The University of Oregon class of 2025 are soon-to-be graduates who will be setting off and looking for careers in their field of study. However, it seems like a lot of college graduates, not just us Ducks, have been having a hard time securing a job after college.

I have had conversations with seniors, not just from our campus, about their experience job hunting. Some said they were able to find something because of networking, while a vast majority of the people I talked to said it took months.

I believe that it has become increasingly harder for younger individuals to find a job because of the increasingly high expectations for job applicants, the state of the current economy, AI and the high volume of applications. It may be hard, but it can’t be impossible.

At the moment, the job market is very competitive, especially since more Americans are obtaining college degrees. Employers are requiring rather unrealistic professional experience, even for entry-level positions. Because of this, it’s making it much more difficult for recent and upcoming graduates to find careers in their field of study.

Emily Mourning, a UO senior, explained her frustration with experience requirements that are pretty typical on job applications nowadays.

“I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how entry-level professional jobs require a minimum of two years’ experience in the job that is being advertised, which is a very frustrating thing to deal with. I think that, beyond traditional job experience, a lot goes into getting a job. Job experience isn’t the only experience we have: clubs, Greek life, sports, class projects (and more). These all give you experience,” Mourning said.

Jack Kelly, a senior contributor for Forbes, wrote an article called “Why Is It So Hard For Recent College Graduates To Find A Decent Job?” He dives into the reasoning behind this crisis and possible solutions. “If you conduct a search for ‘entry-level’ jobs on LinkedIn, you’ll see job listings requiring three to five or more years of relevant experience,” Kelly wrote.

Yogi Khor, a UO senior who is also an international student, expressed feeling overwhelmed trying to find a job in the United States. The process has been going on longer than Khor expected.

“It’s been really stressful, especially as an international student. I have to apply for Optional Practical Training and go through a lot of extra steps and paperwork just to stay in the U.S. and work legally. I’m lucky to have some connections; I’ve been reaching out, sending emails and my CV to different supervisors and people I know in the field, asking if they can help me find a job related to my major,” Khor said.

Khor continued on about how many of the jobs in the education system require a certain amount of previous experience, which has been hard for many UO seniors who haven’t had the chance to work in that type of setting before.

Kelly discussed this issue with Diane Gayeski, Ph.D., professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College. Her response was interesting.

“Employers need to recognize that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people graduating from college had more than two years of disruption in their education as well as their social and professional development,” Gayeski said.

When I questioned the reasons why the job market is so frustrating for graduates, I figured it was because of the economy. The other main issue, on top of our economic problems, is that job applications outweigh the jobs open to hire. U.S. Wealth Management, or U.S. Bank, published an article on their site about the current job market. In the article, there was an interview done with Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist for U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

“The unemployment rate moved modestly higher, from 4.1% in February to 4.2% in March. When taking a more historical view of the unemployment rate, a number in the low 4% range is quite favorable,” Haworth said.

This shows us a small sliver of hope for college graduates.

Job openings data shows 7.6 million open positions as of the end of February 2025. As has been the case since 2020, the number of job openings outnumber the number of unemployed workers. 

“The job openings report indicates that employers are still looking to hire people,” Haworth said.

Thankfully, there are some good tips for college graduates or students wanting to prepare for job hunting before graduation on how to help them secure a job. Ryan McGonagill, senior advisor for Business.com, had some good input on the subject. You can also find tips for job searching on LinkedIn.

Adding endorsements to resumes, possibly from professors or managers at your current job, is helpful. Other tips are investing in a personal brand online through LinkedIn, and adding specific skills for specific jobs — not just generic expertise. 

Another thing to remember is don’t aim low. You should still apply to jobs that might have a lower hiring rate. In this day and age, learning tech skills is very valuable, and networking as much as possible through platforms like LinkedIn is key.

Personally, I am currently finding a lot of good job opportunities and networks through internships. This could be important information for other undergraduates who aren’t graduating this year. For those who are, even if it is hard, it’s not impossible.

The post Morris: The ever growing difficulty of job hunting after college appeared first on Daily Emerald.

I am currently a sophomore and a first-year resident assistant. I applied to become an RA in the spring of my freshman year, and needless to say, it has been an interesting ride. If you do choose to apply, good for you! However, there are a few key things to keep in mind about the role: what to expect, what you might not expect at all and the kind of personality that tends to thrive in this position.

