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WMU Political Climate Café explores students' mental health in election season

Western Michigan University being submerged in sunshine for student orientation, May 30, 2024.
Libby Stefanich
The event took place at WMU's student center.

The round-table discussion was an opportunity to vent, share hopes, and receive support related to politics.

Each semester, Western Michigan University holds Mental Health Week. This term’s events included therapy dogs, a comedy show and a “Political Climate Café.”

Noula Limberopoulos is the chair of WMU’s College Democrats, which co-organized the event.

"I think a lot of people are feeling burnt out and anxious and depressed or whatever else, and I think people who are especially involved in politics might feel like they can't express that because like it's go time, essentially, for the election," Limberopoulos said.

The Café was a round-table discussion about how politics, and the upcoming election, are impacting students' mental health.

"Some people said that they had optimism," Limberopoulos said, "but I think a lot of people were saying frustration, anxiety… I know I spoke about just kind of feeling disconnected from the Democratic Party." They said that disconnection comes from breaks on issues like Palestine.

"You're not the only one that doesn't feel mentally great, and you don't need to force those optimistic feelings all the time about politics," they added.

Though the four student organizations that hosted the event lean left, attendees' opinions varied. One of those host organizations was Students for a Sustainable Earth.

"I was personally disagreeing with, like, a couple of statements, which I wasn't really expecting, but I respect," said SSE's president, Cathryn Goodrich. But she added that the event was not about convincing others.

"This isn’t, like, a time to talk about, like, a call to action. This is just a time to like debrief your feelings of what these things are making you feel."

Limberopoulos said the event was productive, and they would like to organize another Political Climate Café for Mental Health Week next semester. Goodrich said she would organize a similar event for her organization, focused on environmental sustainability.