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Lack of campus psychiatric services
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my concern and dissatisfaction with The Eagle's coverage of the Active Minds conference on campus last weekend. The article expressed the noble and important mission of education and awareness in regards to mental illness, with a specific interest in combating an epidemic of suicide rates on college campuses. However, this article failed to mention that there are currently NO psychiatric services on American's campus.
The only psychiatrist on staff has left the university, feeling that she was not giving her patients proper care and after the Student Health Center failed to hire any more doctors as they promised. Students needing psychiatric services must now go to another doctor off campus at a greater expense, wait until the Health Center gets around to hiring another doctor, or go to the Counseling Center, where the therapists are inexperienced graduate students with no psychiatrist monitoring the care they give.
Why wasn't this on the front page of the paper? Why didn't this get addressed at the conference? What is the Health Center, Counseling Center, Office of Campus Life, Academic/Disability Support Services Centers, Student Government and Housing and Dining doing to correct this lack of services? Who is holding them accountable? American University has a relatively small campus and the students pay over $40,000 dollars a year to go here, yet the students do not have a most essential service available to them on campus. Why don't students know about this? Where is the demand for better services?
Sincerely, Sarah Beistel Sophomore, School of Public Affairs
Response to Dining Services Memo
While I agree with almost all points of Ashley Mushnick's Dining Services Memo, the issue concerning the impoliteness toward students from Tavern employees is terribly skewed. Wouldn't you get mad after having to ask someone 10 times what kind of cheese they want on their sandwich because they're on their cell phone? I eat at the Tavern often, and frustration on the part of the employees almost always is a result of the inconsideration and rudeness of the students.
This shouldn't be hard to believe, especially after the recent discussion of students' disrespect of Aramark workers. The lack of respect given to on-campus employees is abominable. Students tend to think that employees are both non-existent and there to cater to students' every need. Many students here at AU don't always recognize their own privilege and think that Tavern employees don't deserve the same respect that they themselves expect.
This situation has come about because of the students and cannot be attributed to the personality of employees. The first step toward improvement has to come from the students and until that happens, nothing is going to change.
Elizabeth Sanders Junior, School of International Service
AU soccer fans mistreat referees
Dear Editors:
I am an AU alum and a fan of the soccer teams. For the past four years, I have made it a point to attend an AU match near my Connecticut home every Fall. I regret to say that this past Saturday I extended my personal streak of the Eagles losing an away match with me in attendance.
However, I want to point out the conduct of a few AU parents in the stands. I am a certified United States Soccer Federation soccer referee and therefore, I always watch a match with dual perspectives - as both a fan and as a referee. In a hotly contested match on Saturday, I felt the referee crew did an excellent job. Of course, that was not how the AU parents perceived it. There is a total lack of understanding in terms of the referee applying advantage to play, awarding a caution instead of an ejection, and why a referee would never award a penalty kick to Larry Mark when he started diving over the Army goalkeeper as the goalkeeper made a legitimate play for - and did deflect - the ball.
The conduct of those few AU parents - who jeered and occasionally swore (with children in attendance) - marred an otherwise very positive experience overall. As I sat, watched, and thought how weekly I, too, get abused by unknowledgeable parents, I realized the players themselves were unaffected and just played. And that is what I want to convey to the AU community. The players conducted themselves very well and represented their university for 90 minutes.
Despite the loss, Coach Todd West clearly has an idea the type of players and the possession style of play he wants in the program. I applaud him for his efforts and I hope to see an AU win next fall!
Sin Hang Lai School of International Service, Class of 1998
