Student reacts to mental health amidst loss of a Gannon student
March 14, 2021
Today, I am saddened, disheartened and quite frankly, I am disgusted. I sit here writing this as I shake with anger and a broken heart over the rapidly declining mental health of the student body here at Gannon.
As I walk through campus, I can see it. In students’ eyes. While half of our faces are covered with masks, I can see eyes that are defeated.
We have no breaks and harsh restrictions. Students are burned out, more and more seek help every day, and we are still forced to continue the semester as if nothing is wrong, as if we are not quite literally breaking. College and life are hard enough, but this academic year they have been made even harder. In my mind it begs the question, is this all worth it?
As I pondered this question today, my answer is no, it is not worth it. We cannot keep going on as we have been. Lives are at stake.
We cannot be expected to go on as normal when people are losing their will to live. Mental and emotional well-being is plummeting. How can we be expected to push through a semester with no breaks while the world is crashing around us, when our worlds are crashing down within us?
If we as a university carry on as we have been, I will be disheartened and disgusted. The way we have been acting, any student could be lost at any moment.
Human beings are social creatures. Isolation breeds depression. We are NOT meant to live this way. It makes me sick that instead of checking up on students’ mental health and well-being, some are more interested in checking up on social gatherings.
Sometimes, it feels that the university would care more if I threw a party than if I relayed that my mental health was suffering.
How about instead of actively patrolling and seeking out ways to punish students who are just trying to live normal lives under impossible circumstances, we actively seek out ways to support students? And no, posts on Instagram, emails or messages via the LiveSafe app are not enough.
I will not stand by silently on this matter any longer. I am infuriated. Even despite the amount of financial aid I was given, I find it difficult on a moral level to pay any amount of money to live on a campus where mental health is either blatantly disregarded or pretended to be cared about under the guise of shallow words and messages. These messages mean nothing unless they are backed up with concrete plans of action and the active prioritization of mental health.
Larger schools such as the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State have designated mental health days, where no classes take place and students are given the chance to relax and recuperate. Why can’t a smaller school like Gannon implement the same thing, at the very least? Is even one day a month worth the cost of mentally unwell students?
None of this is worth the cost of mentally unwell students. Young adult suicide rates are increasing dramatically. When almost every aspect of “normal life” is taken from us, we need support, not criticism or punishment.
Multiple articles have been written for The Gannon Knight about the raging mental health pandemic that exists amid college students today. Our most recent Instagram post acknowledges that our awareness as a staff of student voices has gotten hundreds more likes than our other posts usually get (at the time this post was written).
Students are calling for help.
We are doing the best we can under unimaginable circumstances. But we need help. I don’t want to write another article calling for this same exact thing. I alone have written seven articles this academic year in relation to these issues.
I have watched my peers have mental breakdowns over fines they simply do not have the money to pay. I have watched my peers regress into depression because social opportunities are taken away from them. I have watched my peers try and reach out for help, but their needs are not met. I have watched the Counseling Center staff members give every ounce of effort they have to meet the needs of their students. I have seen them show a tremendous amount of care and concern.
The mental health resources we do have on campus are amazing. Those who work at the Counseling Center care so deeply for our student body. But we need more resources. We need more counselors. We can’t have any more students feel that they are not being heard. It is detrimental.
As a university, we need to be united now more than ever. It cannot feel like it is students versus the university we all attend. We are one Gannon community. We are a community made of individuals. And we need to be there for each other. We ALL need to feel that our voices are heard. Gannon community, I am here for you. I stand with you. And I hear you. And I promise to always use my platform to bring volume to your voices, to the best of my ability.
We cannot keep carrying on as “normal.” The fact of the matter is, this is NOT normal. We cannot lose more classmates, peers, teammates, family members or friends.
ANNA MALESIEWSKI
Anonymous • Mar 17, 2021 at 4:01 pm
In a global pandemic, I would be surprised if someone would say their mental health has not declined. But to blame Gannon for this is completely baseless. Gannon has been trying to give us a “normal” for two semesters now. Rather than leave us hanging out to dry like other schools, they have found a way to let us back on campus where we can at least try to feel normal. Using a fellow students death for you own personal agenda is disgusting. How can you use his death to say that we need more breaks or to let us party in a pandemic when you have no idea how he was thinking or feeling? I am all for advocating for mental health, but you can do so in a less entitled and accusatory manner.
