THE PENDULUM
Volume 29, Issue 3
Counseling
demand up
nationwide
Steve Earley
News Editor
Elon and colleges across the
country are reporting a rise in the
demand for counseling services.
In an annual University of
Pittsburgh survey of 274 counsel
ing center directors - including
Elon’s Director of Counseling
Services Bruce Nelson — more
than 80 percent reported a signifi
cant increase in serious psycho
logical problems such as depres
sion and anxiety.
The counseling center has seen
a steady rise in visits each year,
climbing from 261 in 2000-01 to
370 in 2002-03, a 42 percent
increase. Over the same time peri
od enrollment increased 7 per
cent. In August the center logged
35 visits, compared to 10 visits in
August 2002.
“We’re experiencing an
increase in what you might call
more complex mental health
cases,” Nelson said. “It’s not just
roommate problems.”
The most common problems
are anxiety and depression. In
2001-2002 academic year, 58 per
cent of clients were classified as
anxious and 42 percent were clas
sified as depressed. Nelson said
the two problems account for
about 70 percent of visits.
The increase in counseling vis
its may not necessarily mean a
greater prevalence of psychologi
cal problems, however.
Nelson pointed to a number of
possible explanations.
One is better access to coun-
September 4, 2003
if it matters to you, it matters to The Pendulum,
See HEALTH p. 10
Jeff Heyer / Photo Editor
Ground was broken for the next addition to the Academic Viilage Aug. 26 during a ceremony heid at the
first College Coffee of the year. The new pavilion will house the political science department and con
struction is expected to te completed for the start of the fall2004 semester. The building will add 15 fac
ulty offices, a 37-seat dassroom, a 20-seat seminar room and a 40-tenvinal polling center to campus.
New pavilion to house Elon Poll
and political science department
Matt Belanger
Assistant News Editor
Next fall, students who participate in the Elon
poll will be the first to use the new state-of-the-art
polling center, which will be located in the polit
ical science pavilion currently under construction
in the Academic Village.
“The new academic pavilion will provide the
physical space needed for the Elon Institute of
Politics and Public Affairs, the Center for Public
Affairs and the Center for Public Opinion Polling
and will give Elon students a front-row seat on
democracy,” Steven House, dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences.
House said the building is designed to contin
ue Elon’s goal of encouraging engaged learning.
“The new academic pavilion is designed to
enhance the personal interaction between faculty
and students and to be a showcase for integrating
formal and informal learning in creative and
dynamic ways,” he said.
A group-study room, conference room and a
space labeled as a “student engagement area” will
allow for interaction in a variety of ways, said
Nancy Midgette, assistant provost. Midgette was
involved in the design of the building.
“Imagine how exciting it will be to have such a
space readily adjacent to faculty offices, so that
students and faculty can meet together in a less for
mal setting,” she said.
See PAVILION p. 10
www.elon.edu/pendulum
Graduate
job market
looks up
Adam Smith
Reporter
Graduating seniors are nerv
ous; the 1999 job market boom
did not last long enough. It seems,
though, the worst is over.
The job market is getting bet
ter, according to reports released
by WetFeet, a job search Web site.
This means that recent college
graduates and those students
nervous about finding jobs upon
graduation can let out a small sigh
of relief.
According to Jim Allison, the
assistant director of Elon’s career
center, the market shift has to do
with demographic factors. Allsion
said the baby-boomer generation
is aging. In the near-future, these
men and women will begin retir
ing at a rapid rate.
According to an article in
Business 2.0, there will soon be
too much demand and not enough
workers. The article reports exec
utives at large corperations such
as Cigna, Intel, SAS and Adecco
have told Business 2.0 that they
worry that the supply of labor is
about to fall seriously short of
demand.
The generation that will retire
is larger than the younger genera
tions. The question will not be
whether a job can be found, but
whether there are enough people
to fill the jobs. For this year’s
graduating seniors, this is a ray of
hope.
“I think it’s going to be a
changed market,” Allison said.
See SENIORS p. 10
M « Students fly for less money thanks to the “Student O • about Elon’s new volleyball coach Mary
JT • Universe” Web site. X • Tendler.