The rate of mental illness in college students is on the rise and has been increasing year by year for at least a decade. The added stress of the current global pandemic has only added to this already growing problem leaving students at Bryn Mawr College struggling and in need of more help. However, though Bryn Mawr College has several systems in place meant to provide students with mental health care, the current system in place by the college has several holes. As a result, many Bryn Mawr Students face struggles with on campus stigma, inaccessibility to accommodations, long wait times, and a lack of student input.
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However, though there are noticeable issues with Bryn Mawr College’s current mental health and wellness system there are many options for improvement by utilizing the systems already in place. Edits can be made to the college’s Access Services, Health Center, Thrive Seminar, and the newly added Peer Health and Wellness Educator Program to vastly improve student life, academic success, and the college’s reputation.
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Though these additions and policy changes wouldn’t be a perfect fix to the issue of mental health and wellness on Bryn Mawr’s Campus they are a good and reasonably simple place to start. What’s most important is for students to have a multi-layered safety net of peers, professors, and administrators, all working together to make the campus a safer and more accepting place. With a stronger sense of safety and support there would be more room for the community to grow a commitment to academic achievement. Therefore, while some of the changes that have been proposed would initially cost Bryn Mawr College some money, the institution would only benefit in the long run due to an improvement in reputation and the academic improvement of its students.