It’s Time to be Creative: Student Mental Health Needs the Arts
To students and families who transitioned back to in-person schooling after the COVID-19 lockdown, it’s clear that the pandemic significantly impacted student mental health. For some, this may have been worsened by a range of other factors, such as eco-anxiety(concern about the effects of climate change), bullying, and financial anxiety. In the fall of 2020, colleges nationwide reopened their campuses for in-person activities, although they still did not operate as “back to normal.” This transition—characterized by remote classes, outdoor study spaces under tents, and limited social interactions—left students with only a skeleton of the traditional “college experience.” Meanwhile, academic expectations remained high and fast-paced. Unfortunately, the drastic shift from a community-oriented and social experience to largely being isolated from friends and peers came at a cost to students. Among many other institutions, North Carolina (NC) State, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) experienced a series of suicides.
WPI, located in Worcester, MA, welcomed students back to campus in August 2020, without the typical experience of students hanging out in dormitory hallways and sharing meals in the Campus Center. In July 2021, the death of a student was reported through an email sent to the WPI community. In August, the week before classes were to begin, another student took his own life. Less than a month later, a third student made the same choice. As of January 2022, a total of seven students had passed.
According to a CDC report, there were more suicides across the country in 2021 than in 2020. The 4% increase was the highest in twenty years. Suicide rates for individuals aged 10 to 24 rose by 62% from 2007 to 2021. Universities, especially those that have experienced the loss of one or more students to suicide, are striving to find new ways to address mental health on campus. In 2023, WPI opened its Center for Well-Being; North Carolina State now has 47 clinical professionals; Columbia University and several other institutions are inviting therapy dogs. As the spring semester began, a new source of community emerged at WPI: free line dancing classes at Rascals, a local bar.
A member of the Student Mental Health Committee—a group formed by students in January 2021 to advocate for better mental health support on campus—asked the owner if they would waive the cover charge for WPI students due to the mental health crisis. The owner agreed, and from that point on, line dancing became a weekly escape. Colorful lights, country music, and boot stomps replaced the dark winter nights and quiet classrooms. Some even referred to Rascals as a “home.” These students had tapped into an overlooked tool for improving mental, emotional, and physical well-being: dance!
A study from the University of Sydney found that participating in a structured dance class for at least six weeks positively affects psychological and cognitive well-being that is equal to or greater than that of other forms of physical activity, such as team sports and walking. Dance offers a fun way to engage in physical exercise, builds cognitive skills through learning step sequences and improving coordination, and fosters an environment where people can socialize and build community.
Furthermore, engagement with performing and visual arts has been shown to significantly improve physical health, allow self-expression, promote connection to one’s cultural identity, and help remove stigma from sensitive topics such as mental health. Arts education is also an accessible, scalable, and cost-effective method of addressing mental health.
A 2023 study from the University of Oregon showed that physical education (PE) graduation requirements at U.S. colleges and universities have declined over time. In the last decade, the percentage of colleges mandating PE has decreased from 39% to just 32%. A simple way to help address the student mental health crisis would be to not only reinstate PE requirements but also offer dance-based options such as Zumba or line dancing. Furthermore, schools could establish partnerships with local dance organizations or other institutions with dance programs to offer free or reduced-cost classes. For example, if a student at the University of Chicago wanted to take dance classes, the school could collaborate with Columbia College Chicago, allowing UChicago students to cross-register for courses at Columbia College.
While the arts do not replace professional therapy, university students could greatly benefit from a wide range of arts education. It’s time to follow the example of WPI’s line dancers and recognize dancing—and the arts overall—as a legitimate and valuable option for supporting student mental health and well-being.
