FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022VOLUME
VOLUME 107 | ISSUE 5
SUNY Plattsburgh’s independent student newspaper since 1997
Faculty, staff mental health neglected BY ALEKSANDRA SIDOROVA
News Editor
SUNY Plattsburgh spent $339,666 on mental health resources for students this academic year. But the mental health of faculty and staff does not get the same support. Kim McCoy Coleman, the coordinator of the employee assistance program and assistant professor of social work, said the college’s administration has done “very well” trying to create a campus culture of well-being for a while, but noted that well-being was different than mental health. Some ways the campus cares about its employees’ well-being are service recognition programs such as the Cardinal Care honorees that have been announced every month for at least seven years, newsletters like President Alexander Enyedi’s acknowledgement of National Custodian Appreciation Day sent out Sept. 30 and spaces like the faculty and staff lounge at Feinberg 335. “I think that the scope of who will be recognized will be broader and more inclusive to let people know that they’re doing a good job,” McCoy Coleman said. “Because that matters.” However, the campus’ approach to its employees’ mental health is different. “Talking specifically about the mental health of faculty and staff and professionals, I don’t think anyone does a good job anywhere, not just on our campus,” McCoy Coleman said.
OLIVIA BOUSQUET/Cardinal Points
Campus employees face a lot of stress. Professors Julia Davis and Michelle Ouellette shared that there is a high amount of work generally expected from faculty: performing college service, publishing papers and conducting research. Furthermore, much of the faculty’s “housework” — months of searching for
potential faculty to join the university, reviewing documents, filing reports, addressing department issues — falls on women, Davis said. “I think if you look at women both at home and at work, we’ve been kind of trained to be the ones who notice,” Ouellette said. “Someone spills
goop on the stove. Who in the household cleans up the goop? It’s probably not the man.” Davis and Ouellette said their students’ stress affects them as well. Davis and Ouellette are busy “rooting for everyone” and trying to ensure their students’ success academically and otherwise.
A campus employee who requested to remain anonymous “for fear of retribution” said “kind of everything” stresses him out about his job. He faces rigid deadlines, high expectations and a lack of support for what he needs. Although he will eventually be able to access a vehicle or purchase parts he needs
for a project, it comes with a delay. He doesn’t always have the tools he needs. Sometimes, he buys parts out of pocket because he cannot afford to wait for the purchase to be approved, or buys the wrong part because he is unable to get the right one through the college. “There’s really nobody that asks me what it is I need, so it’s up to the employee to find a way to solve all their own issues,” the employee said. “I often feel like I’m doing my job in spite of the college, not because of the college.” McCoy Coleman tries her best to promote the employee assistance program, where campus employees can be informed, assessed and referred to appropriate resources within the community for “any kind of problem.” McCoy Coleman also plans to work on programs encouraging mindfulness, healthy eating, self-care and resilience to help protect employees from stress. “I’m trying to promote EAP because I think it’s a resource that’s underutilized, that the administration and labor [department] provides to our employees,” McCoy Coleman said. Another option is telehealth services, which come as part of employees’ health benefits. McCoy Coleman said telehealth may not be everyone’s first choice, but can be just as effective and more convenient as in-person counseling. HEALTH l A5
Enyedi sends email thanking custodians BY JESSICA LANDMAN Staff Writer
SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi, as well as the student body and faculty members, acknowledged National Custodian Appreciation Day Sept. 30. Enyedi sent an email to everyone on campus to inform the community about National Custodian Appreciation Day and encouraged people to go out of their way to thank the custodial staff at SUNY Plattsburgh: “Today, on National Custodian Appreciation Day, I encourage you to join me in acknowledging the dedication and hard work of those who keep our classrooms, workspaces and public facilities clean and maintained. Their essential work impacts every part of campus health and safety. And their daily efforts ensure that SUNY Plattsburgh remains a beautiful, functional cam-
pus for students, faculty, staff and visitors, including prospective students and their families.” It was especially important to Enyedi, after the pandemic, that the custodians are appreciated. During the pandemic, the custodians were still on campus cleaning the buildings to ensure that every student and staff member was safe during those uncertain times. They showed up everyday to help make the lives of everyone else on this campus better. “Throughout the pandemic, our custodial staff reported to campus each day to maintain and clean our buildings,” Enyedi’s email stated. “Our return to in-person instruction has truly highlighted the importance of their work and their ongoing dedication to provide the highest quality service.” There are 67 cleaners, janitors and supervisors
OPINIONS | A4
IGNORING INDIGENOUS VOICES
on campus. One employee, Kristie Daniels, works as a cleaner in Hood Hall. Before working on campus, Daniels worked at a nursing home, but decided to leave that job and come to SUNY Plattsburgh. “My husband worked here before me, so I applied when they had openings,” Daniels said. She has now been employed at SUNY Plattsburgh for seven years. “We clean everything, like literally everything,” Daniels said. “Summers we do all the bedrooms, top to bottom. Everything gets disinfected. Everyday, cleaning bathrooms, floors, toilets, sinks, you know, all that stuff that you have to clean. There’s other stuff that we have to do. We get pulled to go do tarps for special events in Hawkins and stuff like that, but other than that, it’s just like normal cleaning.”
OLIVIA DAVIS/Cardinal Points
The campus bakery displays its baked goods at the Fall Festi-Ful farmers market.
Market brings local businesses to campus BY KENNEDY TAVARES Staff Writer
“Fall Festi-Ful” brought local businesses to campus in front of the Angell College Center at SUNY Plattsburgh Thursday Oct. 6. “Fall Festi-Ful” is the THANKS l A2 largest collegiate farmers market in the coun-
SPORTS | B1
MEN’S HOCKEY PREVIEW
try. Over 300 universities across the nation participate simultaneously in attempts to inform students about the importance of agriculture and local farming. Local vendors from around the state sold goods, dished out samples and provided information
to students about their businesses. North Country Co-Op in Downtown Plattsburgh gave out samples of a tofu treat and a representative discussed the perks of joining the Co-Op. MARKET l A2
ARTS & CULTURE | B4
FALL FEST AT THE STRAND