Wright State campus | Photograph by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
President of Wright State University Dr. Susan Edwards and Dean of Students Dr. Chris Taylor have been tasked with difficult decisions on how Wright State University should handle the pandemic.
Fast Transition
While transitioning into the role of President of a university, Edwards faced unprecedented circumstances
“I came into this role in January of 2020 and within ten weeks of coming into this role, we were sort of launched into COVID so I’ve spent a lot of time sort of navigating the changes we needed to make,” Edwards said.
Edwards mentioned that the transition to remote learning was aided by working with the provost and faculty senate.
“I am the dean of students at this point. I took that role. I was offered that role back in August mid-pandemic as well,” said Taylor.
Taylor handles things such as student conduct, counseling and wellness, along with helping students solve any issues that may impede their ability to get a good education.
Challenges
“The past year has been a challenge for some and a tragedy for others,” said Patrick Schmalstig of WWSU.
This sums up the last year for many; a year with challenging as a baseline and tragedy imminent at any moment. Among the challenges, declining mental health has been an issue.
Mental health has been a focus during the pandemic as the shift to remote learning, coupled with the stressors that accompany a pandemic, have taken a toll on students.
“The diagnoses from the counseling center involving anxiety are indeed up compared to other semesters,” said Taylor.
While a direct correlation cannot be made between the introduction of lockdown procedures with declining mental health, Taylor believes that an anecdotal case could be made.
“I don’t know how many of those are related, but I sure think we can again make that anecdotal case and that either, you know, directly relate it to the fears that come with this pandemic we’re all under and the lack of contact with other people, which is obviously very important for many,” said Taylor.
Some Positivity
Among all the hardship, Edwards found some silver linings.
“We’ve seen [a] huge impact in terms of food bank donations and support for our health care workers you know that really are at our front lines. So I think it has really brought our sense of community together,” said Edwards. “I will be the first person to tell you that I miss people more than ever.”
For more information and to listen to future interviews in this series, tune into “Raider Strong” on WWSU 106.9.
