For the past sixteen months, we have all been living in a state of uncertainty, increased anxiety, and a constant wish for things to return to “normal.” To put it simply, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, each of us has experienced trauma. For some, the trauma has had little impact, but for others, the trauma of the pandemic will remain in place for a significant amount of time.
At our current juncture, where institutions are planning to return to “pre-COVID” work schedules and class sizes, we need to recognize there is no return to “normal,” but rather an opportunity to create a “new normal.”
One area where we need to focus on what the new normal will look like is with our students. To begin to create the environment and culture of a new normal, we first have to understand what our students have experienced since many of them were sent away from our institutions last March.
The Hope Center #RealCollegeSurvey from fall 2020 revealed 3 in 5 students experienced basic needs insecurity during the pandemic. For 48 percent of students, housing insecurity was an issue they experienced, with 34 percent of students facing food insecurity. The information from this survey paints a picture of students who will be returning to our campuses in need of institutions to offer support services that go beyond what we normally provide. It makes us ask the question: If our students are not having their basic needs met, how can we expect them to engage in classes, focus during exams, become involved on campus, and ultimately be retained and complete a degree?
Like the rise in basic needs support, our students will be returning to our campuses with increased mental health and wellness needs as well. The Fall 2020 Healthy Minds Study found 39 percent of students experiencing depression and 34 percent of students experiencing anxiety. In addition, the study revealed 66 percent of students had feelings of isolation from others, showing higher education professionals that they need to provide engagement and connection opportunities when students return.
For 83 percent of students, emotional or mental difficulties impacted their academic performance at least 1-2 days in the four weeks preceding the survey, revealing that mental health and wellness of our students should be a priority for academic affairs divisions. Our institutions must be prepared to address the mental health and wellness concerns of students who have experienced pandemic trauma, increased anxiety due to the state of uncertainty, and who have suffered losses in many forms.
So how do we prepare for this “new normal” with students having increased needs beyond the classroom? First, we must recognize that for our students to be successful academically, we need to have resources and support systems in place to address the whole student. When we interact with students, whether it is in the classroom, our offices, or at an on-campus event, we should pause and remember what we are seeing and experiencing with the students is only the tip of the iceberg. Our students come to our campuses with lived experiences–both positive and negative–that are often below the surface.
What would stopping and remembering the items below the surface rather than just focusing on the tip of the iceberg mean for the care and well-being of our students? For the retention of our students? For their ability to complete a degree? For their feeling of belonging at our institutions?
Beyond remembering to look below the surface, campuses can explore other practical ways, to prepare for the new normal and needs of our students:
1. Campuses can continue to offer grace and flexibility during the fall semester. While we might be operating based on “pre-COVID” standards, there will be unforeseen challenges for our students. In places where we can continue to offer grace and flexibility from the classroom to our policies, we should do so to support our students as they either transition to campus life for the first time or transition back to campus life.
2. Create a team that can respond to students in need. Before the fall semester begins, each institution should determine the team of individuals that will respond to the ongoing needs of students, whether they be basic needs or mental health needs. Creating a team means there is a specific place faculty and staff can refer individual students who are in need. Having a team in place ensures the response to student referrals is done quickly. At my institution, this group is our Pirates CARE Team.
3. Consider hiring a case manager or expanding case management services if your campus already offers this. A case manager can help students one-on-one with connections both on and off-campus. Having this position will allow campuses to offer or expand the traditional social services needed to support the whole student. It may be possible for your institution to utilize Cares Act or HEERF funding for this type of position in response to the increase in basic needs support as a result of the pandemic.
4. Implement additional mental health resources and support systems. In recent guidance from the CDC regarding reopening plans, colleges and universities are encouraged to implement robust mental health resources for students as they return to campuses in the fall. Depending on the structure of your institution you could consider hiring additional counselors and mental health staff or partner with an outside resource that provides support for students. For us, we decided to partner with Togetherall to provide our students with an anonymous peer support network they can access 24/7.
5. Provide training and resources to faculty. Sometimes the first person a student shares a need or issue with is a faculty member. Institutions need to develop training to help faculty members have conversations with students who are in need or who are displaying signs of distress. In addition, institutions need to make sure faculty know their job is not to solve the problem or crisis, but rather to refer the student to individuals and offices who can. Having an easy-to-understand, well-known referral process is vital to helping faculty connect students.
6. Create opportunities for conversations with students. When students are back on campus, it should be a priority to create opportunities to talk with students and learn more about what they are experiencing, as well as the hurdles they have to overcome due to the below-the-surface items they bring with them to our campuses. This can be done through ongoing surveys and assessments or utilizing offices like student engagement to set up events where administrators can talk directly, in-person with students about their needs. It is also important for campuses to think about what students they are hearing from and ensure that a cross-campus representation of student voices is included in these conversations.
We will all be navigating a new normal when the fall semester begins, but if we take the time now to plan for the needs of students, we can have a positive impact on their return to campus and ultimately their success at our institutions.
Dr. Lynsey Listau serves as the Executive Director of Institutional Equity and Student Conduct at Pensacola State College. In this position she oversees equity, student conduct, Title IX, case management services, relationship violence prevention, mental health services, campus food pantries, and the Pirates CARE Team.
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