January 2021 CARE Team Newsletter

Common Concerns

This year's schedule differs from the usual, so this newsletter will focus on the concerns commonly seen in students during January when the majority of students would normally be starting classes.

At the beginning of the semester, CARE Team typically sees:

• “Fresh Start” mentality sets in with new quarter
• Satisfaction and/or disappointment with fall quarter grades
• Homesickness after break
• Loneliness for love relationships back home
• Relief being away from home and back at school

In February, CARE Team typically sees:

• Feelings of cabin fever and depression with winter
• Potential increase in alcohol or other substance abuse
• Challenges with love relationship back home
• Valentine’s Day brings out loneliness, isolation

You may also expect to see anxiety about COVID-19 transmission in the wake of the transition back to campus. Given the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, it is likely that feelings of cabin fever and isolation will be more prominent than in previous spring semesters. Students may also be more likely to lean on coping mechanisms such as substance abuse.

If you are concerned about a member of our campus community, please don’t hesitate to submit a concern. If you’d like to learn more about Care Team, please check out our website at wichita.edu/care.

Caseload Data

During the month of December, CARE Team saw fewer cases in 2020 than in 2019. This is presumably due to classes and final exams being moved to an online format after the Thanksgiving break. There are two prevailing hypotheses to explain the decrease in cases:

1. CARE Team relies heavily on university staff and faculty to submit concerns when students are exhibiting signs of distress. It is more challenging to identify signs of distress when communicating with students remotely, so CARE Team's typical reporters were less likely to recognize and report signs of distress.
2. Many students, particularly first-year students (who make up a significant portion of CARE Team's caseload) returned to their families' homes at Thanksgiving break and remained there for the month of December. Having a strong support network is highly beneficial for one's mental health, and being around family may have boosted students' resilience

It is probable that both of the above scenarios contributed to the decrease in CARE cases for the month of December, and it is unlikely they are the only contributing factors.

Below are a table and bar graphs comparing the number of CARE cases between AY 2020 and AY 2021, both for the month of December and the academic year so far.

If you are concerned about a member of our campus community, please don’t hesitate to submit a concern. If you’d like to learn more about Care Team, please check out our website at wichita.edu/care.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Care Team, please contact Alicia Newell, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at (316) 978-6105 or Alicia.Newell@wichita.edu. We appreciate our campus community and all that you do. Thank you for helping us create a community of Caring at Wichita State University!