A note from the Editor: Stressed?
I was standing in my living room at 11 p.m. one evening two weeks into school, standing in front of my partner on the couch. We’d both been chipping away at the unending cascade of schoolwork for what seemed like hours; neither of us had eaten lunch or dinner, and we were both exhausted.
I was confused; after all, the second week of the semester isn’t supposed to be so demanding. I’d felt like this before during finals weeks and the lead up to a big exam, but never so early in a semester had I felt so doomful and depressed.
“Is it just us,” I asked him, dreading the thought that maybe just the two of us were falling apart.
“I don’t think so,” he replied.
Thus began a long series of interviews, surveys, emails and chats with faculty, staff and students. All, to some degree, mentioned that they felt exhausted, stressed, tired, anxious, depressed or similar.
“Everyone is feeling this way,” I thought. “What could possibly be the issue if everyone including the professors is so stressed?”
The answer is multifaceted– it’s going to take more than one article to fix it. I urge you, if you’re feeling some sort of bad way, to contact your professors, your advisor or the academic support office and ask for help. Nothing can change if no one knows what’s wrong.
Page 2 is where that story lives– the big thing I want you to take away is that you aren’t alone.
This is something we need to talk about as friends and peers– if you need help, ask. If you can offer help, offer.
The only way out of this year is through, and we must go through together.
One of the ways to blaze us through this year and into a better one is to engage in your civic duty and vote. We’ll be covering that for next issue, but in the meantime, you can check out pages 10 and 11. Vermont legislative candidates responded to our question about VSCS funding, and we hope that will help inform your voting so that you can make the best decisions according to your priorities.
I was confused; after all, the second week of the semester isn’t supposed to be so demanding. I’d felt like this before during finals weeks and the lead up to a big exam, but never so early in a semester had I felt so doomful and depressed.
“Is it just us,” I asked him, dreading the thought that maybe just the two of us were falling apart.
“I don’t think so,” he replied.
Thus began a long series of interviews, surveys, emails and chats with faculty, staff and students. All, to some degree, mentioned that they felt exhausted, stressed, tired, anxious, depressed or similar.
“Everyone is feeling this way,” I thought. “What could possibly be the issue if everyone including the professors is so stressed?”
The answer is multifaceted– it’s going to take more than one article to fix it. I urge you, if you’re feeling some sort of bad way, to contact your professors, your advisor or the academic support office and ask for help. Nothing can change if no one knows what’s wrong.
Page 2 is where that story lives– the big thing I want you to take away is that you aren’t alone.
This is something we need to talk about as friends and peers– if you need help, ask. If you can offer help, offer.
The only way out of this year is through, and we must go through together.
One of the ways to blaze us through this year and into a better one is to engage in your civic duty and vote. We’ll be covering that for next issue, but in the meantime, you can check out pages 10 and 11. Vermont legislative candidates responded to our question about VSCS funding, and we hope that will help inform your voting so that you can make the best decisions according to your priorities.
Keep being great, and I’ll see you next issue. Take a deep breath. We will all be okay.
-Rebecca Flieder,
Editor in Chief
Editor in Chief
About the Writer
Rebecca Flieder, Editor-in-Chief
Senior, Journalism & Creative Writing
Grew up in Atkinson, NH
Fall 2018 - Present
Along with traditional journalism, I enjoy writing satire and...
