With finals approaching and the end of the semester looming, the social, academic, and economic pressures that plague students are intensifying. Not only do we have the responsibility of doing well on final exams, but we also face the pressure of finding a career-related summer internship, picking classes for next semester, figuring out the housing lottery, and arranging our finances for the summer — the list goes on and on.

In the past few months, I have perceived complaints about the new Counseling Center accumulating, with some students feeling like recent renovations have ultimately amounted to nothing but a tidier, nicer-looking facility that still lacks an accessible professional staff and other essential resources.

The main problem with the new center, based on the personal experience of students I have talked to and myself, is that there is a limited — even lack of — availability. I, for example, was told that the nearest appointment was three weeks away, and that, even after, I still wouldn’t be able to meet with a counselor on a weekly basis.

While it may be true that the average student is able to get an initial appointment within 8 days, as David Walden stated during the Town Hall on Monday, Apr. 29, cases like mine at the extremes leave students vulnerable.

Slots also fill up fast — too fast to provide enough relief for most of the students here at Hamilton. And, to further complicate things, the Center closes early in the afternoon and isn’t open on the weekends: the time when students probably need the most help and support. Receiving help over the phone and hearing an unfamiliar voice telling you to “calm down” or “take a deep breath” usually does little to help a student. It may prove difficult for operators to empathize with students, as well as difficult for students to feel comforted and supported if there’s no face-to-face interaction.

It would, then, seem natural to turn to peer support if the administration doesn’t have the means to provide students with some sort of support. Attending groups that focus on an issue that pertains to you or troubles you would prove helpful, and knowing that there is a resource out there that directly targets a specific issue that you are experiencing can make you feel closer to the group, as well as more supported.

However, there is no support group for eating disorders, even though this is a prevalent issue on campus. There is no Counseling Center-sponsored support group that helps tackle the issues that arise after being sexually assaulted. The lack of support for these prevalent, unfortunately taboo issues ostracizes students who may be struggling with them, furthering the decay of their mental health.

It seems to me as though the new Counseling Center has invested on infrastructure rather than focusing on hiring more staff in order to offer services past 5 PM or on Saturdays, which is perhaps when students may be more distressed due to social or academic expectations. In a world of limited resources, it is unclear whether a beautiful new health center is truly the best use of resources for the College.

While not intentional, lack of availability at the Counseling Center can lead to feelings of hopelessness and exclusion for students going through crises. Recently, the administration has invested in acupuncture in an attempt to reach out and relieve student stress. But acupuncture isn’t what Hamilton students need. Acupuncture is a great relaxation technique that can be highly beneficial over time, but although it is healthy for students to have outlets to release stress, the most pressing issue that students face is stress management.

Unfortunately, the reality that we live in demands that each student’s focus be on academics, leaving little time for stress relief, which can entail devoting chunks of time to practices like acupuncture. I strongly believe stress relief is important and that everyone should find moments to destress and relax throughout the day, which may or may not include acupuncture. However, I still believe that the Counseling Center’s focus should be the stress management guidance that students need.

The development of coping mechanisms is essential for college, and knowing how to positively channel your stress or calm yourself down is crucial. Yet, the Counseling Center seems to be doing little to inform students on how to manage their mental health, stress, and academic life all at once. And, ultimately, the campus climate supports this and seems to suggest that many students feel overlooked by and not helped by the resources at the new Counseling Center.