Sajila Nudrat | Health Editor
Featured Image: Services are available during the strike at SAS. | Fatema Ali
With the strike entering its 11th week, students, faculty and staff alike are beginning to wonder if it will ever end, and if so, at what cost?
Professor Esther Greenglass in York’s department of psychology, has been studying the psychological effects of labour disruptions on students since 1997. The strikes studied were CUPE and York University Faculty Association (YUFA). As a social psychologist, Professor Greenglass’ area of study is stress and coping. “I see a university strike as a major stressor for students, affecting all aspects of their life. According to my work, and we studied several strikes and published several papers, it is quite widespread and can be very devastating for students.
“We asked students during one of the strikes how their behaviour has changed, and one of the things that was quite striking was that many students reported they were sleeping more, eating more, and drinking alcohol more. Many people will resort to junk food, and in psychology we call that emotional coping.”
Professor Greenglass categorizes the stressors of strike into several categories. The first being academic; this is the interference with course completion. “We know from psychological research that when we have goal-directed behaviour and it is blocked we get angry.” Many students are unable to complete their courses and as a result are stuck in an endless loop of ‘will they’ or ‘won’t they.’ The second category is financial. “The university is offering bursaries to try and help those that were going to graduate, but for other students, they are uncertain if and when they will be able to complete their year.”
Another aspect of their lives that is affected is interpersonal relationships, such as those with professors, other students and family.
Lastly, the strike has a psychological impact on individuals. “As the strike drags on students’ anxiety increases, and academic work goes at a snail’s pace. Students wonder if they will graduate, and they might blame themselves for coming to York in the first place. This leads to depression and feelings of inadequacy and sees a drop in self esteem.”
When asked about ways students might be able to cope with their stress or feelings of anxiety she said, “first and foremost students have to acknowledge that their feelings are acceptable, they are not the only ones who feel this way and they are entitled to these feelings. One of the things they should do is reach out to other students and talk; other students can share ways they cope, and distracting yourself is very important. Secondly, staying healthy is important. Exercise, eating properly, and getting enough rest; remember you can cope better when you are physically healthy.”
Professor Greenglass also said that students should prioritize time management. “There’s always something you can be working on and if you do that you have a feeling you are doing something constructive during the strike and it makes your feel better about yourself. Keep the working going any way you can!”
Marc Wilchesky the Executive Director of Counselling and Disability Services at York University, talks about the services that are still available during the strike. “Our Student Counselling and Development department provides confidential personal counselling support and crisis intervention by licensed mental health care professionals for students experiencing emotional/psychological distress. Students in distress can come to our Student Counselling and Development Centre for support and/or Student Accessibility Services if they need academic support and accommodation.” Due to the labour disruption, Marc clarifies that “counselling support will be provided to any student who has been registered in the Fall/Winter 2017-18 session, or if they are registered in one of the Summer 2018 sessions.”
Although this time is one filled with uncertainty and anxiety, students should also note that there are plenty of people on campus to help them. “Each department is providing extra services and facilities, students need to reach out to their department.” Lastly, Professor Greenglass cautioned students about believing everything they read or see online.
The best way to inform themselves of what is going on is to reach out to someone, there are people that are more than willing to help.