Anonymous • Mar 17, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Excellently written. If Gannon does not take action, they will be buried. Selfish policies and greedy hands allowed this to happen and are allowing it to continue happening. A response of 1.5 days off nearly 3 weeks out. What a joke. This university is on the verge of failure and can sweep a lot under the rug but once the rug is elevated, it’ll all be known.
Leah • Mar 16, 2021 at 11:32 pm
This was well said! It is absolutely DISCUSSING that a student who had trusted the ROTC colonel enough to reach out to him to find and get the help he needed turned into him getting pushed down and not cared about. Was called “weak and crazy” for trying to get the help he needed. Absolutely not okay in any means. GU Needs to see this and do something about it before more of the student body turns to the worst leaving family, teammates, family, and anyone they knew heartbroken. This absolutely breaks my heart GU STEP IT UP
Anonymous • Mar 16, 2021 at 8:27 pm
I agree with this article 100%. Students are being pushed too hard at this university and it is not just the students, as a faculty member who wishes to remain anonymous I have been pushed to breaking point too and my mental health is suffering right along with the student’s, with increased work hours and the desire to serve the students as best I can. This push for a new ‘normal’ is harming us all. Sadly, the current conditions placed on the students, staff and faculty are imposed on us all and have been for too long, with students feeling the worst of it.
Anonymous • Mar 16, 2021 at 7:06 pm
While I can appreciate this ideas in the article, the fact this was written so quickly doesn’t seem legitimate from a timing aspect. Additionally, I’m at a loss of thinking how the sentiment conveyed in the article would be handled in most workplaces. In reality, the workplace will say a lot of good things, offer services, then go about business. It would be up to the individual to manage their life. It’s a hard time for a lot of people but there ultimately steps each individual needs to take for themselves. The only terrible inaction would be the staff member who supposedly ignored the student.
Anonymous • Mar 16, 2021 at 4:21 pm
Thank you for speaking up. Mental health or should I say seeking help for mental health comes with a stigma like it or not. Changes begins with communication open and honest. Mental health is often a silent struggle. To those who suffer please remember other can not see what you don’t want them to see. Resources can be made available but if someone is too embarrassed or scared to reach out what good are the resources? We need to change the mind set about mental health. Prayers for the student and their family. You are loved.
Anonymous • Mar 16, 2021 at 3:56 pm
You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, however it does show the youth and passion of student who has a lot to learn about life in this world.
Anonymous • Mar 16, 2021 at 2:38 pm
For those of you who are upset by the article for the sake of the family, you have every right to be.
However, Gannon needs to wake up. The paper here has been covering mental health issues on campus for MONTHS now and it should not take the death of a student to incite change, if any change will be brought about.
Gannon can build a 19 MILLION DOLLAR building we don’t even have a major for, yet we have 3 counselors here and 1 psychiatrist who works 1 day a week for half the day. THIS IS INCLUDED IN OUR TUITION. Just like there are enough doctors at the doctor’s office here because every student should be able to seen when they’re sick, ALL four thousand students here AND staff should be able to seek ADEQUATE mental health services here. WE PAY FOR IT?! Where does our money go?!!!!
That is not my real email lol
Mental health is JUST AS if not MORE important than physical health.
Gannon has also had ONE YEAR to adjust the extra mental health services needed due to COVID, because surprise surprise, suicide rates have risen and keep rising, and they didn’t do a single thing. Oh wait, LAST MONTH they hired ONE more counselor, my bad.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT let Gannon fool any of you. They want this swept under the rug as soon as possible. They are making money whether students die or not, sadly. If you want real change made, SPEAK UP. Don’t give Gannon Administrators the comfort of being able to sleep at night. Put the pressure on and demand change. This is YOUR university. Literally this school is here for US. WE matter. Our education matters. This is a school, not a business.
“Gannon cares?” Ya okay. I’ll believe it when I see it. And if I don’t by next semester, myself and other outraged students will take our hard earned money and spend it elsewhere. Think wisely.
Mom • Mar 16, 2021 at 8:59 am
Wow, this is really concerning and awful. My daughter is a junior in high school and we were really looking at Gannon, but now I’m not so sure. Not worth her having a mental breakdown. No way.
Michelle • Mar 15, 2021 at 9:01 pm
Beautifully written ! The problem goes way deeper than Gannon. It’s starts with the state and local representatives and trickles down the line. Students need to demand their rights back! To continue to allow isolation will only further the decline in mental health. Unite and find your voice !!
