mental illness is an epidemic and far
too often its fatal I learned that the
hard way I’m not just going to tell you
that we’re sick I know you already know
that I know you know what to do when you
are mentally unwell you’ve already been
told about counseling medication
vitamins those are all measures for
people who have already fallen into
their dark spaces what I think we need
to focus on are their preventative
measures so much of mental illness is
chemical I know that I know it is not
something that you can wish away but I
do know there are ways that it can be
managed and again I know you already
know about the individualistic
preventive measures to eating better
sleeping more as if it’s a choice
talking about your feelings as if it’s
that easy
but I think what we need to focus on
more are the systems in place that lead
us toward excess stress and less time
for meaningful social connections as a
student heading into her fifth year of
post-secondary education at the
University of British Columbia’s
Okanagan campus I know the university
system these systems can seem so massive
and out of reach that we assume they are
unchangeable but I argue that they
aren’t I have depression and minor
anxiety neither of which proliferated
due to the stress of university courses
but that’s just me I also know that so
many of my friends have talked to me
about how University courses can be so
stressful that we feel inadequate at a
time when we are supposed to be
empowered by our new knowledge my
interest in this topic sparked by the
loss of a good friend to mental illness
about a year ago and the countless
conversations I’ve had with friends who
feel that the pressure of university can
feel impossible and draining rather than
fueling their passions it’s not that I
believe professors don’t understand the
pressure that students are under I know
they know that we are sometimes mentally
unwell and that we face a lot of
pressure but I think what they can do is
to be more
active in the ways that they are
structuring their courses
to produce more conducive space for
positive mental health I primarily view
their stressors coming from three areas
financial stress heavy consequences and
time constraints students have to pay
crazy amounts of money for textbooks I
once paid $200 for a textbook that was
said to be mandatory and I never even
cracked it this is on top of the parking
fees gym fees and tuition fees that we
have to pay which could take up the
duration of an entirely different talk
on top of this participation marks can
be really stressful for some students as
it can be really stressful to put up
your hand and talk in front of an entire
class of people even if you are fully
engaged another thing that I think can
be detrimental is very very extensively
policies so in one of my classes we had
an assignment due at the very beginning
of class and the professor put up a
massive clock for everyone to see
students were bursting through the back
doors running up to the front with their
assignments just seconds past the due
date and the entire class would watch as
the professor took their paper aside and
marked it late docking them 10% for mere
second the most perplexing practice on
our campus that I’ve ever heard of is
what students in the Faculty of
management call management hell week
it’s not just it’s kind of funny but
it’s not that funny at the same time so
in their third year of study and the
week following reading Break students
are given one midterm per day for a week
not only are they stripped of the chance
to take a real break during the reading
break they also are bombarded with
stress the following week in addition to
this time constraints can be really
stressful for students we are given
multiple readings for a single course or
really lengthy readings and students are
expected to do those on top of their
readings and requirements for their
other classes this can be discouraging
for students and they sometimes don’t
even try to get their readings done
because they know they likely will not
get through all of them another
detrimental practice is late exam times
some students have exams as late as
December 22nd and
for some who decide to go home which can
be on the other side of the world the
travel time is almost longer than the
time they get to spend with their
families and it sometimes becomes not
even worth the cost of travel and they
oftentimes will even be missing their
cultural or religious celebrations some
of these things that I’ve brought up are
complex problems and for these I have
some complex solutions and feedback for
some big thinking I consulted with some
big brains
I spoke with students in various
faculties and I also spoke with a couple
of my favorite professors dr. Ilya
Parkins and dr. George Grinnell they let
me in on some ideas from the other side
of the game and some things that they’ve
implemented in their classes to start
I’d like to focus on transparency and
how important it is to remember that we
are all just human beings it is so
important to have transparency in your
classes for the professor’s it is so
important for students to understand
that professors are just people too and
in this professors are also in a place
of privilege and power and they can use
that power in such a positive way I
cannot express the importance of seeing
oneself in the in the readings there are
a wide variety of scholars in your field
that we never hear about it is not good
enough to simply express readings from
cisgender heterosexual able-bodied white
men when one is only exposed to white
men’s teachings it can become difficult
to see yourself in the work and that
only adds excessive stress as you feel
like you have to prove yourself further
than other students who may be aligned
themselves with the stories introduced
in class beyond this is the importance
of doing more than just a territory
acknowledgement it is not good enough to
simply state that we are learning on
stolen land there are various ideas that
do not simply align with colonial values
we should be hearing the teachings of
indigenous scholars and elders rather
