The Association of Black Psychologists, and other campus groups have hosted events like How to affirm yourself to strengthen connections between students at North Carolina A&T throughout the 2023-2024 school year. This increase in smaller-scale social events has been beneficial in combatting anxiety that is present within many students at N.C. A&T.
Anxiety has become very prevalent amongst college students over the past decade. A study published in 2020 titled Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in College Students aimed to find the prevalence of depression and anxiety in college students. The results from the study showed that depression was prevalent in about 48.30% of the students of the in the experiment and anxiety was prevalent in 50% of these students.
One group on N.C. A&T's campus that has hosted events to help bring students together is The student circle of the Association of Black Psychologists. One event held by the organization that potentially had a positive affect ons students struggling with social anxiety is the How to affirm yourself event the organization held in February.
When asked about the event, third-year Animal Science student Morgan Stevenson said "The event was very informative and taught me practices that I look to incorporate into my daily life."
The Student Universities Activity Board also assisted in hosting a variety of events to help students connect with another. Events such as Aggies Unplugged and R&B Yoga give students a safe space to relax and connect with others.
Jeremey Hodges, a first-year engineering student said "the events held by the Student Universities Activity Board helped me get more acclimated to campus and make new connections, especially since I'm not a very social person".
These types of social events have definitely seemed to have a positive effect on students and I believe that increasing them in the future will be very beneficial for helping students with their anxiety.
The workload that comes with being a student and the new found pressures that come with being new student to campus can definitely start to weigh on people after a long time; so it is important to have outlets to unwind and connect with others.