When touring colleges during my junior year in high school, I found myself drawn to the NESCAC schools — likely a given if you end up at Hamilton. Their small towns, excellent athletics, and small classes were exactly what I was looking for in a college; however, all being so similar, I began looking for aspects of each school that stood out and made them unique. Colby is in an amazing location with a hill that looks over the water; Bates has an awesome tradition reminiscent of the polar plunge; Connecticut College offers more of an artsy (darkside, if you will) vibe. Middlebury was out of the question because foreign languages requirements are not my forte and Amherst and Williams never crossed my mind because frankly, their mascots are the worst. If I had gone to at Tufts, my parents would be visiting every weekend. So no, Tufts was not an option. Trinity seemed sketchy because of its location and Bowdoin seemed oppressive. Wesleyan reeked of weed. And so, here I am on the Hill.
In my forty-person economics class, we talked about similar goods and how consumers are constantly searching for factors to distinguish one brand of good from another where the options are plentiful. Such situations almost overwhelming. In public policy, there is a distinction made that people want goods and services which will not disadvantage them in comparison to their other options. This idea, in college terms, and especially NESCAC terms, implies that institutions recognize applicants have many choices and to stay competitive; colleges therefore need to, at least, have the same things as peer institutions in order to offer students the same types of opportunities and experiences. The proliferation of goods and services among NESCAC institutions can be considered evidence of an “educational arms race”.
Therefore, my question is: instead of trying to keep up with the precedent of offering the best buildings or most extensive course selections, why is Hamilton not the school to create a whole new approach to the college experience? Sure, we have the open curriculum (so does Amherst), solid sports (so do Bates and Williams), even the physical education requirement — which I thought was individual to Hamilton — but Bates has it too. The middle-of-nowhere vibe is met across the NESCAC board (Trinity being the exception).
It is part of the appeal yes, but what can Hamilton do to become the leader instead of the follower, without diminishing the existing opportunities to transform prospective student into alumni?
This past fall, a very important conversation was begun with urgency: the mental health status of students. Conversations around destigmatizing mental illness — an extremely ambitious task — as well as the allotment of counseling resources on campus were lunchtime topics and the instigators of countless dinner debates. This is exactly what Hamilton needs to become a leader in the NESCAC. The administration needs to introduce students to different ways of stress management and educate us on how to help friends who are struggling. Before anyone jumps out of their seat to remind me of the open curriculum and that we boast no core requirements, I am not suggesting mandatory courses that deal with stress; unless you want to create your own major around it, but that is entirely up to you.
Instead, I think incorporating stress management techniques to physical education classes (such as offering more yoga or meditation classes) would be extremely beneficial to everyone on campus. The only difference in the physical education requirement, under this new idea, is that it would be stress-management based. It does not cost the College much if anything, and could have invaluable pros. It is great we are creating a new space for the Counseling Center, but what is the point if it is near impossible to get an appointment or that it is claimed 24/7 availability is not up to par?
To my knowledge, the Hamilton Counseling Center seems to be a place for reactive efforts rather than proactive and preventative. Instilling a sub-requirement of physical education to have one class be based in stress management would be no additional burden on students, and could potentially increase the destigmatization of unhealthy stress and accompanying mental health issues on its own.
Additionally, for the purpose of post-college outcomes, as NESCAC schools like to highlight, having the ability to mention you have incredible mental strength would be, I imagine, a great plus for employers comparing all the liberal arts students. It is not as if we need to mandate students to see a counselor or minor in a new discipline called “Self-love,” “Biofeedbackscience”, or “Meditation.” All of this is simply an opportunity for a focused, yet organized way for students to explore what destressing habits they enjoy and give them the chance to practice it during their day.
The need for Hamilton to better address the mental health resources on campus is pressing; these proposed reforms could be not only an easy answer, but the beginning of a new collaboration between college campuses and preventative approaches to mental illness.