than just hearing the stories of those
that align with colonial values and in
the spirit of remembering that students
are just people it’s also important to
recognize that we have different
learning styles and struggles there
should be different means of assessment
so students can work in a means that
works well for them and expresses their
understanding to the best of their
potential I want to leave you with eight
takeaway ideas that can be implemented
more quickly and without as much effort
on the end of the professor as I know
that they have their own pressures and
struggles of their own the first is a
practice of dr. Ilya Parkins she has a
four day leeway policy which means that
you can hand in one of your assignments
four days late or four of your
assignments one day late and that
flexibility allows for you to work
within your own schedule on top of this
posting readings online is very
beneficial for students we have a
massive amount of journals and texts
online at our fingertips so if we can
avoid prescribing pricey textbooks the
students would really appreciate it next
I want to suggest that you do a quiz on
the syllabus so that students have to
learn more about the resources that
professors are required to put on their
syllabuses fourth I want to suggest
giving time in classes for group
projects as it can become very difficult
for students to find time to meet
outside of their classrooms I also
believe that there should be multiple
modes of expressing your participation I
know some students who are clearly
engaged and willing to talk about the
material outside of class time but I
know that they have a hard time putting
up their hand in classes it can be very
anxiety inducing I also believe that
lowering late policies is very important
for some students when you simply cannot
get something in on time you should not
be docked a large percentage or be given
0% for handing something in just a
minute late I also have a professor who
brings healthy snacks into class or
allows students to eat during exams is
it can become difficult to remember
something as simple as eating when one
is bombarded with so much stress and
finally I have one professor who also
helps by getting students to come up
with the questions for the exam before
the course so that before the test
students are given minimal surprises so
that there is not the stress of studying
the wrong thing well I understand that
University MA
be challenging in order to test students
understanding I also know that so many
brilliant students are put at a
disadvantage through testing and
practices that are unfair I understand
that there are elements that must be
included but I do think there are things
that need to be reconsidered students
are not just students professors are not
just professors we cannot be expected to
expend energy into one singular role on
our multifaceted lives we have to stop
treating students like they are numbers
statistics percentages and tuition
checks and start treating them like they
are human beings thank you
you [Music]
too often its fatal I learned that the
hard way I’m not just going to tell you
that we’re sick I know you already know
that I know you know what to do when you
are mentally unwell you’ve already been
told about counseling medication
vitamins those are all measures for
people who have already fallen into
their dark spaces what I think we need
to focus on are their preventative
measures so much of mental illness is
chemical I know that I know it is not
something that you can wish away but I
do know there are ways that it can be
managed and again I know you already
know about the individualistic
preventive measures to eating better
sleeping more as if it’s a choice
talking about your feelings as if it’s
that easy
but I think what we need to focus on
more are the systems in place that lead
us toward excess stress and less time
for meaningful social connections as a
student heading into her fifth year of
post-secondary education at the
University of British Columbia’s
Okanagan campus I know the university
system these systems can seem so massive
and out of reach that we assume they are
unchangeable but I argue that they
aren’t I have depression and minor
anxiety neither of which proliferated
due to the stress of university courses
but that’s just me I also know that so
many of my friends have talked to me
about how University courses can be so
stressful that we feel inadequate at a
time when we are supposed to be
empowered by our new knowledge my
interest in this topic sparked by the
loss of a good friend to mental illness
about a year ago and the countless
conversations I’ve had with friends who
feel that the pressure of university can
feel impossible and draining rather than
fueling their passions it’s not that I
believe professors don’t understand the
pressure that students are under I know
they know that we are sometimes mentally
unwell and that we face a lot of
pressure but I think what they can do is
to be more
active in the ways that they are
structuring their courses
to produce more conducive space for
positive mental health I primarily view
their stressors coming from three areas
financial stress heavy consequences and
time constraints students have to pay
crazy amounts of money for textbooks I
once paid $200 for a textbook that was
said to be mandatory and I never even
cracked it this is on top of the parking
fees gym fees and tuition fees that we
have to pay which could take up the
duration of an entirely different talk
on top of this participation marks can
be really stressful for some students as
it can be really stressful to put up
your hand and talk in front of an entire
class of people even if you are fully
engaged another thing that I think can
be detrimental is very very extensively
policies so in one of my classes we had
an assignment due at the very beginning
of class and the professor put up a
massive clock for everyone to see
students were bursting through the back
doors running up to the front with their
assignments just seconds past the due
date and the entire class would watch as
