Moving into the dorms is hard. It’s a large change from previous environments — for some people, it’s the first time they’ve had a roommate, and for others, it’s their first time not living at home. The awkwardness, joy and anecdotes that students get from their years in residence halls are seen as a rite of passage, but it’s important that student safety is prioritized. Long hours inside, along with a new and unfamiliar living environment can take a toll on one’s mental health. Does UO do enough to support students living in the dorms?
“I’m from Colorado so my homesickness has been pretty bad,” said Audrey Tirrill, a first-year student living in Global Scholars Hall on campus. Tirrill is in the North tower of GSH in the global engagement Academic Residential Community, or ARC. The Global Engagement ARC aims to create an immersive learning experience for students by housing them with like-minded individuals that take classes together. “Keeping myself busy has definitely helped a lot, but there’s definitely good days and bad days.” Tirrill said that she was super confident when she first got to campus, but it dipped a few days into classes.
“I’m starting to build my confidence back up,” Tirrill said. “With all the resources here it’s been nice to actually reach out to people.” She struggled with a few roommate problems at the beginning of the year and said having an RA on call was helpful. Tirrill also had her initial appointment with the counseling services and even used UO’s mental health hotline when she was feeling stressed. The Crisis Hotline provides students in distress with a trained professional to talk to about their problems with.
Other groups on campus, like the Women’s Center, are able to provide support for students as well. Tirrill ran into anti-choice protesters on campus on Monday, Oct. 11. “There were these huge signs that were very graphic and disturbing,” she said. “When I was walking one of them started yelling at me, saying some really rude things, and so I booked it to the Women’s Center.” The people at the women’s center knew exactly what Tirrill needed, and she met up with a bunch of women that ended up making signs to counteract the protest.
“I think that the mental health hotline is such a big step as well,” Tirrill said. “I needed someone in the moment when I was confronted with the protestors, and even though I had to wait a little bit, just calling that number was so helpful.” She also said that the waiting helped calm her down, and she was more collected when she actually got to talk to someone.
Tirrill said that decorating her dorm room made her feel more at home and now that she knows the campus more she’s more comfortable at UO. She has confided in her RA, who’s from China, about her homesickness as well. “It was really cool to talk to him,” Tirrill said. “I didn’t realize how important an RA was until I got here.” Tirrill said that her RA being so far from home helped put her homesickness in perspective, and made her feel better about being away from Colorado.
Toby Crew also lives in GSH this year, but it’s his second year living on campus. “It’s felt the same this year honestly,” Crew said. “It’s not really too bad, but it is dorm life.”
Crew said that his mental health has been a little worse this year than it was last year, but he mainly attributes that to school. “I would say it’s better than it was during the winter and spring terms because I didn’t have a roommate during that time. That plus COVID and everything… it wasn’t fun.”
Crew says that his RA is pretty good this year, but when it comes down to it, he misses his RA from the year before. “It’s a little weird because she’s in one of my classes like she’s the same age as me,” said Crew. “It’s weird having that authority dynamic, despite her being my same year.” He said that he hasn’t had to interact with his RA much because he hasn’t had any roommate problems, but the one-on-ones were especially awkward.
“I would say the University hasn’t been aiding student’s mental health as much this year as they did last year,” Crew said. “With COVID it was important to have mental health keep up, because you’re not really interacting with as many people, and so the University had a lot more initiative for that.” Crew didn’t do many of the activities the University provided last year, but he said it was nice to know they were there.
“I feel like having the RAs talk about mental health more would be better,” Crew said. “At least for me, it feels more accessible to have an RA talk about it than to see it through an email.” UO sends out Quick-Quacks regularly with mental health resources, but these aren’t guaranteed to reach all people.
UO is renowned for its mental health support, although they are providing students with resources for their mental wellness, there’s always room to improve. Students living in the dorms are often subject to feelings of stress and isolation, and wellness is important to help them enjoy their school year.
