Food Politics: Cornell Students Should Care About SNAP

Cornell students need to recognize the importance of SNAP’s in reducing food insecurity. A possible method to start destigmatizing food stamps is to educate people on what it is, who is eligible and why SNAP is important — even when it doesn’t benefit yourself. Food insecurity is a huge problem, not to mention a problem that has spread to many college campuses. Without food security, students can face consequences related to academic performance and health, increasing the chances of students falling into a lower GPA category, struggling to attend classes and facing anxiety as well as depression are only a few of the consequences.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Re: ‘Why I’m Choosing Not to Seek Professional Mental Health Care’

To the Editor:

Yesterday, The Sun published a column by Kristi Lim ’21 entitled, “Why I’m Choosing Not to Seek Professional Mental Health Care,” in which the author discusses not only her own personal experiences with mental health, but also claims that “it is easy to use [professional help] to substitute the difficult work of directly resolving an issue.” While personal approaches to mental health can vary based on individual needs, this piece promotes a dangerous attitude towards mental health care and further stigmatizes those who experience mental health challenges. While The Sun already failed to provide a list of resources with the article, the publication of this article also served to compound the stigma already associated with seeking help. Though there are a variety of methods that one may use to support one’s own mental health and many cultural approaches to mental health, we push back on the idea that looking for help, whether through professional counseling or through close friends or family, is equivalent to admitting that there is something wrong with you or that you are unable to manage your life. The truth is that mental health is a team effort, and it should be framed as such. A plethora of medical and psychological research backs the effectiveness of professional mental health support.

GUEST ROOM | The Crazy Thing About Mental Health Week

By NATHAN WEIERICH

“The easiest Ivy to get into, the most difficult to get out of.” Cornell University’s reputation is not always one to envy. Worrying about prelims, papers or presentations, watching sleep-deprived students trudge around campus, talking to friends about ever-impending deadlines, students feel the stress of Cornell every day. But only on anonymous platforms, such as Yik Yak or Overheard at Cornell, do the true costs of this enormous stress begin to surface. Five years ago, in response to the suicides of six students, Cornell built fences and posted security guards and installed cameras on the bridges that span its gorges. Twenty-nine people, including fourteen Cornell students and one Ithaca High School student, jumped from Cornell bridges between 1990 and 2010, according to a study on suicides the University commissioned in 2010.