For those of you who don’t really know what an RA is, we’re student workers who live in the dorms. Typically, most of what we do involves making rounds to check on residents at night, answering calls when residents need something, handling conflict and writing reports on sexual assault, noise violations, etc. Occasionally, we host community events as well.

Here are some of my pros you should consider: you might become best friends with your coworkers. I’ve made a lot of great friends on my RA team, and that has made the role much more rewarding than I expected. 

This job is also a great resume builder. It showcases leadership, perseverance, management skills and the ability to work as a team during serious situations. It also teaches you life skills regarding safety, like what to do in medical emergencies. 

As an RA, you help build a community for students, coworkers and yourself. You learn how to provide a safe space, which is incredibly fulfilling. Of course, one of the biggest benefits is free room and board — at least for the next academic year, before some of the role’s requirements change.

Zachery Woodruff, a University of Oregon sophomore and first-year RA at Carson Hall, shared some of the benefits that have been impactful for him.

“I’m a music education major, so having the privilege to develop interpersonal relationships with my residents and create an environment that empowers everyone is both relevant and incredibly useful to my future endeavors. The RA role encourages me to actively seek and embody the change I want to bring to the community,” Woodruff said.

“We’ve had a lot of workshops on resume writing, securing jobs and even giving ‘passion talks’ about things we love,” Woodruff said. “The emphasis is always on connection, and I feel very fortunate to have such a great, friendly team where we all work well together.”

These have all been true for me as well. Honestly, the job teaches you how to build different kinds of supportive communities. But, just like with every job, there are cons you have to consider.

“There are many times you’ll see things you don’t want to see, a lot of writing Incident Reports at 3 a.m. and a lot of days spent recovering from the sleep debt. It’s quintessential to the safety of the residents, which is awesome, but also why it’s so challenging,” Woodruff said.

Samuel Bertholf, a UO sophomore and an RA working in Barnhart Hall, came into the job during winter term. The adjustment was a little different than some of the RAs who had already been working in the dorms since September. 

“RAs often have to deal with mentally and emotionally taxing events and it can, at times, be difficult to deal with,” Bertholf said. 

“I also find myself with less free time, and occasionally have to cancel plans with friends because I cannot request time off, or I am on-call that evening. The ‘no days off’ mentality can sometimes be daunting, as I live where I work, and vice versa,” Bertholf said. 

There were nights when I was writing Incident Reports until 3:30 a.m. I’ve had to deal with paramedics and police officers due to student mental health concerns. I’ve written Title IX reports. I’ve spent hours creating door decorations and posters, only to have them taken down by residents throughout the year.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this job requires a certain personality type. When I say this, I mean you often need to have a lot of empathy, patience, understanding and the ability to keep your thoughts to yourself at times. I struggle with patience, so in frustrating situations with residents, I really had to reset my mindset.

There were also times when I struggled to keep my cool, especially when residents were being loud right outside my door at 2 a.m. while I was trying to sleep.

I struggled to set boundaries with some residents in the building, especially when the issues seemed minimal. Sometimes I wasn’t in the best headspace to deal with certain situations, but I would respond anyway, even when I wasn’t on call. Some residents would share information I didn’t need to know, which caused conflict.

“Organization, communication and time management are musts. The safety of the community and your residents rests in how quickly and accurately you both address and report situations as they arise. What you say and what you write is what prompts action to be taken or neglected,” Woodruff said.

At the end of the day, does the good outweigh the bad? 

I would say yes. I think other RAs would agree. There are plenty of stressful situations that occur, but there are equally as many rewarding opportunities as well. Don’t knock it ’til you try it. 

The post Morris: Debating on applying to become an RA? Here’s some stuff to think about appeared first on Daily Emerald.

As an introvert, the thought of working in an “extroverted” job setting has always scared me — the confrontations with bosses, the possibility of teamwork and team-building exercises, constant conversations with colleagues and the looming fear of burnout.

When I was younger, I told my parents I would never work in a place that required me to talk a lot with other people. I wanted to be secluded and work independently. However, now that I’m studying a field that requires constant networking and regular conversation with my peers, I don’t exactly have a choice.

I’ve realized that just because I tend to be introverted doesn’t mean I can’t thrive in my dream field. Even if it seems intimidating, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible — I can learn to navigate an extroverted environment. The same goes for everyone else.

Thanks to my JCOM 101 class, I’ve learned some helpful tips and tricks for how introverts can succeed in an “extroverted” field. I found these tactics both interesting and practical, and they’ve already helped me — whether it’s networking in class, interviewing with future employers, talking to professors or even feeling confident enough to join a study abroad program without knowing anyone else in it.

