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COLUMN: Lost in the crowd

(02/19/14 4:58am)

A spring 2013 American College Health Association study revealed that 30 percent of students responded as feeling “so depressed that it was difficult to function" at some point in the past 12 months. I wanted to explore the options students have at Central Michigan University when seeking to help treat and prevent mental illness – and what I found out was troubling. While there are numerous resources for students to receive short-term care, few resources are available for students seeking care on a regular basis. Short-term services are available at the counseling center in Foust Hall, and students might also receive care from a counselor in their residential area. Listening Ear, a crisis line located in town, is also available 24-7 by phone. While these resources are impressive and show the devotion CMU has for student health, there is a large number of students who go without care. There are plenty of counseling options in the city of Mount Pleasant, however, these services are often too expensive for a college budget. Although the Affordable Care Act granted students the ability to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until the age of 26, concern for confidentiality might deter students from seeking treatment. After speaking with a representative from Planned Parenthood, I confirmed my suspicion about confidentiality rules. The representative clarified that when a student is a dependent under a parent or guardian’s insurance plan, the insurance bill will specifically list the services received. For students who do not wish to disclose their mental health status, they would have to pay out-of-pocket for long-term therapy, which tends to be expensive. A simple Google search of “mental health 48858” led me to several potential sources of treatment. However, many dialed to broken phone numbers or closed businesses. Is this really the state of mental health in our area? CMU students account for more than 40 percent of the Mount Pleasant population. So where are the adequate resources for those of us who need long-term care? I have experienced anxiety and depression, and I feel abandoned by my university and my city. Counseling can be provided for students who only need short-term care or for students who do not have a problem with parental disclosure – but what about those students who do not fit either category? We contribute to this university and city for four years or longer, and yet when we ask for a service in return, we are left with unanswered questions and disconnected phone lines. The mission statement for the university includes CMU as “a national leader in higher education inspiring excellence and innovation.” By failing students with no adequate health treatment, CMU is failing the mission of the university itself. Although I love CMU and the opportunities offered, I am deeply concerned about how students can access the mental care they need. No one can be their best if they are sick. For a school that emphasizes the slogan, “Take Care" – it seems that there are many of us who just get lost in the crowd.

https://www.cm-life.com/article/2014/02/column-lost-in-the-crowd

COLUMN: Will history repeat itself?

(02/10/14 4:58am)

Berlin, 1936. The world watched as the top athletes competed for reigning championships. The Germans were waiting to show  spectators what real Aryan blood could do. During the time of the Nazi-Germany hosting of the Olympics, anti-Semitic signs were removed, propaganda was limited, and people were so easily fooled. For them, Germany looked like heaven, yet in reality, it was hell. A number of Jewish athletes boycotted the 1936 Olympics, yet the games still went on. Sports complexes were erected, swastikas were enshrined on monuments, and the bloody secrets of the Nazi regime were hidden. Nazi officials made it clear that foreign visitors would not be subjected to German laws, including the criminal penalties against homosexuality. In years to come, however, more than 10 million deaths would occur because of Hitler’s search for absolute power. When looking back on history, we like to ask ourselves, “how did this happen?” and vow to prevent such atrocities in the future. The Nuremberg Trials brought Nazi officials to justice and the world slowly moved on, seemingly forgetful of how easy it is to create a powerful path of destruction. Sochi, 2014. Olympians all over the world are traveling to Sochi, a city in Russia, to compete for the glory of an Olympic medal. However, similarly to 1930s Hitler, Russian president Vladimir Putin is also attempting to hide his tyrannical efforts to erode human rights. In June 2013, Putin signed legislation into law that “prescribes fines for anyone providing information about pedophilia and homosexuality to people under 18.” Gay rights activists worry that the amendment criminalizes any public event in support of gay rights. Even national leaders from other countries have boycotted the games in response to such laws. In this case, these human rights abuses are not historical or theoretical, but are very real. The Holocaust happened in silence when the world closed its eyes and covered its ears. I think it is vital to our history and to our morality that we as students, citizens and human beings take notice of what is happening in Russia and how the Sochi Olympics will impact the citizens. In J.R.R. Tolkein’s second installment of The Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, Merry was compelling Treebeard the Ent to come out of isolation and help fight against the darkness covering Middle Earth. When met with resistance by Treebeard, thinking the Ents had no role in the war, Merry challenged Treebeard by asking him – “But you’re a part of this world, aren’t you? ... you must help.” As students, we have a responsibility to engage in discourse against these abuses. It is our duty to ensure the basic human rights of all of the world’s people. As idle observers, can we really look into the future without fear of being judged just as harshly as we judge those involved in the Holocaust of Nazi Germany? What can we as students of this school do to make sure that we do not participate in the passerby effect of this human rights abuse? To start, we can tell Putin that the whole world is watching Russia, and not just for the pair figure-skating.

https://www.cm-life.com/article/2014/02/column-will-history-repeat-itself