Reynolds Honors Program

Honors Students' Research Symposium

Second row: Mary Fishwick, Grace Swal, Stephanie Cull, and Charles Raum

Front row: Sarah Brown, Dr. Gale D'Andrea, Donald Cooper

Mental health issues are increasingly common on college campuses, but can be overlooked amidst the normal stress of work and classes. Focusing on this growing concern, Honors students in Professor Gayle D’Andrea’s Honors Sociology 200 class spent the semester working on research about mental health and substance abuse issues in the community college population, specifically at Reynolds Community College. The students collaborated with Professor D’Andrea to compile research for a literature review, create a survey, gather and interpret data, and begin to implement much needed changes at the college. On Friday April 6, 2018, three of these Honors students, Donald Cooper, Stephanie Cull, and Grace Swal were invited to present their research at the Annual Reynolds Faculty Research Symposium. The students presented alongside Professor D’Andrea and Dr. Mimi Getachew, discussing the need for this research, research methods, findings, and future plans. One student presenter described the opportunity to give a professional presentation “quite an incredible experience.”

Donald Cooper began by discussing the need for mental health research aimed at students, he pointed out that current research pertains mainly to four-year universities, not the community college population. He also talked about the prevalence of the issues of mental health and substance abuse in this population. Next, Grace Swal discussed the methodology behind the research. She spoke about how the sample size was determined, as well as the process for creating of the survey questions. Finally, Stephanie Cull highlighted some of the pertinent findings from the research. Researchers focused on the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in Reynolds students along with the startling statistics on students who are prescribed medication for these issues but refrain from taking them. Another frightening statistic discovered in the findings was that one in ten current Reynolds students have thought about, tried, or made a plan to commit suicide within the past twelve months. This data was particularly alarming to the researchers. After the student portion, Dr. Getachew discussed possible future plans to implement at Reynolds to address the serious needs in these areas. 

Not only has this group of staff and students worked to pinpoint the current issues at Reynolds, they are planning to address these issues for the future. Under the leadership and mentoring of Professor D’Andrea, these students have been able to be a part of something much bigger than just another class and semester. Honors courses attempt to prepare students for research they will undertake in upper level courses after transfer; Professor D’Andrea’s engaging student-led research model takes this goal to a higher level, involving students in data collection and methodology. Thanks to Professor D’Andrea and Dr. Getachew, these students are actively making a difference in their community.