I talked to two different UO students on their experience working in fast-paced, conversation heavy jobs as introverts.

I asked Jensen Corella, a UO sophomore, about his experience working in the food industry and whether he ever felt burned out while interacting with coworkers and customers. 

“I had difficulties sometimes conversing with both customers and my coworkers. I would become super tired as the shift went on. I had to recoup as soon as I got home and hang out by myself. Don’t get me wrong — I loved the job — but it can be hard providing customer service to a lot of people in one night,” Corella said.

Then, I had a conversation with Samantha Judd, another UO sophomore, about her past jobs and how they made her feel. “There were definitely times I felt overwhelmed or exhausted with the amount of people I had to come into contact with as per the job description. I think some of that can be attributed to my neurodivergence and depleted social battery in loud and fast-paced environments,” Judd said. 

Karl Moore and Willing Li published an article in “Harvard Business Review” titled “Can Introverts Thrive in ‘Extroverted’ Careers?” In it, they interviewed Brooke Callaghan, a first-year investment banking analyst at BMO Toronto, who explained the hidden strengths introverts bring to extroverted fields.

One of the first things they mention is how introverts are great listeners — a skill some extroverts may lack. “As avid listeners, they can capture information that some extroverts might overlook. Unlike extroverts, introverts aren’t known to jump to conclusions, and as a result, they garner more attention and appreciation from an audience when they do speak,” said Callaghan. “As an introvert, (Callaghan’s) natural tendency to read a room, empathize with others and think before she speaks helps her gain a deep understanding of the people or situations she is engaging with. As a result, it’s easier for her than most to foster meaningful relationships with her clients and peers,” Moore and Li wrote

Other strengths mentioned in the article include adaptability, empathy and the ability to take time to carefully formulate ideas — making those ideas more refined and impactful.

Another “Harvard Business Review” article, this one by Melody Wilding and titled “An Introvert’s Guide to Visibility in the Workplace,” offers practical strategies for how introverts can thrive in extroverted environments.

Two tips that stood out to me were: speak up early in meetings and ditch self-deprecation (also known as self-criticism).

Corella also shared how he handles burnout at work. “Usually when I’m burned out from working with others, I take my lunch break in my car or something just so I can be by myself for a while. I enjoy talking to my coworkers, but I need that alone time so I’m not so tired after my shift,” he said.

Judd plans on going into the education field, which, she admits, is a little daunting because of how extroverted it seems. 

“I do anticipate having some trouble with overstimulation as a neurodivergent person. It’s something I’ve coped with all my life, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dread the possibility of feeling that at any time. But in my personal life, running from the possibility of overstimulation can isolate me from opportunities that could otherwise be really cool,” Judd said.

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A large portion of University of Oregon students have the burden of paying for not only tuition, room and board and other miscellaneous university fees, but on top of that, textbooks. Even if some of these costs are covered by financial aid, some of the books we are paying for are borderline unaffordable. And even worse, once that class is over, we will never pick them up again. 

I have spent a large sum of money on textbooks, ranging from $15 to over $250 for a single book. Some of these have been physical copies while others have been online purchases. Some classes I have taken required up to four books just for that one course. Many of these books I’ve bought I never used again after that class, and some of them I never even had to read.

I can understand the need for books for some courses, such as ones for your major, making it obligatory to purchase a textbook, however, I believe that if professors can provide required readings for students rather than forcing them to pay outrageous prices on books, that is the better option financially for students. 

Melanie Hanson, a research analyst for the Education Data Initiative, explained the real cost of attending public universities in the U.S. She writes, “The average postsecondary student (any student attending school after high school) spends between $1,212 annually for books and supplies as of the 2022-2023 academic year… Hard copy books can cost as much as $400, with an average price between $100 and $150.”

This same study shows us that there is an average of 6% increase in cost every year for textbooks, which doubles the price of a textbook every 11 years. 

UO second-year Kaitlin McDaid agreed that textbooks are overpriced and, depending on the class, might rarely be used. 

“My textbooks have never seemed outrageously expensive, but for how much I end up using them, they’re not worth it. None of them have been related to my major either, so buying them seems pointless,” McDaid said. 

“I never use them after the class is over,” McDaid said. “I barely even use them during the course. They just end up sitting on a shelf in my parents’ house and collecting dust.” 

