As a low-income student, I was constantly aware of what could happen if something drastic occurred to change my status from poor but doing okay to downright struggling. That “something drastic” has occurred, and no one knows when it will end. I am constantly paying for my parents’ groceries to make sure we have enough food in the house, and am currently working three jobs in order to pay for essentials at home. I cannot be responsible for a semester’s worth of schoolwork on top of the work I already do at home and outside of it, and imposing the SIC to students who are in similar situations as I am is just another unwritten way for Yale to increase the class divide that is, and always has been, obvious to see.
My mental health, as a result of the pandemic, has deteriorated significantly from an already scary place, and easy access to therapy is essential for my well-being in classes as well as outside of them. To be a low income student in normal times is bad enough–to be a low income student during a national crisis is even worse. Therapy is more essential as ever during this time, and it is imperative that Yale, from its position of wealth, provides mental health resources for its students that depend on it.
Esther Park, she/her, 2023, Stiles
