(Amanda Levenson/ Daily Titan
College students are dependent on faculty and staff members for their livelihoods. They work hard, often at the expense of their mental health. They should be encouraged to thrive in their work environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected higher education institutions, directly affecting college students’ mental health. Faculty and staff are viewed as human robots, capable of relieving stressors that can affect their mental health. This social construct however distorts or downplays the lived experiences CSUF faculty, staff and students.
Although CSUF offers a variety of mental health services for faculty members and staff, there’s a difference between supplying the resources and cultivating an engaging, empowering wellness environment.
According to CSUFs Institutional Report on Faculty and Staff Data (Fall 2021), the university had 2,124 faculty members, and 1,610 staff members. Comparatively, the CSUF student population was nearly 40,000 at spring 2021.
Faculty and staff are outnumbered. Despite their specialized expertise and skill sets, they are expected not to provide exceptional service to fulfill CSUFs model. Their psychological health is not considered a priority. Over time, their burnout increases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burn-out can be a result of chronic workplace stress that has not yet been successfully managed.
CSUF offers many resources to help their staff and faculty like the Employee Assistance program (EAP), Total Wellness Center, and Staff Development Center. The EAP offers counseling services through MyLifeMatters.com by Empathia, and hosts wellness webinars.
CSUF faculty members and staff returned to campus in August 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. On select days in September and August, the EAP offered all-day in-person counseling services. Due to the online instruction, adjusting in hybrid environments, or time conflicts with on-site counseling services, not many faculty and staff could commute to campus.
There are no on-site counseling services available all year, which poses a problem for mental health.
Portia Preston is an associate professor in public and health at CSUF. She focuses on the lack of boundaries that the university faculty & staff maintain.
Preston stated that one of my goals is to take off in the evenings. Students don’t see the value in it, so it is easy for us to live and breath this work. It can be very difficult for staff to switch off students who are in really difficult situations.
While it is easy to point out that staff and faculty applied for their long-term occupations and anticipated the challenges, many forget their humanity. The CSUF student body seems to lack compassion. They seem too focused on academic success and mental well being, and ignore all else.
Students should treat their professional relationships with faculty members and staff members as reciprocal. Students must be understanding and compassionate in order to allow faculty and staff to work together on student issues. This could be demonstrated simply by dropping-by at a faculty member’s office hours.
CSUF’s Total Wellness Center also caters to faculty and staff financial, emotional, physical and occupational wellness. Faculty and staff may be discouraged by time constraints or other underlying issues from making use of the resources.
Preston stated, “I think it’s really important that staff, management, faculty and people that are familiar sit down with constituents so they can talk about what’s been difficult and what they need and how they can support them best.”
Preston is an active participant in the Staff Development Center. She holds retreats at the Fullerton Arboretum for staff, demonstrating her commitment to helping the CSUF community cope with burnout and strained mental well-being.
Preston said that I would love to see more accountability about how we lead. It is not enough to tell people to self-care. You have to create an environment where people can’t self-care. We are trapped in a cycle of producing, accelerating, and amplifying. It is something we must take responsibility for.
A university environment that is healthy and equitable can only be achieved if students and the institution themselves empower and fuel staff and faculty with the same support they have always received.
