Adjustment to College Life Proving Difficult as Male Underclassmen Learn Difference between CAPs and Caps
“The past few months have been ridiculous; I think in just this past week we’ve had around 12 young men meander into our office, belching and asking if they could join the next round. Consequently, we were forced to establish a protocol for this behavior. Every time this happens we sit the particular boy down and say, ‘it’s okay, you’ve done nothing wrong. Now, tell me how you’re adjusting to Northwestern. Do you understand the difference between north and south campus?’” Susan Stencel has been working as a counselor in the office for CAPS (Northwestern University’s Counseling and Psychology Services) for about 2 years now. She’s seen a lot. However, nothing has proven as concerning as the increasing trend of somewhat tipsy freshman boys coming into the office in search of steins, security, and genuine friendships instead of professional psychological guidance.
“Understandably, adjusting to college life can be difficult for many. The mix up between CAPS and Caps speaks to this rocky transition. Evidently, the confusion between our office and the popular drinking game is really a cry for help from many underclassmen boys.”
Stencel concluded the young men keep winding up in the office due to the stress of acclimating to a new lifestyle. Their inability to navigate Ceasar successfully or decipher the difference between University Hall and University Library has left these poor underclassmen entirely discombobulated. In order to readjust themselves, they have been searching for psychological counseling… or binge drinking. Whichever they stumble across first really.
“We can only hope this problem ceases soon. Honestly, it’s giving our office a bad rap. We want it to be clear that CAPS has nothing to do with Caps. I can only hope for the sake of underclassmen young men here at Northwestern that this distinction is recognized soon. Adjusting to college is hard, but with the long lasting relationship created in (at most) 12 sessions at CAPS, any anxiety should be remedied. Just as long as these young men steer clear of Caps… I hear people laugh a lot during that game. Mental illness is a serious problem and not something that should be taken lightly.”
Stencel wanted to remind everyone reading that her office is always open (Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00pm).
