The stress of Week four brings an abundance of midterms, major projects, flu season, and Family Weekend, leaving most students drowning in anxiety and stress. Family weekend is supposed to be a nice, relaxing break from the overwhelmingly stressful 12 week quarter at Drexel. It is safe to say that what every college student, especially those struggling, needs right now is a small token of positive reinforcement to encourage them to power forward.

Seeing your family can be either the best or worst thing for you right now, depending on your personal circumstances. Regardless, every student could use a confidence booster and moral support. Family weekend is treated as an important event on campus because seeing loved ones is supposed to alleviate the negative stressors and create a positive environment that cultivates academic success.

Positive reinforcement has been shown to enhance academic performance and relieve stress.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Education, “Schools, parents, and the community should work together to promote the health, well being and learning of all students. When schools actively involve parents and engage community resources, they are able to respond more effectively to the health-related needs of students.”

It is incredibly beneficial to implement and promote family involvement on campus. Having the moral and emotional support of loved ones at a time when it feels like everything is falling apart can be so impactful to a student’s mental health. A simple compliment, congratulations or hug could be the best thing we get all week after feeling defeated from quizzes or exams.

The last thing any of us want to hear at this point in the quarter is badgering, arguing, questions or an itinerary with definitive plans for the weekend.

According to Inside Higher Ed, students who receive more emotional support from their families were 19 percent more likely to have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, 19 percent more likely to accumulate at least 24 credits during their first year and 24 percent more likely to finish a second year of college. Financial circumstances were unrelated to each of these potential outcomes. Regardless of a family’s financial status, a student can excel given the proper amount of emotional support from close family or friends.

Many students who feel encouraged and uplifted feel more inclined to study, get involved on campus and engage in conversations with fellow students and faculty. Low-income households or family dynamics that are not considered “normal” should be just as supportive and motivating of their students because the effect can be even greater on these particular individuals.

With the colder months arriving swiftly, it is in the best interest of parents, relatives and close friends to show as much support and love as they possibly can to students to help them avoid laziness, procrastination and even depression.

The institution that preaches acceptance, diversity, inclusion and equality has failed us once again. The most disturbing Drexel University Alert, in my opinion, was released via text and email on Wednesday Oct. 9 at 1:33 p.m. A female, one of our own, a family member, a friend, a daughter, a human being reported a rape. As a woman, a student and a concerned citizen, this is simply unacceptable.

Rape culture is a pressing issue on college campuses nationwide and now has become evident within Drexel’s administration. According to the State Press, “Rape culture is a culture in which rape is rampant, yet it is excused by the people and media within that culture. It is exemplified in the blatant objectification and sexualization of the female body, lack of regard for a victim’s human rights, the romanticism of rape in the media and dehumanization of victims of sexual assault.”

The way in which the alert and email released by Drexel described the circumstances was almost as bad as the lack of concern the administration has shown thus far. The text was vague and not very useful to other students on campus whose well-being was endangered. A public statement, call to action or sympathy-driven response is needed.

I no longer feel safe walking around campus, and I’m sure other women feel the same. A rape was committed in broad daylight, within blocks of a police station, and the suspect is still at large. There is a major problem with all of those factors. This rapist is not accountable for his actions right now. A young woman is surviving a traumatic, life-altering emotional and physical injury, and a text alert is supposed to make me believe the situation is being handled accordingly?

Drexel needs to do a better job. Improved rape prevention effort is necessary, and higher police presence should be considered because, clearly, what we have right now is not enough.

There is a Rape Aggression Defense organization on campus that offers self-defense classes, but with little to no advertising. There is a basic physical defense class, an advanced self defense class and keychain defense options available, but I have never seen them advertised. The issue of individuals being raped on campus appears to be taken lightly.

It is the duty of this school, and all members including students, staff, and faculty to uplift and support one another. By allowing horrific crimes to be committed and brushing them off, we are allowing injustice to flourish. There were numerous sexual assaults reported last year, yet no news was followed about the repercussions or outcomes of such crimes.

Rape is one of the most heinous crimes; the life and dignity of a victim will never be the same after the assault. College culture has a history of underplaying the severity of rape and sexual assault, brushing incidents off or ignoring them altogether. This cannot keep occurring.

“The Department of Public Safety is encouraging members of the community to be on heightened awareness of their surroundings. Walk in groups and in well-lit areas. Make sure vehicles and residences are locked and secured,” Eileen Behr, Vice President of the university’s Department of Public Safety, said in a statement to the Inquirer.

I refuse to believe that walking in groups or in well-lit areas will prevent this. Rape and sexual assault are not openly discussed the way they ought to be. Victims are suffering in silence while the university sits back and allows it. Though no one else seems to care, I promise some of us do. We will not let rape culture influence this campus any longer.

The institution that preaches acceptance, diversity, inclusion and equality has failed us once again. The most disturbing Drexel University Alert, in my opinion, was released via text and email on Wednesday Oct. 9 at 1:33 p.m. A female, one of our own, a family member, a friend, a daughter, a human being reported a rape. As a woman, a student and a concerned citizen, this is simply unacceptable.

Rape culture is a pressing issue on college campuses nationwide and now has become evident within Drexel’s administration. According to the State Press, “Rape culture is a culture in which rape is rampant, yet it is excused by the people and media within that culture. It is exemplified in the blatant objectification and sexualization of the female body, lack of regard for a victim’s human rights, the romanticism of rape in the media and dehumanization of victims of sexual assault.”

The way in which the alert and email released by Drexel described the circumstances was almost as bad as the lack of concern the administration has shown thus far. The text was vague and not very useful to other students on campus whose well-being was endangered. A public statement, call to action or sympathy-driven response is needed.

I no longer feel safe walking around campus, and I’m sure other women feel the same. A rape was committed in broad daylight, within blocks of a police station, and the suspect is still at large. There is a major problem with all of those factors. This rapist is not accountable for his actions right now. A young woman is surviving a traumatic, life-altering emotional and physical injury, and a text alert is supposed to make me believe the situation is being handled accordingly?

Drexel needs to do a better job. Improved rape prevention effort is necessary, and higher police presence should be considered because, clearly, what we have right now is not enough.

There is a Rape Aggression Defense organization on campus that offers self-defense classes, but with little to no advertising. There is a basic physical defense class, an advanced self defense class and keychain defense options available, but I have never seen them advertised. The issue of individuals being raped on campus appears to be taken lightly.

It is the duty of this school, and all members including students, staff, and faculty to uplift and support one another. By allowing horrific crimes to be committed and brushing them off, we are allowing injustice to flourish. There were numerous sexual assaults reported last year, yet no news was followed about the repercussions or outcomes of such crimes.

Rape is one of the most heinous crimes; the life and dignity of a victim will never be the same after the assault. College culture has a history of underplaying the severity of rape and sexual assault, brushing incidents off or ignoring them altogether. This cannot keep occurring.

“The Department of Public Safety is encouraging members of the community to be on heightened awareness of their surroundings. Walk in groups and in well-lit areas. Make sure vehicles and residences are locked and secured,” Eileen Behr, Vice President of the university’s Department of Public Safety, said in a statement to the Inquirer.

I refuse to believe that walking in groups or in well-lit areas will prevent this. Rape and sexual assault are not openly discussed the way they ought to be. Victims are suffering in silence while the university sits back and allows it. Though no one else seems to care, I promise some of us do. We will not let rape culture influence this campus any longer.