It's not just you: This was a hard semester
Reporting about the SGA, not a record of it: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter published this and the SGA did not write it, file it, or approve it. The archive holds it because the article itself uses the phrase “sga”.
Summary
- This Johns Hopkins News-Letter article reports on student and faculty burnout during the Fall 2021 semester and the effects of pandemic-era campus life.
- The News-Letter reported that Christy Thornton said pandemic-related childcare problems remained, while Zoom-based work added pressure for faculty.
- The paper reported that students later described burnout and concern about the lack of a mid-semester break; an SGA survey seeking mental health days received over 1000 responses.
- The article adds that students gave mixed accounts: Honor Zetzer said she felt happier despite exhaustion, Darren Lu called for a real fall break, and Daniella Needleman cited limited library hours and the campus gym’s construction.
- The reporter writes that the article connected student burnout to broader college trends, cited CDC figures showing that 25% of surveyed people aged 18–24 had seriously considered suicide in June 2020, and described federal guidance on supporting students at risk.
- According to the article, Jonathan Flombaum urged more flexible grading, including pass/fail options, and advised students to set healthy study boundaries.