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 7:12 pm
As a fellow college student, I can understand your perspective and am aware of this mental health crisis. However, this issue is much larger and is rooted much deeper than a poor administration that you painted the picture of. I commend your effort to attempt a call to action and I support spreading awareness of mental health, but in this way it is frankly insensitive. Family and loved ones should be of primary concern. I know this was likely not your intent, but the article comes off as capitalizing on a tragedy for your own personal gain. To my understanding, your only solution to this issue would be more days off? As said in the comments above, the administration is trying their hardest as many do not even have the opportunity to be on campus. Nonetheless, this has little to do with the issue at hand. Many times in this article you mentioned yourself, and even how you do not have to pay for college, when the article should have been focused on mourning the loss of a beloved life. Again, I really hope you read these comments and seriously consider what you are putting out into the world and how it will reflect upon you, Especially if you are considering a career in journalism, this article could very easily be portrayed as tone deaf, pretentious, and inconsiderate, even if this was not your original intent. I truly think your message has a strong foundation and you should continue to fight for these values, however please be more mindful.
Lezlee Betts • Mar 15, 2021 at 5:47 pm
I am hopeful that name calling such as labeling someone “weak” or “crazy” for needing help will stop. Although I’m not Catholic, I’m more than certain that the behavior of the staff at Gannon U is far from the ideals that this higher learning establishment was founded upon. How can Gannon expect their students to be “always faithful, generous, brave and honorable” when it is going around the community that some of the professionals here are just the opposite? Change needs to happen that is far too powerful to think mandatory webinars will solve… real change targeted at the staff lacking the makings to be a Golden Knight.
Well written and thought provoking article that sheds light on a population that is being overlooked during this difficult time.
Cameren • Mar 15, 2021 at 4:06 pm
I don’t think writing about this topic is appropriate and to respect the dignity of others would have been best if you didn’t post this. It attacks Gannon as an institution, the institution that sponsors the paper that you are writing for, and does not uphold the Catholic social and moral standard of dignity.
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 4:06 pm
As a recent Gannon alumna this piece speaks to me on many levels.
The Health & Counseling Center at Gannon has been and is still currently extremely underprepared to handle student mental health concerns, not that I’m trying to throw anyone under the bus. There are not enough staff to tackle the load, but also students are limited to the amount of sessions they can even attend to speak about their issues. On top of this, students sometimes are referred to off campus services instead. What happens to the student whose insurance does not cover off campus options? Or the student with no insurance at all? Whom should they turn to? Especially when mental health is still a taboo topic in some families or sometimes friends just don’t understand.
This issue extends way beyond asking for Mental Health off days. What type of campus do we truly live on for someone so young to seek death as a form of peace?
As someone who has watched loved ones and personally struggled with mental health for years the lack of concern runs DEEP at Gannon, even academically. During my Junior year at Gannon I struggled with my own sense of belonging on campus. I had lost 2 family members months apart that year. As one of 2 women of color in my program I started doubting the validity of my presence in academia at all. My grades began to slip, I stopped attending classes, I was hurting. I tried reaching out to my advisor letting him know perhaps I should lighten my load, he reassured me that I was “fine” and that I could “handle it.” I failed 2 classes that year for the first time in my life. But yup I was just fine.
This loss of life sickens me because I know without the support of my friends it could have been me, I had seriously contemplated it. This pandemic has not only worsened issues people already had but it’s created a whole host of new ones. This is about way more than a day off, and I’m sorry but again social media statements won’t cut it Gannon, I truly hope they start doing more for the student body.
Sending love and light to his family and friends, together we can overcome.
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 3:22 pm
Thank you for speaking about such a heavy topic. It is one that needs to be discussed. My heart goes out to the student who tragically died too soon. It is unfortunate that it takes a life lost to have this discussion. To the author’s credit, she has spoken on this topic numerous times prior to this event. To say she’s exploiting the death of a student is clearly not her intention.
When I went to GU the counseling center was busy and requesting more counselors. That was prior to our world being turned upside down by a global pandemic. The lack of preparation for the increase in mental health disorders is on the university. Statistically, mental health disorders has been increasing for years in college students. There needs to be more thought into how to help this population. The answer is not just to refer to the counseling center and then saying we did all we could. What about peer support groups? What about encouraging and practicing a balanced lifestyle?
My heart goes to these students. I could not imagine the stress of college on top of a pandemic. I know first hand how a degree in health science can be stressful and can lead to depression and anxiety. The counseling center was such an amazing tool that needs to be more integrated. How can we do this? How can we fix an issue that is a problem nationwide, especially at such a small university? Are more counselors the answer? Maybe students can take a course on mindfulness and joint therapy sessions.