the professor took their paper aside and
marked it late docking them 10% for mere
second the most perplexing practice on
our campus that I’ve ever heard of is
what students in the Faculty of
management call management hell week
it’s not just it’s kind of funny but
it’s not that funny at the same time so
in their third year of study and the
week following reading Break students
are given one midterm per day for a week
not only are they stripped of the chance
to take a real break during the reading
break they also are bombarded with
stress the following week in addition to
this time constraints can be really
stressful for students we are given
multiple readings for a single course or
really lengthy readings and students are
expected to do those on top of their
readings and requirements for their
other classes this can be discouraging
for students and they sometimes don’t
even try to get their readings done
because they know they likely will not
get through all of them another
detrimental practice is late exam times
some students have exams as late as
December 22nd and
for some who decide to go home which can
be on the other side of the world the
travel time is almost longer than the
time they get to spend with their
families and it sometimes becomes not
even worth the cost of travel and they
oftentimes will even be missing their
cultural or religious celebrations some
of these things that I’ve brought up are
complex problems and for these I have
some complex solutions and feedback for
some big thinking I consulted with some
big brains
I spoke with students in various
faculties and I also spoke with a couple
of my favorite professors dr. Ilya
Parkins and dr. George Grinnell they let
me in on some ideas from the other side
of the game and some things that they’ve
implemented in their classes to start
I’d like to focus on transparency and
how important it is to remember that we
are all just human beings it is so
important to have transparency in your
classes for the professor’s it is so
important for students to understand
that professors are just people too and
in this professors are also in a place
of privilege and power and they can use
that power in such a positive way I
cannot express the importance of seeing
oneself in the in the readings there are
a wide variety of scholars in your field
that we never hear about it is not good
enough to simply express readings from
cisgender heterosexual able-bodied white
men when one is only exposed to white
men’s teachings it can become difficult
to see yourself in the work and that
only adds excessive stress as you feel
like you have to prove yourself further
than other students who may be aligned
themselves with the stories introduced
in class beyond this is the importance
of doing more than just a territory
acknowledgement it is not good enough to
simply state that we are learning on
stolen land there are various ideas that
do not simply align with colonial values
we should be hearing the teachings of
indigenous scholars and elders rather
than just hearing the stories of those
that align with colonial values and in
the spirit of remembering that students
are just people it’s also important to
recognize that we have different
learning styles and struggles there
should be different means of assessment
so students can work in a means that
works well for them and expresses their
understanding to the best of their
potential I want to leave you with eight
takeaway ideas that can be implemented
more quickly and without as much effort
on the end of the professor as I know
that they have their own pressures and
struggles of their own the first is a
practice of dr. Ilya Parkins she has a
four day leeway policy which means that
you can hand in one of your assignments
four days late or four of your
assignments one day late and that
flexibility allows for you to work
within your own schedule on top of this
posting readings online is very
beneficial for students we have a
massive amount of journals and texts
online at our fingertips so if we can
avoid prescribing pricey textbooks the
students would really appreciate it next
I want to suggest that you do a quiz on
the syllabus so that students have to
learn more about the resources that
professors are required to put on their
syllabuses fourth I want to suggest
giving time in classes for group
projects as it can become very difficult
for students to find time to meet
outside of their classrooms I also
believe that there should be multiple
modes of expressing your participation I
know some students who are clearly
engaged and willing to talk about the
material outside of class time but I
know that they have a hard time putting
up their hand in classes it can be very
anxiety inducing I also believe that
lowering late policies is very important
for some students when you simply cannot
get something in on time you should not
be docked a large percentage or be given
0% for handing something in just a
minute late I also have a professor who
brings healthy snacks into class or
allows students to eat during exams is
it can become difficult to remember
something as simple as eating when one
is bombarded with so much stress and
finally I have one professor who also
helps by getting students to come up
with the questions for the exam before
the course so that before the test
students are given minimal surprises so
that there is not the stress of studying
the wrong thing well I understand that
University MA
be challenging in order to test students
understanding I also know that so many
brilliant students are put at a
disadvantage through testing and
practices that are unfair I understand
that there are elements that must be
included but I do think there are things
that need to be reconsidered students
are not just students professors are not
just professors we cannot be expected to
expend energy into one singular role on
our multifaceted lives we have to stop
treating students like they are numbers
statistics percentages and tuition
checks and start treating them like they
are human beings thank you
you [Music]
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