OU student leaders and administration considered how differences in socialization, overextension, burnout and other factors have contributed to decreasing participation in student events on campus.
As student organizations noticed decreases in event participation over the last few years, community members questioned the cause behind the lack of engagement on campus.
Abby Halsey-Kraus, OU Undergraduate Student Congress chair, said people, especially students, are changing the patterns in which they socialize since COVID-19.
She said the reason on-campus events haven’t gained as much traction could be attributed to the association students place with academic burnout and campus.
“(Students) are starting to realize that there is a greater significance between going out and enjoying yourselves than there is on campus. … I'm not saying that people don't enjoy themselves at school-wide events or school-sponsored events,” Halsey-Kraus said. “I'm saying that it's more along the lines of people being burnt out with school and not wanting to stay there as long.”
Burnout refers to feelings of emotional exhaustion resulting from a stressful lifestyle, according to the National Library of Medicine. Research suggests burnout often occurs from work or school-related pressure.
According to a 2020 survey conducted by Cornell Health’s Skorton Center for Health Initiatives, nearly 48 percent of more than 4,800 students experienced moderate or serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days. Survey responders said, due to their mental health, they were unable to function academically.
Emma Evans, a human health and biology pre-med freshman, said she experiences burnout from juggling both her schoolwork and extracurriculars as a first-year student away from home. Evans is a member of OU’s chapter of Gamma Phi Beta, the marketing director for Green Week and a member of OU’s President’s Leadership Class.
“In college, there's more burnout than you think, and it's not as visible all the time,” Evans said. “My burnout was caused by transferring to university and starting my own life without my constant support group.”
Halsey-Kraus said students overextending themselves could be the biggest cause of burnout.
“We have students who are working to afford their bills while also attending school. … It's a lot of stress and having that stress affects mental health,” Halsey-Kraus said. “It just causes this one big cycle of students having to choose between whether or not they're going to eat dinner or buy a textbook.”
She said because these students are overextending themselves, they may not have the time to participate in campus organizations or events.
The Big Event, an OU-led annual day of community service, had nearly 2,000 fewer volunteers this year from pre-pandemic times. OU football game attendance has also dropped over the last few years, increasing only this year, compared to years prior to COVID-19.
Tucker Dunn, director of operations of the OU Investment Club, said students are under pressure to have a full class load and be involved in extracurriculars if they want to be successful.
“It's really easy to get burnt out, especially if you're involved in more than one extracurricular,” Dunn said. “You always have something going on here at OU and that's a great thing, but it can also lead to that burnout feeling of, ‘I don't really want to go to this meeting this time,’ and it can cause really low attendance.”
Dunn said one of the best things organizations can do is be considerate with scheduling. He said during one Investment Club meeting 100 students attended, but the next week, only 10 members showed due to a large number of students having exams that week. Dunn said this taught him to be more aware of members’ personal lives.
“Organizations, at least in my experience, have failed to be really well in touch with students regarding scheduling. … Student organizations oftentimes don't really consider whether their members are busy, whether it might be a test week or the week before spring break, so scheduling events is really important, and I think students would be more likely to attend,” Dunn said.
Halsey-Kraus said a challenge that organizations are still trying to overcome in a post-COVID world is being conscious of students’ workloads and mental health.
David Surratt, OU’s dean of students and vice president of student affairs, wrote in a statement to OU Daily that another explanation for the drop in event participation could be due to student leaders having less experience due to the pandemic. He said not being able to seamlessly transition leadership between school years could be impacting participation.
For students grappling with burnout, Surratt wrote that OU provides resources such as the University Counseling Center for students to speak with licensed counselors. Surratt wrote engaging in activities can be one way to build social connections and decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation, suggesting OU Fitness and Recreation classes and Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation for mentally and physically stimulating activities.
Evans said, while the organizations she’s a member of coupled with her academic life can cause her stress, her extracurricular activities also help mitigate her burnout.
“Everyone I met through these (organizations) have been a constant support systems. … They give me outlets of fun but also educational support,” Evans said.
Surratt emphasized that burnout is something that can deeply impact students and should not be overlooked.
“When one experiences burnout, it is important to take care of the things we have control over. Focusing on diet, exercise, sleep, and social support are really the metaphorical four legs of the chair that support us,” Surratt wrote.
“Burnout is feedback to us that life is not satisfying, and we need to figure out what we can change to bring us some joy.”
This story was edited by Alexia Aston, Karoline Leonard and Jazz Wolfe. Nikkie Aisha and Teegan Smith copy edited this story.