This problem is much larger than Gannon. However, the university does need to step in and address these serious issues. They need to put the money towards an amazing counseling department. We can’t afford another life.
Ellen Madden • Mar 15, 2021 at 1:26 pm
While I understand the frustrations with deteriorating mental health during this pandemic, I think that writing this article the day of the student’s death is not right. Along with that, Gannon is starting to make steps to help students. They have repeatedly explained why breaks were not allowed.
Also, it seems like you are saying that this tragedy would not have happened if we had spring break or even one mental health day which sounds absurd. We do not know what was going on in his life and I think that writing this accusatory article without the family’s permission and so soon after his death is not right. There are other ways to talk about mental health where you do not have to use the death of a student as a talking point to get a mental health day.
Hailey Wehner • Mar 15, 2021 at 1:17 pm
Thank you for speaking out! I agree with a lot of what you said! Taking breaks away (although I realize why with a pandemic still in the works) is too much for students to handle. Why are breaks implemented in the first place? To allow people to BREATHE! With the intensity of academics at our school, breaks are crucial. I also want to add that with our school being a “Catholic Institution”, I am very disappointed that we do not even have Good Friday off. Half a day, really!? And there’s scheduled exams and projects due the Monday after Easter! How are we supposed to take a moment to celebrate our God when we don’t have the time or opportunity to!? I’m glad you have this plate form to allow some of the opinions of the students to be heard. Thank you for your strength and bravery! I am praying so hard for the people involved in this tragic loss this weekend. My thoughts and prayers are with you and will be with you for a long time to come.
Ron Raimondi • Mar 15, 2021 at 12:54 pm
Its a bit early and simplistic to draw conclusions about this tragedy based on our own untrained feelings.
To take this tragedy and throw blame at Gannon without any real understanding is just wrong.
You can’t look at peoples eyes and make the claim that Gannon somehow is causing misery and pain. And then claim that Gannon doesn’t care?
That is completely uncalled for and it makes a terrible situation worse for everyone by making those claims.
Ann Freehling • Mar 15, 2021 at 12:47 pm
Unfortunately with colleges being liberal cesspools, and the majority of college students voting for liberal cesspool politicians … the lockdowns and ramifications are driven by the very politicians that liberal colleges promote. President Trump tried to tell people that the cure can’t be worse than the disease, (right as he usually is), and he knew this kind of thing was bound to happen. What really needs to happen is that the liberal cesspool needs to be cleaned up!
Nathan Bly • Mar 15, 2021 at 12:40 pm
The utterly, inconceivably atrocious attempt for the students writing for the Gannon Knight to use a tragedy of such magnitude to bolster such an underlying and pretentious goal, is pragmatically and ethically one of the most disgusting and nihilistic works of human knowledge that I have seen accumulate from Gannon’s student body. To clarify my contempt, this article suggests that if Gannon did have a spring break, then our beloved student would still be alive. In this way, this idea that is rampantly subsuming Gannon students to vehemently critique our institution takes away from commemorating our fallen brother. I have spoken to his closest friends who all express contempt and disgust for the students who are using his death to support your superfluous and nihilistic argument. I suggest to you all to commemorate our beloved brother, and to not use him as a pawn to suggest that it is Gannon’s fault because there was no break. If you would have known him, cared for him, and his grieving family and friends, you would not have even the slightest inclination to begin writing such an atrocious piece. I suggest to you all who believe that protests are the best way to respond to this tragedy to take a long cold look into the mirror and ask yourself who you are, why you are doing the things you do, and what ideas are convoluting your senses. I suggest to you all that the best course of action is to commemorate our friend, and not to uphold these outdated, pretentious, ideological agendas. Who are we to tell people how to mourn, or to blame others unjustly for a life.
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 12:19 pm
Thank you for this well written article. I am a sophomore at Gannon and I had to take this current semester off in order to focus on my health and well being. After the experiences I have had since spring of 2020, I feel that Gannon as an institution has failed to make proper accommodations for mental health and furthermore financial hardship students are facing due to the pandemic. It truly saddens me, but I have come to the conclusion that I will not be returning. I agree that it does not feel morally sound to continue paying tuition at a university that has shown blatant disregard for the well being of students. For this reason, I will be following a commenter’s suggestion above, and plan to transfer my credits elsewhere for the upcoming academic year. There are many great faculty members that help make Gannon a better university, but until the institution as a whole makes major changes, I can no longer support what this university stands for.