I had a similar experience to McDaid. I purchased ten books/textbooks for my prerequisite classes that I haven’t opened since. It felt like a major waste of my money that could’ve been saved for other school expenses. 

Nicholas Stepp, a UO second-year, explained that many of his textbook purchases have left him stressed and frustrated, stressing the negative effects our current reading system may have on low-income students 

Stepp said, “Everyone knows American colleges aren’t cheap and prioritize profit. Because of this, why aren’t there more discounts or resources to get low-income students the materials they need?” 

“In the case of materials needed for class, I would want classes/professors to provide free readings, sections from textbooks or tools instead of making the student pay for those resources,” Stepp said.

There is a lot of truth in how stressful obligatory class purchases can be; buying textbooks is an inconvenience to some but can also be a major burden for others. Many students coming from low-income households and those who did not receive financial aid tend to struggle more with these high textbook prices. 

The price of textbooks not only keeps college students from buying these materials and gaining their educational benefits but is another contributing factor to college debt and financial insecurity. Another issue is that not only are the prices of textbooks rising, but their resale value is dropping. 

To ease the financial burden, students can resell old textbooks to stores like The Duck Store or wherever else they purchased them from, try to find cheaper options on Amazon or buy books that other students are reselling. 

Another resource worth mentioning, is the Basic Needs Program’s textbook subsidy. This subsidy supports students at the University of Oregon with textbook purchases along with other academic materials needed for their classes during each academic term. This program can cover up to about $150 in textbook costs. 

Also, the Women’s Center Aid Program, which is open to every student on campus, offers book aid up to $50, as long as they are returned by the end of the term. Students can also check the UO library before making any textbook purchases.  

At the end of the day, the best option is for professors to post sections of required readings on Canvas. This in itself would make a major difference for students who are struggling to pay these high prices. Some textbooks must be bought, but instructors should prioritize offering free resources for students. 

The post Morris: Instructor-provided textbooks are more efficient than students buying them appeared first on Daily Emerald.

In the spring term of my freshman year of college, I finally gave in to using Artificial Intelligence platforms to help me understand some of my more difficult coursework. I successfully never used it until I started taking science classes here at University of Oregon. But, as soon as I was stuck trying to decipher one of my complicated assignments for my anthropology lecture, I asked for a chat to explain the criteria in simple terms. 

Since then, I have used AI platforms to grammar check some of my assignments and essays, summarize instructions for homework assignments, help me create thesis statements for essays and generate ideas for my argumentative articles. For me, it has reached a point where I use it at least once a day. Nowadays, I rarely go through and grammar-check my work myself. 

I think there are plenty of benefits to ChatGPT, Grammarly, Gemini and other AI platforms, especially in an academic setting. AI is often referred to as a “modern approach to learning,” allowing us access to a wide range of tools for certain aspects of our class work.

I don’t mean cheating. However, I know that myself and some other UO students have a tendency to lean on AI way too much for help, and there are negatives to that. A study performed by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, who worked as an ​​assistant professor in engineering management at Eastern Michigan University, showed that not only is AI reducing our critical thinking skills, otherwise known as cognitive offloading, but open access AI is not always reliable. 

Leanne Fan, a journalist for the Nexus reported Dr. Ahmed’s findings.“Survey data from 285 students found that 68.9% of laziness and 27.7% of the loss of decision-making skills were the result of artificial intelligence use.”

Jessica Talisman, a senior information architect for Adobe, works primarily with AI platforms. She has produced several podcasts relating to the subject of AI, such as “The AI Digest,” as well as “Data Dialogues,” a podcast about navigating the data landscape and “The Data Democracy, ”a podcast about educational neuroscience.

I asked Talisman what she thought the biggest concerns were for students at UO using AI platforms and what they should be cautious about. 

“It is a large language model, (or) what is known as LLM. It is a statistical model, not a number model. It is notoriously terrible with numbers, security, data, data analytics and realistically is only a sophomore to junior level when it comes to data coding,” Talisman said. 

“AI such as ChatGPT has a lot of disinformation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about fact-checking; it is known to have hallucinations. In other words, it can be seen as AI’s creative agency, meaning that it can get very creative and make things up that are not factual,” Talisman said.

Talisman also talked about potential student overuse of ChatGPT and other AI-related platforms, which may reduce their ability to learn. 

“There are a lot of academic scholarly publications that prove there is a broad range of cognitive offloading. Critical thinking is one of the main objectives of education. It is the mission of the university. If critical thinking is obstructed, then your brain fails to develop knowledge, handle tasks and synthesize knowledge,” Talisman said. 

