Mental Health & Wellness in Graduate School (NeMLA 2022 GSC Session)

Samadrita Kuiti Announcement
Subject Fields
Teaching and Learning, Research and Methodology

Mental health related challenges among graduate students have long been known as a serious concern across universities throughout the world. Findings from a recent survey of graduate students across numerous fields of study, countries, and institutions suggest that graduate students are over six times more likely to experience anxiety and depression than the general population (Evans et. al 2018). Women, LGBTQ students and graduate students from other, minoritized, underrepresented groups in universities are even more vulnerable to such issues. Hostile workplaces, unmanageable workloads, difficult relationships with supervisors, financial precarities compounded by a decimated job market further exacerbate the mental health-related challenges faced by graduate students. This GSC-sponsored panel aims to offer a robust discussion on this often unaddressed topic by suggesting likely solutions that university administrators, faculty, and advisors can adopt to better support graduate students’ mental health particularly in a post-pandemic landscape.

We invite proposals of around 250 words accompanied by a bio of at most 100 words. Topics might include but are not limited to:

 

Safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students

Safe spaces for graduate students of color

Safe spaces for graduate students with disabilities

Tips to improve graduate students’ financial wellness

Protecting the mental health of Asian/Asian American students at a time of historic rise in anti-Asian violence and rhetoric

Mental health during the dissertation writing stage

How graduate student unions can advocate for fairer labor practices

How advisors can better support graduate advisees

Tips for university administrators, campus resources/organizations to accommodate graduate students’ mental health

What Student Health & Wellness Services can do better to serve graduate students

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Please submit proposals directly to https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/19344

Since this is a GSC-sponsored session, non-GSC officers may be tapped to be co-chairs.

Contact Information

Please either reach out to NeMLA GSC at gsc@nemla.org or email communications director Samadrita Kuiti at samadrita.kuiti@uconn.edu for queries.

Contact Email
samadrita.kuiti@uconn.edu