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 10:10 am
Thank you. Thank you for writing this article, although you have communicated this numerous times now. I see the toll harsh requirements and no breaks has taken on the mental health of the students at Gannon. Students have received notifications time and time again about the regulations the school is enforcing and the punishments along with it. How often has concern been communicated? Concern for mental health and how these regulations impact us daily.
I understand the concern is focused on safety in terms of the pandemic but when lives are lost because of regulations, I think it’s time to reevaluate. In fact, it should have been reevaluated before this.
I also understand that faculty has worked tirelessly to make regulations, class changes and accommodate this pandemic. However, it is not just a student who someone anonymously called “entitled” in a comment on here that feels mental health has been put on the back burner. This is a VERY popular opinion in many Gannon students. I don’t believe the majority of the Gannon student body is “entitled.”
In all of the time faculty has discussed the regulations and changes they chose to make, how have breaks for students never been implemented? Was this a thought that came up in the hundreds of discussions faculty has had but ruled out for some reason? How could that reason be more important than mental health of the students? I understand that physical health is a concern during the pandemic, but how does a day off for students to relax and mentally recoup risk physical health? It’s not allowing students to travel home or through parties. It’s allowing students to feel that they can take a breath for one day.
This pandemic has impacted us not only in school but in our lives outside school. It feels that the regulations and changes faculty have made have been mainly concerned with keeping COVID numbers low. Students should be the main concern, not numbers. With that comes COVID numbers, but with that also comes mental health.
I feel let down by Gannon. Students have been screaming for help. The university has listened to the numbers and not the screams. Gannon, will you listen now?
Ali Smith • Mar 15, 2021 at 8:19 am
I am amazed by you every week Anna, but especially this week. Your bravery is incredibly admirable, even in the face of something so serious, saddening, and close to our hearts. Thank you for speaking for those who feel nothing but silence. I feel like we keep screaming every week in our articles about mental health and for change on campus to no avail, but the first article should have been enough. It is a quiet day on campus, the silence is deafening. We are here for you, Gannon students. We hear you. Reach out. You are not alone. -Ali Smith, Arts and Leisure Editor
Anonymous • Mar 15, 2021 at 2:02 am
While I appreciate and agree with the importance of mental health and social connection, you are making a huge assumption here. Do you honestly think that faculty, staff, and administration are sitting in their offices plotting ways to keep you down?
The people, who you accuse of “actively patrolling and seeking out ways to punish students who are just trying to live normal lives under impossible circumstances” have been working tirelessly to keep you on campus. They mourned the loss of graduation and in person celebrations this past spring, they have walked along side you from the admissions process, through major changes, roommate conflicts, internship placements, and look forward to celebrating your wins just as much sometimes, though it may be hard believe, more than you!
These people are struggling too and you sit ON CAMPUS which other schools, large and small, are not able to do right now is a huge feat and wouldn’t be possible with the hard work and sacrifice of students and faculty/staff alike. Honestly, this smacks of entitlement and it makes one wonder if you are the one who wants to pretend like nothing is happening and go on like normal. Normal is shifting for everyone and careless comments like these belittle the hard work being done on campus.
I hope you think about the potential damage and pain you may be causing for those unknown/unseen faculty and staff members you are lumping into this careless mass you seem to despise so much. Maybe pause to think about the things they are also giving up to work more and longer so there can be extra sessions of classes to support COVID capacity, staying late to brain storm how to safely feed everyone, how to open the recreation center so people can have an outlet, what kinds of programs can we create to allow people to connect but still caring for the immuno-compromised members of our community? Maybe say thank you to these people instead of accusing them of pretending to care. Maybe acknowledge this is hard of everyone and see that they are human being too. Just a thought.
Sarah Scott • Mar 15, 2021 at 1:13 am
I’m a junior at McDowell and I’m extremely upset by how students mental health isn’t being treated as a priority at most schools. I have suffered with anxiety and depression since 7th grade, so I take this personally.A life was taken out of pure desperation. Gannon needs to do more than just say a couple words of respect. They can say all they want, but what they need to do is take action. They need to come up with a better plan for anyone suffering. This goes for all schools. Yet these students are paying to go here they chose this school and are being let down by it. Please do better for those suffering and for those who couldn’t bare to suffer any longer.
Lori Helbeck • Mar 15, 2021 at 12:50 am
This piece should wake the sleeping, the heads buried in the sand, and the wide awake!! Not just today, everyday!