According to Talisman, ChatGPT is a profitable open-access AI platform, which is a contributing factor to why it isn’t as trustworthy. Additionally, it has its privacy issues such as collection of sensitive data, collection of data without consent, use of data without permission, unchecked surveillance and bias, data exfiltration, and data leakage. 

I became curious about how professors at UO feel about ChatGPT and its use in the classroom. I asked Professor Mark Blaine, who works in the SOJC department teaching journalism classes and is known for his documentary work,  about AI. He said that he believes AI is both a positive academic attribute and has some major downfalls. 

Blaine discussed student reliance on AI tools and the ways this impacts education.

“If you’re leaning on it too hard when you’re not exercising the muscles you’re supposed to be using while you’re here, you can’t expect to become a better writer. It might give you the right answers, but that is not what we are looking for here,” Blaine said. 

Blaine talked about the issues students may face when looking for jobs in the future, especially with portfolio building.“You are going to be judged on what you produce. If that production suffers from the use of AI, it is going to make you less competitive, not more competitive.” 

Blaine also had some thoughts on how he has seen students use AI platforms, especially when it came to writing papers for his classes. 

“Some were good, some were a pain to read, but when you have to turn in a really long dry report or some sort of technical material, it gets you to an answer really fast. In other cases, that doesn’t pass the sniff test,” Blaine said. 

I have personally seen students use ChatGPT and other AI platforms in class to help understand assignments, help with homework, asking AI to summarize articles, etc. I am not ‘dissing’ these individuals because I understand how difficult and stressful classes can get. When it comes to my personal experience using these AI platforms, I noticed that once I started using AI for academic assistance it started becoming hard not to use it for basic assistance.

UO sophomore Campbell Schlecht talked about her use of AI tools.. 

I asked Campbell what she typically uses ChatGPT or other AI platforms for. “The main area in my life that I don’t and probably would never use is for my current job as a promotions assistant,” Schlecht said.

“I probably use ChatGPT in way too many areas in my life. If I feel stuck on schoolwork or in need of inspiration, I quickly ask ChatGPT, which I find always helps get the creative wheels turning for me. I definitely feel the majority of students overuse it, and that could be harmful to learning, but at the same time, I feel it is smart to use the resources that are at our disposal,” Schlecht said.

While there are plenty of benefits to ChatGPT and other AI platforms for students in terms of supplying resources, it seems like the student use of AI isn’t being managed properly. Even so, it would be hard to manage. 

My goal is to reduce the amount of assistance I rely on AI for when it comes to understanding an assignment and helping me come up with a thesis, and I know many other students over-rely on it too for many different reasons. While there are plenty of net-positives about these platforms, there are also many net-negatives that may personally affect you and make the platforms unreliable. 

The post Morris: The truth behind ChatGPT appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Valentine’s Day season has come and many ducks on campus are celebrating the month by spending it with their special person.

Yet, many of us who want to find someone special to spend Valentine’s Day with cannot seem to find anyone, whether it’s a long-term partner or even just a date. How do students at UO keep a healthy relationship going, and how did they find their person?

I believe that finding the person for you isn’t as hard as it seems.

Yet while many Ducks want to find someone and find it to be physically impossible in today’s world, there are so many happy couples on campus who manage to make their relationship work with one another, and I find that it can be very inspiring for the rest of us.

Hallie Smith, a sophomore at the University of Oregon, has been in a healthy relationship with her partner Noah Leiberman who is also a University of Oregon student in his junior year. Smith and Leiberman have been together for the past three years. They met while working at a grocery store together.

I asked Smith how they keep their love life happy and healthy in the long run, to which she responded: “I like to think that Noah and I strive to keep our communication constant.”

“Contrary to what you might see on social media, your partner is not a mind reader. You need to tell them what’s working and what’s not working between you two. It’s very important to talk through the awkwardness, because otherwise what might seem like a small concern now could turn into resentment later,” Smith said.

Joseph Erlinger, a graduate student at UO, talked about his experience with his partner who goes to Oregon State University.

“I think a ‘secret’ to having a long relationship is the ability to face challenges. There is a skill in de-escalating tensions and communication through hardships,” Erlinger said. “I think this skill can only be truly developed by having a relationship in the first place. For people new to dating, I would say there’s a lot of luck — and potentially a lot of heartbreak — of finding the right person who’s willing to grow as much as you are.”

