student health – The Oberlin Review

COVID-19 Outbreak Suspends Study Away Programs

March 6, 2020

In the wake of rising global concern over COVID-19, a newly-discovered strain of coronavirus, Oberlin students are finding their study away programs altered or abruptly terminated in countries facing travel advisories. Although the College has issued statements indicating its ongoing support for affected students, the situation has raised questions about how program cancelations will impact the remainder of these students’ academic careers. “As of March 4, six of those programs have made the decision to suspend the in-country portion of their semesters, impacting 12 Oberlin students,” Director of International Programs and Study Away Mike Rainaldi wrote in an email to the Review. “Those decisions to cancel were not ...

College to Introduce Shuttle Service

Lila Michaels

September 15, 2017

The Division of Student Life in the Dean of Students Office will offer a new shuttle service to various locations on and off campus this fall in an effort to create a more accessible campus and enhance the student experience. The service will launch Monday, Oct. 2, and will run from 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays. The shuttle will make several stops around campus, including the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center, as well as off-campus stops like CVS, Drug Mart, and neighboring cities. Students will be able to download an app to their smartphone, granting them the ability to track the shuttle with GPS. The app will also allow administrators to observe the data produced by it, such as popular stops and ride ti...

Administration Neglects Mental Health Needs

Marissa Maxfield, Contributing Writer

February 17, 2017

Psychiatric and counseling services on college campuses typically receive inadequate attention compared to other areas of health care, and Oberlin is no exception. While past disparities can be attributed to the invisibility of mental conditions and suppressive social influence, ignorance is not a viable excuse. It’s time for the institution to stop putting mental health on the backburner. In a Feb. 6 article published by STAT News, Megan Thielking reported a lack of mental health resources on campuses nationwide. From small colleges to major universities, “Students often have to wait weeks just for an initial intake exam to review their symptoms,” Thielking wrote. “The wait to see a psychiatrist who can pre...

Communication, Cooperation Needed for Medical Leave Reform

Editorial Board

April 29, 2016

College fifth-year Libby Salemi went on medical leave during the second semester of her first year. After dealing with panic attacks that made it impossible to focus on her studies, she decided to take a break and try to diagnose her disorder. Upon returning to campus for her sophomore year, Salemi was required to attend weekly meetings with an assigned dean. Salemi found the dean apathetic and disinvested in Salemi’s reacclimation to campus. “I would like a person who can walk you through this process and be there for you,” Salemi said. “It’s confusing. It would have been nice to have someone when I returned to campus actually care, not someone who was just hired to do this job.” The end of the semes...

Office Manager Michele Spiroff talks to a student at the Counseling Center. Student Senate is gathering signatures for a petition to move Student Health Services and the Counseling
Center to a more central location on campus.

Petition Proposing Student Health Relocation Circulates Campus

April 29, 2016

In what could be the culmination of a year-long effort, student senators are attempting to rally support for their petition to move Student Health Services and the Counseling Center to a more central location on campus. Student Senate’s Student Health Working Group issued the petition April 18 via Facebook and email. It states that the current location of Student Health Services and the Counseling Center “prevents these resources from effectively serving students.” At press time, 530 students...

Student Health Implements Saturday Hours

Molly Brand, Staff Writer

May 8, 2015

Student Health Services will now be open on Saturdays in addition to its normal Monday to Friday hours. The first Saturday hours were held May 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the pilot program will continue through the end of the semester and next year. On May 2, five students took advantage of the new hours, which was a good showing, according to Vice President and Dean of Students Eric Estes. “I’m sure [participation] will increase,” Estes said in an email to the Review. One administrative assistant and two nurse practitioners will be present at these Saturday hours, according to member of the student health working group and College junior Avalon McKee. All regular services will be provided, includin...

Student Health Center to Double Number of Psychiatrists

Louis Krauss, Staff Writer

April 10, 2015

Next year, the student health fee will rise from $200 to $230 in order to hire more psychiatrists in the Student Health Center. The health fee, which was introduced in the 2013–2014 year, pays for the counselors and psychiatrists at the Health Center, who visit a couple of times a week to give free appointments to students. According to Dean Eric Estes, who discussed the fee hike with Student Senate about a month ago, the additional $30 will increase the number of psychiatrists from two to four or five next year and increase the number of available student appointments by 50 percent. Student Senator, Chair of the Student Health Working Group and double-degree sophomore Jeremy Poe believes this cost change will...

Senate Working Groups Continue Improvements

Machmud Makhmudov

November 7, 2014

Student Senate has seen a busy semester thus far, electing 15 senators and pursuing a variety of diverse projects. With only two of these 15 new senators having previously served on Senate, the group collectively provides a fresh perspective on improving the student experience at Oberlin. We are dedicated to maintaining a higher level of visibility on campus this semester and into the future, particularly through our working groups. The majority of Student Senate’s work occurs through General Faculty committees and working groups. Students, faculty and community members are all eligible to join our working groups. If you’d like to join a working group, please see the Student Senate website for a listing of meeting...

Health Services Fee Has Potential for Positive Change

The Editorial Board

April 5, 2013

According to the Office of Financial Aid’s website, the cumulative cost of one year for a full-time student at Oberlin is set to rise $831 next year, as the price jumps to a jaw-dropping $59,474. It’s hard to justify a price tag that huge, and certainly many items contributing to the rapidly rising costs at Oberlin (and at similar schools across the country) can be attributed to extravagant and unnecessary administrative spending. But at least one chunk of that increase is necessary — it’s a long overdue acknowledgement of an area of Oberlin’s student services that desperately needs reform. Dean Estes has announced that the College will add a $200 fee to each student’s bill to fund a planned revamping...

College to Institute New Health Services Fee

Elizabeth Dobbins, Staff Writer

April 5, 2013

Dean of Students Eric Estes met with Student Senate last month to announce the institution of a $200 health services fee to be introduced next school year. The funds will go toward hiring an additional full-time counselor for the Counseling Center, hiring a staff member to coordinate Student Health Services and initiatives on campus, extending Student Health Services hours and reducing the cost of other health services. The fee will be covered by financial aid for both lower- and moderate- income students. Estes stated in an email to the Review, “If there was going to be a fee, we wanted to make sure financial aid protected moderate and needy students, and that a big chunk of the fee went to fund new and enhanced...