Peter carozza • Mar 14, 2021 at 11:30 pm
As a student of Penn State I would like to say that the mental health days are more for show than practicality as students end up spending most of the day doing work anyways and they only scheduled them on Tuesdays and Thursdays when there are less classes. It’s nice to not have anything due that day but that only means more is due the next day colleges have robbed students especially freshman of what it is really like being a student and a fair opportunity to learn compared to students in the past with the same standards.
Pj • Mar 14, 2021 at 10:07 pm
Do your stuff Gannon students take a stand together…love and God will help you thru..take care of each other…
DALE SNYDER • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:52 pm
Well written! I absolutely agree with you!if anyone needs to talk give me a call! 8148123558
Eldon Buckner • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:47 pm
I truly feel that this is taking place not only at your university but at a multitude of others including my university (Ohio northern university). We as a student body across the country and across the world need to have our voices heard not only by the faculty but ll of our respective universities but on a national and international level. We must let the world know what we all go through on a day to day basis and fight for a better understanding of what real mental health help is. Any students that read this if you are willing talk to someone in your administration or share this article with them. Colleges and universities across the world need to provide better or more mental health assistance to the student body. I implore all of you Please share this with your piers and families so we can spread the word that we need help!
Caonabo Camilo • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:38 pm
Period queen speak your peace! I felt every word you said!
Ashleigh Suscheck • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:34 pm
It’s time for students to start transferring to universities that care about their students well being. Maybe the university will consider making changes when it “hits them” where it counts. Because let’s be honest, they don’t care about their students. It’s al about the money. You kids need to take care of yourselves!!!!! ❤️❤️
Kathleen • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:31 pm
As a small university as well, I fully agree with this. We are given 3 “mental health days” (as the university calls it) but 2 out of the 3 days, we are given school days off (Honor’s Day and Good Friday). The one day, students and including myself were studying for an exam for the following day. Mental Health days are so important for both the students and faculty, I just wished any college/university administration would realize that.
Anonymous • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:18 pm
Very well written. Thank you for speaking up.
Kate Halapin • Mar 14, 2021 at 9:18 pm
ABSOLUTELY LOVE this article! The way Anna wrote really portrayed how I’ve been feeling as a student and how I feel a lot of other students have been feeling about this situation recently.
Lexi Barton • Mar 14, 2021 at 8:55 pm
Amazingly written. Brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Anna is an amazing person and uses her voice for others that can’t or won’t speak up. This article is very eye opening and needs to be seen.
Ericca Rodriguez • Mar 14, 2021 at 8:50 pm
This is an amazing piece.
Since the beginning of the spring semester, students have outwardly been voicing anxiety, exhaustion, and signs of depression to faculty and staff and the only response that I keep hearing is “Yeah, but we need to attend X amount of days to keep our accreditation. We tried and there’s nothing we can do.” After hearing this same response from staff after multiple people are crying out, I can’t help but feel defeated. I can’t help but feel like Gannon is thinking about the numbers while we are all hanging on by a thread.
Gannon University surprised me by not canceling class tomorrow out of respect and consideration for their students that are suffering. It sends their students the message that everything is still okay.
Thank you so much for speaking on our behalf.
Lori LeVan • Mar 14, 2021 at 8:48 pm
This article is well written and I hope it opens the eyes of the administration of the University my daughter is a 5th year OT student and I know hanging out with her friends got her through a lot of stressful moments throughout her time at Gannon I know this pandemic caused a lot of problems but enough is enough students are being stripped from all their freedoms They can’t even have a normal graduation
These students need to have their family and friends near them now more than ever I hope things start changing soon or I’m afraid worse things may happen
Keep up the great job you are doing and putting out awareness
Sabrina Battleson • Mar 14, 2021 at 8:27 pm
This article said what everyone is feeling. It describes it perfectly. I was surprised at how fast I’m watching the people around me burn out and simply not care about their classes anymore just because they do not have the energy to do so. Thank you for saying what were all thinking.
Anonymous • Mar 14, 2021 at 8:21 pm
While I agree with a portion of this article, I also believe that it is the responsibility of the student body to treat one another with respect. That is what is lacking. Many are focused on how they can place themselves above another. A large portion of the problem lies in the inability to treat one another with respect. While I agree that the circumstances of this semester are exceedingly difficult, the student body is not alone in facing these challenges. Dr. Taylor and his administration have handled the challenges of the previous year to the best of their abilities. We are fortunate to be on campus. As students of Gannon University, we must step up and accept a portion of the responsibility for the way we have treated others either through our direct or indirect actions. We need to unite as a university now more than ever and work together to create a better future.