Mental health and wellness have been the primary drivers of conversation, activism, and debate on Hamilton’s campus since I matriculated to the College in 2016. In the years since I first set foot on the Hill, I’ve seen the institutional, cultural, and functional changes that have come as a result of the hard work of the Hamilton College community. I believe firmly, and recognize that while this may be an area of contention, Hamilton cares about us and our mental health. We have seen increased attention to and focus on mental health and wellness from the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling Center, student-led groups, and the Board of Trustees. We are trending upwards.

There is, however, an area that I don’t believe there is enough attention. In the conversations surrounding mental health and wellness it’s been made clear that students are of paramount concern. Students make up only a proportion of our community, albeit a large one. Professors, administrators, and healthcare providers are people too. They deserve the same attention and focus on their well-being as the student body.

The providers at the Counseling Center and the administrators in the Office of the Dean of Students are entrusted with the care of the College’s students. We hold them to an exceedingly high standard and are quick to point out perceived failures or areas for more growth. These people are human beings who feel the same effects of stress, anxiety, and sadness that students do. I know for a fact that they are expected to work every minute of being on campus to best accommodate the needs of students, and that oftentimes they put aside their own needs in this endeavor. The rates at which they’re pushed are not sustainable. Lunch slots, if they’re even afforded this rare luxury, are filled with paperwork or preparing for further appointments. I understand the frustration that can come with not being seen as soon as you’d prefer, but don’t take it out on the person sitting across from you who just wants to help you.

There is a reason that rates of burnout are so high among those in the healthcare industry. The student body can not afford to lose any of the people whose job it is to keep us healthy. If that means waiting an extra day so that someone can get a brief respite, then so be it. Though I don’t have a wealth of experience, I have seen and been in many different systems that provide counseling and health services through summer employment and personal development. I can say that, without exception, the providers at the College standout for their dedication to their work, empathy, and selflessness. There isn’t a single person I know that isn’t doing their best or isn’t feeling the weight and burden of our expectations. This is not to say that we should treat them as perfect saints, but rather that it is our responsibility as mature and empathetic adults to afford them the consideration and care afforded to a friend or teammate.

Professors at the College are people too. They all are human beings with their own passions, fears, doubts, insecurities, struggles, and feelings. As students at Hamilton College we have the privilege of working with brilliant educators and researchers in a classroom setting designed to foster individual relationship between student and professor. Most every professor I have had the pleasure of working with during my time at Hamilton has put their own health and well-being aside to ensure students are prepared and taken care of. From ignoring their external crises to working late at night to aid a senior on their thesis, professors at the College repeatedly show students that they’re cared for. Students ought to do the same for them.

Just because these relationships are professional and academic does not mean that they can’t be personal as well. I’ve confided and put my trust in professors that I’ve had and, in several rare and wonderful instances, had the chance to receive and hear their experience and trust as well. I, of course, don’t expect that every relationship between student and professor will be as such, but the student body owes it to the people shaping our future to treat them with care and humanity — just as we expect them to treat us.

For the students who are reading this, I urge you to facilitate these relationships and to take a step out of your comfort zone to connect and build that foundation. For the professors who read this, I urge you not to struggle in silence. We chose Hamilton, in part, for the relationships and dynamics between students and professors.

As the semester begins to ramp into the final surge of projects, exams, and presentations, I urge the Hamilton Community to remember that we are a community — not just a student body. The health and well-being of all members of the Hamily is our priority.

Sincerely,

Gavin Meade ’20

Managing Editor