When I asked Erlinger what key advice he would give to those who want to start and continue to keep a healthy relationship he responded, “I would say the best thing for someone who has a busy life is to first figure out boundaries. One of the most important boundaries a person can have is to know how much time they can dedicate to their partner. Ultimately, a relationship is about spending time with someone you care about.”

It’s not as hard as it seems, as long as you know what you’re doing.

Not everyone’s experience is the same, and you never know when you’re going to find the person who is right for you. It may take a while, but there are plenty of eligible Ducks on campus despite hookup culture and awkward first dates. Don’t give up quite yet.

The post Morris: How to Secure a Duck appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Throughout my time at UO, I have transferred doctors, therapists and pharmacies repeatedly. The UO Health Center has been my best bet, and I haven’t had much trouble with them, but it’s difficult to access their counseling sessions because students have limited free sessions before they start charging insurance. Paying out of pocket was not an option due to price uncertainty, which I’ve heard has been a problem for many students. 

It took weeks to initiate doctors sending over my mental health information, which I don’t think UO health center ever really received because the psychiatrist didn’t have any of my information. It was several months until I secured a full-time therapist outside of the UO health center in Eugene since I only had a couple of free sessions left. Every counseling center/organization in Eugene was scheduled months in advance because all of the therapists were booked.

Was it my insurance or was I not trying hard enough? Neither was the case. Do they not have enough time and space to fit me in to receive mental health care? That seemed to be the reason. There is a decline in psychiatrists throughout the country, even in Eugene and Lane County. While UO health services are helpful for some, it doesn’t seem like they are set up to accommodate every student on campus. 

I figured I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, so I created a form for students to share their stories when it came to accessing support, counseling, psychiatry and other forms of assistance for mental health. Here is what they said:

Aniyha Satchell, a UO sophomore, said, “It has been hard for my wife to get access to mental health services in Eugene, mostly because of the extremely far-out scheduling times. It’s difficult to plan that far ahead and to keep a consistent schedule.”

UO junior Anthony Bookout talked about their experience with overpriced support from our health center. “In October, I was going through a lot and needed some type of therapy but did not want to go off campus because of the price.  I called the mental health services, and was charged $100 just for asking ‘Where do I go for the services?’ It was completely unprofessional, and I ended up never going to the therapy I needed at the time.” 

Yogi Khor, a UO senior, elaborated on similar complications. He said, “I’ve never really tried to seek help with my mental health, but I did look at the UO Health Center website once when I felt depressed and tried to schedule an appointment, but the procedure was complicated, so I just decided to heal by myself.”

Securing self-help is an ongoing struggle, and the process is time-consuming and almost belittling, leading you to feel that you’re never going to find the help you’re seeking.

Stacy Weiner, staff writer for the Association of American Medical Colleges News, conducted an interview with renowned psychiatrists. “We have a chronic shortage of psychiatrists, and it’s going to keep growing,” says Saul Levin, MD, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association. “People can’t get care. It affects their lives, their ability to work, to socialize or even to get out of bed.”

There are many factors at play in explaining why people struggle to secure proper care, including the networking between clinics and insurance companies, the students whose insurance isn’t in the network, the same shortage of counselors as psychiatrists, the rise in prices for medications and appointment waitlists. The list goes on. 

You are not alone. Knowing that this campus has students that cannot afford what the health center provides, they should add a couple of extra free therapy sessions for students, support networks and therapy groups should be advertised more, and of course, us ducks have to be there for one another through dark times. 

While the UO health center is accessible, it’s hard to navigate at times and for some students expensive. There are free group therapy sessions here at UO made for students on campus that are a start. A few of them are Creating Health Relationships, Living with Loss Support Group, Healing from Family Changes and Sista Circle.

If group therapy doesn’t work for you, then there are several hotlines available to call if you are in a moment of panic. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 988.  The American Psychological Association provides a list of numbers and resources to call for mental health emergencies or support. A local hotline in Eugene is Cahoots. 

Access to mental health is a serious problem for students at the University of Oregon and despite accessing that care we should support one another when we are struggling, and remember that even though this is a difficult process we can find the help we need. 

The post Morris: Receiving Mental Health Care Has Become Overwhelming and Complicated appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Almost everyone I know starts their New Year off by coming up with a list of resolutions and goals that they want to accomplish and stick to for the rest of the year. These goals may include going to the gym consistently, eating healthier, quitting a bad habit or changing their attitude.

