With its convenient proximity to Leo O’Donovan Dining Hall, abundance of natural light and breathtaking views of the Potomac River, the Healey Family Student Center (HFSC) is one of Georgetown University students’ most beloved spots on campus. Established in 2014 and reopened in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, the HFSC advertises itself as an environment that fosters community, contemplation, individual growth and responsible citizenship.
But, let’s face it: the reason you struggle to find an available seat each time you enter is not that students are busy developing as citizens or conducting deep inward reflection, but because they are studying. The HFSC is one of many student wellness spaces on campus that has devolved into a mere extension of Lauinger Library. Though certainly a more picturesque option, there is already an assortment of study spots to choose from on campus. At a time when college students’ mental well-being is more vulnerable than ever, what students truly need are spaces purposefully designed to promote wellness.
Experiencing newfound independence amid a largely unfamiliar environment, the four years that students spend at college often prove to be mentally taxing. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the American Psychological Association classified over 60% of college students at large universities in the United States as having at least one mental health disorder and calculated the ratio of college students to counselors to be as high as 300 to 1. While Georgetown provides mental health resources and services, most notably Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS), this alone is insufficient. Students need access to a support system of peers and human connection, which simply cannot be formed by glancing up at a friend from across the study table every once in a while.
Georgetown has made an effort to establish wellness spaces on campus; the HFSC itself was originally created with the intention of serving as “a gathering space where bonds are made and deepened” among students. But when surrounded by other students scribbling in notebooks or clacking away at keyboards, it can be challenging to enter that space with wellness in mind. Consistent exposure to an academic environment places pressure on students to be academically productive themselves, even in moments where recharge and socialization may be just what they need.
The HFSC is not the only self-proclaimed wellness space on campus that has transitioned to a study hub. The ground floor of Healy Hall was recently renovated to “provide space for health and wellness programming,” yet unless there is an event scheduled for the day, you can be sure to find more students with earphones on and a pen in hand as they work on assignments. Byrnes Hall is also home to a variety of locations for student gatherings advertised as “wellness-focused,” boasting a reflection room complete with lounge chairs and open floor space. Yet each time I walk past this room, it is almost always occupied — not by students engaged in meditative practices, but by students jotting notes on their iPads or cramming material for an upcoming exam. Rather than functioning as a quiet, comfortable space geared towards self-reflection, the room is now merely a silent location for students seeking padded seats as they work on homework assignments, making it virtually impossible for Georgetown students to find refuge in campus facilities.
Ultimately, it is students’ preferences that cause wellness spaces to transform into study spaces — just one person’s decision to work on the Healy ground floor sets off a chain reaction, inviting more students to utilize an area initially intended for mental wellness as an academic environment. While Georgetown administrators are not directly responsible for this, and students should certainly have the freedom to use facilities as they wish, there are measures that the institution can and must take to mitigate this.
Providing additional funding for student and university-led organizations to host regular mixers in the HFSC would help to foster community-building on campus, allowing students to meet new people and form bonds beyond their typical circles of friends. Holding dialogues related to mental well-being in the Healy basement would help to reduce stigma surrounding mental health, encouraging students to prioritize self-care and seek out the resources they need. But most of all, wellness-focused programming would teach students to associate these spots on campus with growth and socialization — not just with studying.
College is more than academia: It is a time for young people to learn more about themselves as they enter adulthood. Georgetown is responsible for establishing environments where its students can thrive mentally and receive support from their peers. Labeling rooms or facilities on campus as “wellness spaces” is not enough; we need recurring and engaging programming that encourages students to begin treating them as such.
Talia Arcasoy is a first-year in the School of Foreign Service. This is the first installment of her column “Life on the Hilltop.”
