like I’m constantly going and I’m never going to catch up.”
Trama said the workload is higher this semester than usual.
“I think professors think because we’re not meeting face-to-face they need to compensate with more work.”
Overwhelmed, stressed and always adjusting
Third-year student computer science and linguistics student Taylor, who preferred not to give her last name, decided to stay home on Long Island. For her, it didn’t make sense to spend money on housing to attend remote classes. But despite the familiar surroundings, she’s finding it harder to concentrate.
“Part of me feeling overwhelmed comes from being at home,” said Taylor. “I have less environment space to work in. When I’m in New Paltz I can go to the library or Wooster Hall – there’s so many options. At home, it’s a lot more limiting.”
To destress, she will exercise in the middle of the day to get outside or drive over to her boyfriend’s house for a necessary change in scenery.
Trama is in New Paltz but the feelings are the same for her – overwhelmed, stressed and always adjusting is how she puts it.
“School can be stressful in general,” said Trama. “Now with everything in a totally different format and it being new to everyone, I am on edge all the time.”
Marist student and resident assistant Shannon Donnelly has not only also felt the stress of the pandemic college experience herself; she has seen it among her residents. As at SUNY, no outside guests are allowed in Marist’s residence halls.
The isolation has affected Donnelly more than anything else. After days without face-to-face contact, she notices an effect on her mood. Like Taylor, escaping to enjoy the outdoors is one way she copes.
This semester, Donnelly held an educational program for her residents on Zoom where Dr. Marisa Moore, a mental health specialist at Marist, offered tips on how to combat loneliness and stay mentally aware during isolation. Only one resident attended. The remote world has not been good for clubs, organizations and programming. (Trama, also a member of a school club, has noticed that participation is way down compared to years prior.)
On top of feelings of isolation, the pandemic has changed her outlook on education and her school work. Now she doesn’t value it as much.
“At this point, I’m trying to get out early if it’s possible,” said Donnelly. “I was always looking forward to senior year.”
Now she’s considering squeezing in her last seven credits over winter break or staying at home for the spring semester.
Other options to cope
Colleges have recognized the problem and have been reaching out to students to help. SUNY New Paltz’s Student Psychological Resilience Project is a a peer-to-peer resource for students who want to talk about what’s stressing them out and offer one another social support. Different days have different themes, including “We’re In This Together Tuesdays,” “Free Time Friday,” “Self Care Sunday” and “Mindfulness Mondays.”
“We are very limited in the ability to have in-person gatherings,” said professor Karla Vermeulen, who oversees the project and is the deputy director of the college’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health. “So we can certainly do a lot of online programming like Zoom workshops, but the students in general are so overwhelmed. Those who are attending remotely, we are finding the last thing they want to do at the end of the day is get on another video call.”
Caitlin Pastore, a graduate student and one of the ten student resilience advocates, said she has struggled with many of the same issues as her peers.
“I will go days without leaving my apartment because there is no reason to leave,” said Pastore. “This contributes to the feeling of isolation and being stuck.”
Being an advocate means she can be a resource for fellow students. Going through it herself, she is able to provide insight and tips to help others.
“We want to help students on campus,” said Pastore. “We want to promote mental health, help with stress management and provide anxiety management techniques. We hope to create a sense of community and show students there are resources on campus they can utilize.”
SUNY New Paltz also offers other services like the Psychological Counseling Center and the OASIS peer hotline. Both are seeing increased use.
In any given academic year, the counseling center usually sees around 730 students. As of mid-October they have had approximately 225 appointments. Director Dr. Gweneth M. Lloyd said the numbers would be even higher if not for a few extenuating factors.
“We have less than half of the students living on campus,” said Lloyd. “Others may be home and some of their social support might be their family. Students are also overwhelmed with their academics and their mental health might be taking a back seat.”
With the second half of the semester in full swing, she expects to see an uptick as the academic pressure mounts.
The center is still offering its popular “Let’s Talk” sessions, which are happening both in-person and online. The staff provides an informal, brief consultation for students during these drop-in sessions.
Lloyd had a number of other suggestions for students to cope with their mental health.
“Instead of texting, talk,” said Lloyd. “Have that human connection. If they’re on campus, meet in a socially-distant manner and take a walk with someone. Meet with a friend for lunch outside. Self-care is really important too. Get up, get dressed like you have a destination for the day, take a shower, comb your hair – even if your classes are just remote.”
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