The sad reality is that a large percentage of people who make these resolutions quit sooner than you think. Some give up within the first month of the new year. Those who go to the gym more slowly taper off their workout streak. Those who eat healthy slowly lose patience with their diet. 

Only around 9% of Americans on average complete their New Year’s resolutions by the end of the year. According to a study for Ohio State University by Richard Batts, an institutional design coordinator for Fisher Leadership Initiative at Ohio State University, “Research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.” 

Author Cynthia Vinney explains why on VeryWell Mind, a medically reviewed news page, that many of us have unrealistic expectations of ourselves. We don’t ask ourselves why we make these resolutions, and we aren’t actually ready to change.

Other reasons you or others may not be sticking to these resolutions could be because of a lack of motivation and lack of accountability or maybe even having an all-or-nothing mindset which can lead to feeling discouraged. Another major problem is the lack of planning. 

I believe that to stick to big goals that we create for ourselves we have to change the way that we think about them first. Every year for the past couple of years I have set a goal for myself to start going to the gym more, but I never really stuck to that goal until I asked myself why I really wanted to — that’s when I saw long-term progress. 

When I asked myself why, I figured out the reason why I wanted to go to the gym more was not only because UO has an amazing gym which is there for my use, but because I felt like I ate poorly, and that I was tired of struggling with self image problems. I told myself I wasn’t going to pressure myself because of these reasons but allow them to motivate me.

I started with positive self-talk, being flexible with my needs and being generous to myself instead of being discouraged if I slack on my goal. Tracking my progress helped a lot and so did celebrating small wins. 

Kaihana Soeury, a University of Oregon senior, had to change their mindset when coming up with their resolution, as well.

“I think that there is an importance to changing your mindset because with a new year comes a new age individually,” Soeury said. “You have to be willing to make changes because everyone gets older and the older you get the less likely you are to change your thought process. I believe that intentionally changing your mindset now helps.”

Thomas Nguyen, a UO junior, explained how he sticks to his goals when he starts the new year. 

“I remember why I am doing this, and I need to treat myself well by doing things to improve myself,” Nguyen said. 

There are plenty of other tips and tricks that can help you stick to your goal, as well.

Be very specific with your goals, remind yourself why you want to stick with them and be honest with yourself. Don’t take on too much at one time. If you need to, have friends help encourage you to stick to your goal or come up with goals you can work on together. Give yourself time to allow your goals to become a daily habit. 

A vast majority of other ways to keep up with New Year’s resolutions have to do with changing your mindset. That can be scary and hard for a lot of people, but it just requires a lot of patience and support. I have experienced success in my goals when I changed the way I thought about them. It was the same for several other individuals who I talked to when we discussed the New Year. Small steps are the best way to accomplish something big. 

The post Morris: New Year’s Resolutions: How to Stick to Them appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Whether it’s a relationship or a quick fling, the experience of University of Oregon students when it comes to modern dating varies. However, there is one thing that most of these people’s experiences have in common: it’s difficult. 

According to UO students, most people are scared to commit, some don’t want anything too serious in college, some are looking for a friend with benefits and some fear repeating past dating mistakes. Overall the theme of each of these people is that they want something casual and not long-lasting. 

But why is finding a committed long-lasting healthy relationship so hard to come by in this generation? There are many reasons, but one that sticks out to me the most is our paradox of choice. Social media and the wide range of dating apps have made it easier to come by more individuals that we can connect with non confrontationally, giving us unlimited options and more to choose from. 

Barry Schwartz, an American psychologist, wrote a book about this called “The Paradox of Choice.”  

He wrote, “Instead of increasing our freedom to have what we want, the paradox of choice suggests that having too many choices limits our freedom. Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.”

The idea of unlimited choices seems appealing, but, in reality, it can cause us to withdraw from choosing a person to commit to because we ask ourselves the question: what if something better comes along?   

In general, more people have gotten used to the idea of meeting their significant other through a dating app. 

Theodora Blanchfield, a journalist for Verywell Mind, wrote an article questioning why dating is so hard. To his surprise: “These days, nearly 40% of people report meeting their significant other online. We know — dating apps can feel difficult to navigate.” 

Dr. Carmichael, one of Robson’s sources, said, “However, it makes it easier to locate a broader swath of people you might not ordinarily be exposed to — and establish right off the bat that you’re single and ready to date.” 

