The Red and Black

Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Opinions

Help needed

After four student deaths, the Univ. needs to provide better CAPS services.

In a season of finals, holidays and reunions, there are some in the University community who may find little worth celebrating.

In the past month, four University students have died in separate incidents. During times of tragedy, we're reminded it's important for the University Health Center's Counseling and Psychiatric Services to offer programs and services to those affected by a crisis and to those who may need personal help or preventive care.

As CAPS Director Gayle Robbins said in a Nov. 30 Red & Black article about counseling services, "Suicide is the number one concern on college campuses in the U.S."

But as it is now, students, faculty and staff may have a hard time making an appointment at the Health Center. As The Red & Black reported earlier this semester, CAPS is understaffed, with one counselor for more than 2,000 students, when the national average is one counselor for every 1,500 students.

The University Committee on Student Affairs met in September and addressed the understaffing issue and noted the Health Center's ongoing expansion. But as the Health Center's construction continues, there must be solutions to the understaffing issue.

Some solutions to the problem may include an increase in student fees, or letting the Committee on Student Affairs know your concerns about CAPS. To voice your concerns about CAPS and for more info about the committee's monthly meeting, contact Rodney Bennett, Vice President of Student Affairs, at bennettr@uga.edu or 706-542-3564.


- Jay Butler for the editorial board.

Prepping to fail?

SGA wants to rid pre-finals week of assignments - but stress is still there.

The latest act of the Student Government Association to build a reputation of "solidarity" with the students is a proposal to set aside the final week of classes each semester as "preparation week," during which professors would be barred from administering tests, projects and quizzes. We believe that such a plan unreasonably would constrain class schedules at a time when the last work of all the classes needs to get done.

It's admirable and understandable that SGA wants to ease the strain on students, but we think such a plan would ultimately be detrimental to the academic goals of the University.

Whether or not all the final papers and tests are one week or two weeks before finals, they will be administered all the same. The only difference is that with the prep week in place, the rest of the semester's schedule will be artificially squeezed down.

And what of professors who, in a sincere bid to make our lives better, give finals during the last week of classes instead of in finals week? Would that also be banned? If SGA is concerned about prep time for finals, perhaps they should consider a proposal to extend the reading period.

Hopefully University Council will put a stop to this plan. There is no reason to think it would reduce the total level of stress for students, or even the temporary stress of the final crunch. Rather, it burdens both students and professors to get all classwork finished sooner.


- Matt Brandenburgh for the editorial board.

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