2.9.2011 I I’lie Blue Banner 15
Study reveals lowest reports of emotional health
Ashley Fells
anfelis@unca.edu - Staff Writer
The emotional health of col
lege freshmen has reached an
all-time low, according to an
annual study by the Coopera
tive Institutional Research Pro
gram.
“There are many days where
I think to myself, ‘What am I
even doing here?’ and that is a
pretty stressful state of mind,”
Brittany Curtis, a sopho
more transfer student at UNC
Asheville said.
The first CIRP Freshman
Survey in 1985 said about 64
percent of freshmen in college
said their emotional health was
normal or above average.
In the latest survey, only 51.9
percent of students report hav
ing a healthy emotional level.
“I feel like students might be
more stressed nowadays,” Cur
tis said. “Instead of college be
ing an exciting and special oc
currence, like a privilege, it is
another thing that is expected
of us.”
Dr. Beverly Savinsky, the
associate director of Health
and Counseling at UNC A,
said economics contribute to the
pressure some students feel.
“Many students are begin
ning college already feeling
stressed,” she said. “They are
facing the added challenges
of economic downturn and in
creased academic pressure.”
Savinsky said the emo
tional health of freshmen has
dropped.
“I have experience in five
counseling centers across the
country and have definitely no
ticed an increase in both num
ber of students presenting for
services and severity of con
cerns,” Savinsky said.
Savinsky said she believes
students’ low emotional health
is connected to more than just
financial and economic stress
es.
“For most it seems to be a
combination of factors: biologi
cal; financial; environmental
and personal,” Savinsky said.
“Some people are genetically
more prone toward depression
and anxiety.”
The survey showed about 53
percent of students pay for col
lege with loans and about 74
percent use grants.
Freshman Erin Kenyon, left, and
According to a recent survey, 51
“College is more expensive,
parents are financially worse
off than in previous years due
to the recession and stagnant
wages, and students are there
fore starting college with more
economic pressure than ever
before,” said Melissa Hime-
lein, a professor of psychology
and the director of the Center
for Teaching & Learning.
According to Curtis, one
reason college students feel
stressed is because of the pres
sure placed on them in high
school to go to college and pur
sue certain majors.
“Since we have to go through
college, we’re worried about
paying for it, whether our par
ents will still love us when we
choose to be an art major in
stead of pursuing business and
trying to find a social niche at
the same time,” Curtis said.
Curtis also said another pres
sure entering college is finding
friends and worrying you may
not find any.
“Part of why I was feeling
emotionally down was because
it seemed like everyone else
was happy, accepted and con
tent, while I was not feeling the
same way,” Curtis said. “I’m
sure other people felt the same
way as I did, even if they kept
"There are days
where I think to
myself/What am I
even doing here?'
and that is a pretty
stressful state of
mind."
Brittany Curtis
UNC Asheville sophomore
Adam Gross - Staff Photographer
sophomore Sarah Weaver study in the Pinnacle at Highsmith.
.9 percent of college freshmen report low emotional health.
I" Himelein said. “Working too
many hours creates stress, anxi
ety about money creates stress,
worries about the future create
stress and stress affects psycho
logical well-being as well as
physical health.”
Savinsky agreed low emo
tional health can have negative
effects on the health and social
life of students.
“It’s more difficult for them
to focus,” Savinsky said. “It
impacts relationships. If some
one is depressed or anxious,'
it’s more difficult to form and
maintain close relationships.”
There are ways to cope with
low emotional health and help
make life less stressful, accord
ing to Himelein.
“Vigorous aerobic exercise is
great for mood,” Himelein said.
“Sleep seven to eight hours a
night on a regular schedule. Eat
regular, healthful meals. Spend
time with close friends.”
Savinsky and Himelein both
agreed spending time with
friends and developing good re
lationships was a good way to
help emotional levels.
“Humans are social beings,”
Savinsky said. “Get to know
your roommate. Develop posi
tive and healthy relationships
with classmates and friends.”
JOBS
on a happy face.”
The survey also discussed
how women are more likely to
have low emotional health than
men by about 13 percent.
“Women were particularly
prone to self-reported low lev
els of emotional health and feel
ings of being overwhelmed,”
Savinsky said.
Low emotional health can
have negative effects on stu
dents and can affect them men
tally and emotionally, accord
ing to Himelein.
“The relationship between
stress and both mental and phys
ical health is well-established,”
continued from page 3
possibility of two more, Fer
nandes said.
“We have not stopped (hir
ing) despite the budget reduc
tions and I think that speaks
volumes to the university’s
commitment to strong aca
demic programs for our stu
dents,” she said.
With the cuts already made,
there could also be a possibil
ity of the general administra
tion asking for a 15 percent
cut, according to Fernandes.
Fernandes said she tried to
foster a level of communica
tion between faculty and staff
during this difficult time.
“We try to help them under
stand the kinds of decisions
that we are needing to make,”
she said.
This level of communica
tion will help foster a level
of trast between faculty and
staff and administration, ac
cording to Fernandes.
She said deciding any type
of budget cut is a painful
experience for everyone in
volved.
“It’s very comparable to a
family that has a budget and
you can’t spend more money
than you take in,” she said.
“So, if they’re spending more
than they’re taking in, they
need to make some changes
to live within their means.
Basically the university needs
to make some hard decisions
about how to live within their
means.”
Despite the pain the uni
versity is experiencing due to
budget cuts, Fernandes said
she feels the university will
emerge in a stronger posi
tion.
“The university kept add
ing more and more ideas to
the curriculum and didn’t
really consider whether we
have full-time faculty here to
deliver it and that really isn’t
a sustainable model for the
university to work with,” she
said. “So, what we’re doing
now, although it’s very pain
ful, will allow us to create a
curriculum that our faculty
can deliver whether we have
a good budget or a bad bud
get. The university will be
sustainable through whatever
comes and, actually, that’s a
better position for the univer
sity to be in.”