Many college students say that profiles on Tinder and other dating apps claim they aren’t looking for something serious, and that has caused the whole idea of dating apps to turn into this stereotype of where people go to find hookups or casual dating.

Other contributing factors could be what are called “situationships,” which overall have normalized the idea of casual relationships between two people. “Situationship” is a term that describes a friendship, but something more, yet not technically dating. In other words, it’s an excuse to stay non-exclusive while receiving relationship-like experiences. 

I got the opportunity to interview a fellow UO undergraduate named William Berens, whose opinion on situationships grew rather sour.

“Yes, I think that situationship negatively impact trust because those are inherently non-exclusive, and hookup culture is fairly common in college and our generation. Also, dating apps reduce the number of ways people meet each other organically, and differentiate people wanting relationships compared to hookups,” Berens said.

Bernes then followed that statement by saying “Situationships have taken over casual dating because a lot of people have long-term situationships where they go out on dates and are functionally in a relationship without ever officially gaining that label. This has affected the people I know because they have been in month-long situationships which have included taking each other out and being ‘exclusive’ even though they weren’t technically dating.”

Situationships have created a butterfly effect where, once you become damaged from a situation, it becomes harder for you to trust the next person that comes around. We are scared to relive past relationship experiences because we don’t want to relive the heartbreak, and as cheating and lack of commitment become more common, it makes sense. 

So, what can one do in a world with too much access to choices and uncertainty? The best way to make sure you are on the same page as someone is to communicate. Remember that dating should be fun, not a hassle. If you are in a loop of uncertainty and doubt, remember there is no rush and no need to settle for someone with different expectations. 

This generation’s dating style is much different than your parents, and it comes with pros and cons. If you are looking for something serious, even with these factors in mind, remember that it is not impossible. It is just good to be aware of what is holding others back. 

Recently, I caught myself looking back on my time here at the University of Oregon and I wondered which quarter was the most difficult for me. Fall was a rough start, especially starting out in a new city from scratch. Then winter term came and my class load was insane, along with my seasonal depression. Finally, in spring, the sun came back, but my motivation was at an all-time low; or in summer when no one was on campus. 

I asked a couple of friends the same question, and the responses varied. Some said that fall was the worst, especially freshman year since they were adjusting to college for the first time, and one of my coworkers said spring because of “Spring Slump.” 

Personally, I automatically knew which term was the worst for me, it was an easy choice: winter term. 

My winter term was filled with hardship, seasonal depression and an overload of homework and obligations. Not only was that the lowest point for me that year due to the lack of Vitamin D, but I also took two science classes and a language course which left me drowning in an ocean of my own procrastination and daily dose of six hours worth of homework. 

To my surprise, it was just me who felt the same way. I created a survey with about 51 responses from UO students and asked them the same question I asked myself: Which term is the hardest on Ducks?

Fall term came out to about 27.5%, spring term came out to about 15.7%, and no one chose summer. Affirming my own opinion, the percentage of students who picked the winter term was 51%. The rest of the percentages which were students claiming they were unsure was the remaining 5.8%.

The vast majority of students who selected winter cited their main reason as seasonal depression.

“The lack of sunlight can contribute to depression in the winter,” UO sophomore Maddie Center said.“Additionally, winter term usually involves taking the next part of a sequence of classes, which is typically more difficult than the previous one taken in fall term. For freshmen, the winter term is when you realize that college isn’t all just fun and games. The culmination of all these things makes it increasingly difficult to attend class.”

“I think the seasonal depression adds to it, but like fall is like easy going to help the freshmen ease into college, but then winter term always feels like it goes on forever and feels like the classes go on forever,” Leah Esker, a UO junior said. 

“It is cold and miserable and rainy and we just had a month off, my brain is not up to speed with what the professors are teaching. Wake up and go to class when it’s still dark, leave class to go home and it’s still dark. It is usually the term that I have the hardest classes too,” UO junior Ellia Evans said.

I also asked students for tips and tricks to handle their winter tern blues.

Some students, such as UO sophomore Olivia Akers, recommended spending time on self-care. UO senior Savannah Preston mentioned going to the counseling center, also reminding students to spend time with friends. Around five to six different students warned others, specifically freshmen, not to skip, because it’s a difficult habit to quit. 

Every term has its roses and thorns, but students seem to agree that winter is especially thorny. Nobody’s experience is the same, however, I think everyone can agree that winter term makes you want to rip your hair out.

Stay warm, stay positive and stay connected this winter; you’re going to need it. But remember: it all gets better.