Emotionally, it’s rough in academia

My university, Southern Connecticut State University, went back to in-person classes last fall, and we experimented more with hybrid classes — meeting in person and online for specific courses. There was some relief that faculty could teach on campus again, and then a sudden uneasiness after midterms because of the omicron variant.

It now seems like the end of the 2021 semester was 2020 all over again — uncertain. When I got a booster in December, it hit me: It’s déjà vu.

So, with this pandemic malaise, will academia ever return to that idea-exchanging utopia? Unfortunately, it appears not any time soon.

There is a unique character to college campuses: Constant communication, debate and the exchange of concepts are just a natural way of academic life. Bumping into colleagues and seeing students on a regular basis were things we took for granted until the pandemic. The return to classrooms last fall gave us a slice of what we once had. If we have to teach via Zoom or WebEx this year, I fear academia will lose those natural moments in which we exchange ideas in person. Online administrative and faculty meetings have become so normalized that video sessions lacking personal connection are expected.

The omicron variant has suddenly limited the academic environment. Just as final exams were beginning last month, several college campuses closed and went back to being fully online. And some colleges in other states are moving online for the first few weeks and going to in-person classes in February. The University of Connecticut just announced classes will be online for the first two weeks of the spring semester, and SCSU will be operating virtually this week for university business and meetings.

In the midst of collecting and grading final papers last month, faculty colleagues and students alike mentioned their frustration about the pandemic to me. Anxiety was easily expressed during office hours and hallway chats. We’ve all had enough of this coronavirus era, but we fear going back to being fully online, whether in meetings or classes. A couple of students shared how stressed they have been during the pandemic, and I steered them to the appropriate campus resources.

During this pandemic, mental health and suicides are ongoing concerns for many students, as well as isolation and motivation to attend classes. As the New York Times noted, omicron “threatens to make life on campus

If we have to teach via Zoom or WebEx this year, I fear academia will lose those natural moments in which we exchange ideas in person. Online administrative and faculty meetings have become so normalized that video sessions lacking personal connection are expected.

worse.” As an unfortunate example, Yale Daily News interviewed student Rachael Shaw-Rosenbaum in 2020, and she felt so isolated that she committed suicide last March. (For anyone who needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800273-8255.)

While I am saddened by students’ anxieties, I am not surprised by my academic colleagues’ concerns about this coming semester. We are stressed too. University students have campus resources such as counseling to address their problems. But for the rest of us on campus, there are fewer resources. We hardly express our concerns, and many of us genuinely miss inperson meetings and gatherings, especially this time of year. Department events and holiday parties have been limited or didn’t take place at all.

During the ending weeks of last semester, I’ll admit that I lacked sleep, and my seasonal depression returned quicker than expected. While I did get to Florida to see family over the holidays and to enjoy better weather, I returned last week and scheduled an acupuncture appointment for my own sanity.

And maybe that’s what we all need, whether we’re on a college campus or not. Self-care is helpful to confront uncertainty during this continuous pandemic. Even if we were able to weather 2020 and 2021, we have to find proactive ways to face 2022.

Donna Grethen