Florida State University has mandated all new students take a program on how to handle stress.
The Student Resilience Project, developed by the Institute for Family Violence Studies at the FSU College of Social Work, aims to “help students adjust to campus, improve mental health, increase resilience and reduce stress.”
Teaching “resilience” and “coping skills” to students is admirable in today’s “snowflake” campus culture. Ironically though, students can opt-out of the mandatory program if they’re too stressed!
The mandatory-ish program only takes between 25 to 30 minutes and there is not a testing component.
“We want students to enjoy the content, and return to it if it helps them with relaxation and stress management,” an FSU College of Social Work spokeswoman claimed.
The online program is required for more than 6,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students. Inside Higher Education reports that the price tag for the program is more than $300,000, including a $50,000 budget for “advertising costs.”
“Students who have previously suffered or suffer from significant trauma (death of family or friends, violence, abuse, etc.) may opt out if they are already receiving treatment or counseling for managing stress,” FSU Director of University News & Digital Communications, Dennis Schnittker, told Fox News.
FSU’s College of Medicine also has a stress website, fsustress.org. The front page features the phrase, “Be COOL like Carl; Put a STOP to toxic stress” next to a cartoon character wearing sunglasses.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
