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Several Syracuse University professors have adjusted the structures of their courses and updated grading policies to combat the mental health implications of a spring semester with only two days off. 

SU decided to eliminate its week-long spring break to minimize the risk of virus transmission due to traveling, instead implementing two wellness days. Though the length of instruction hasn’t changed, some instructors have concerns about how isolation due to COVID-19 and the continued pressure of the 14-week semester may affect students.

Coran Klaver, chair of the English and textual studies department, will change her grading policy to allow students to self-evaluate their work. She will keep note of how students progress through the class and issue final grades, but she hopes students will find the motivation to learn through assignments instead of the primary motivation of a final grade.

“I hope it helps with students’ mental health,” Klaver said.

Before the semester started, Klaver emailed students to ask whether they plan to study in-person or remotely, and she included questions about potential accommodations they may need or obstacles they’re facing.

“I’ve already sent out a survey to everyone, on Google Forms, and I kind of asked people a little more about themselves than I normally did, like what are their strengths and weaknesses, ‘what are non-academic obstacles that I anticipate having to negotiate this semester, and accommodations or things that I need you to know about me,’” Klaver said.

With the semester starting in the heart of winter, some students said fewer recreational activities and opportunities to safely socialize outside have made it harder to balance coursework and well-being.

In January, more than 2,300 students and other members of the SU community signed a Change.org petition requesting that SU institute wellness days throughout the spring semester as a replacement for spring break, as other colleges and universities across the country have. SU announced shortly after that it would institute wellness days on March 23 and April 21. The university will not hold classes, require classwork to be due or administer exams on these days.

Patricia Burak, an assistant professor of Russian literature and languages, literatures and linguistics, believes that the two wellness days may actually better promote mental well-being than a week-long spring break would have.

 “Spring break was more a party time in a lot of ways than a real mental health break,” Burak said. 

Burak knows that the semester will be intense for students and faculty without spring break, but she believes that, if professors acknowledge the intensity and adjust their plans accordingly, mental health detriments can be avoided.

Like Klaver, Burak also reached out to students before the semester began to connect with them and start a conversation about flexibility throughout the term.

Justine Hastings, president of SU’s Student Association, said that canceling spring break may negatively impact students’ mental health, but she is relieved that the university chose to institute wellness days. SU officials told her the wellness days were intentionally placed in the middle of the week to prevent students from traveling, Hastings said.

 SA is also working with the Barnes Center at The Arch on several initiatives this semester to promote students’ mental health and improve the quality of counseling services for students, which can help if the spring semester becomes challenging, Hastings said.

The university recently hired additional counselors of varying identities and backgrounds so that students from marginalized communities feel comfortable seeking help from the Barnes Center. SA is also working with Barnes Center staff to post names, photos, specializations and identities of the center’s counselors on its website, Hastings said.

“We are working with Barnes to address the perceived notion that Barnes does not have diverse counselors,” Hastings said.

The Barnes Center has also held optional training sessions on various topics, including supporting student and staff wellness and addressing mental health problems, said Cory Wallack, the executive director of Health and Wellness. The sessions are requested by departments and conducted by Barnes Center staff.

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More stories about mental health at SU during the pandemic:

• Students seek out mental health services, miss in-person therapy
• SU institutes 2 wellness days for spring semester
• SA proposes trial program with mental health organization that offers 24/7 support

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Faculty and other instructors are aware of the health implications of the next 14 weeks, and they seem determined to help students navigate those challenges, Wallack said. He encouraged instructors to be patient and flexible and to become familiar with the resources the university has for managing mental health so they can share them with students.

Students and professors should acknowledge that the pandemic changes the way people work and prioritize their goals, he said.

 “Put in the best effort possible, but honor that ‘best’ in the context of COVID might be different than ‘best’ at a different point in life,” Wallack said. 

Published on February 8, 2021 at 9:15 pm

Contact Kailey: kmnorusi@syr.edu