THE COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the way institutions operate. In Ateneo de Manila University’s case, stringent health protocols prohibit face-to-face classes. This led the University to maneuver online arrangements in a remote set-up where students, faculty, and non-teaching staff need to virtually relocate the campus to their own home.

Studies show, however, that this new working environment comes with serious health issues. COVID-19 alone is already a major health burden, but scholars say that the work-from-home system also puts people at risk of suffering burnout, body aches, and mental stress.

As Ateneans await their return to Loyola Heights, it is crucial to examine the Loyola Schools (LS) management’s policies crafted to address these urgent health concerns. Now is a pressing time to look into how the Ateneo protects holistic student welfare amid the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Existing interventions

In terms of physical health, Dr. Eric Anthony Cabrera of the LS Office of Health Services (OHS) says that inactivity, sleep difficulties, and eye issues pose a challenge to LS community’s well-being today. “We’re doing…a teleconsult instead of face to face [consultations],” Cabrera says. According to him, consultations with LS physicians are made via Google Meet.

He also notes that the OHS organized webinars on eye care and yoga in light of the LS’ online operations. “This quarter, we will have a webinar on fitness and on lower back pain and we’re planning to do more webinars for the next quarter,” Cabrera shares.

Aside from the OHS, the LS Physical Education (PE) program also plays a role in securing the physical health of the LS community. PE Program Director David Allen Puen, PhD says, “The underlying goal [of all PE classes now] is to ensure that students are constantly moving.”

Puen also points out the importance of devoting time for exercise. “We just have to be a little more creative,” he says. Puen assures that apart from combating physical idleness, exercise helps produce endorphins that improve even one’s mental health.

This advice rings true not only to students, it applies to the University’s employees as well. LS Human Resource Services Head Marie Milagros Tendero notes that in addition to physical health risks, the online working scheme presents a challenge to the staff’s mental health. She points out that some of the employees have already “fallen into minor depression.”

As fear, anxiety, and stress become common among LS personnel today, Tendero affirms that they continue to promote online consultations with the LS Office of Guidance and Counseling (LSOGC) and OHS. She also states that employees with clinical cases of mental health are referred to the LS’ private partners for psychiatric counseling, alongwith full subsidy from the LS.

In addition to this, LSOGC Director Gary Faustino assures that they have innovated their services to the LS community. For instance, he shares that all consultations and testing will be conducted online. In addition, LSOGC also launched online multimedia projects on mental health and wellness such as the podcast series titled “Coffee-sations with your Counselor.”

Layered obstacles

In a statement to The GUIDON, Faustino says that mental health concerns in the University are much more challenging to deal with now given the online setup. “Being stuck in the home environment is likewise unnerving for many students, faculty, and other employees alike,” he says.

The LSOGC’s concerns are not an isolated case, as Ateneo Bulatao Center Director Karina Fernandez, PhD expressed the complexity of analyzing online workspace set-ups and their correlation with mental well-being. According to Fernandez, “There’s so much to unpack from the experience of online learning. [There are a lot of] variables. Is it the quarantine, online learning or simply a new context?” 

Both Faustino and Fernandez have also remarked that their offices faced various technological limitations because of the online setup. Fernandez cites the difficulty in reading and analyzing nonverbals, such as fidgeting and body language of their clients in online setups. Additionally, Faustino notes that there has been less privacy for their clients at present as compared to physically going to the guidance office. “When your service has always been about physical presence and a certain degree of intimacy, working from home and using the internet as your medium of communication totally changes the playing field,” he explains. 

Furthermore, in the Sanggunian Commission of Mental Health’s (CMH) focus group discussions with various students, they found that some students are unaware of the various services that the LSOGC provides. According to CMH Co-Commissioner Nicole Namoco, “We realized that some students don’t even know that they have an assigned counselor in the LSOGC. I think shedding light on the different mental health services either within or outside the university is something we can work on.”

Physical health programs are no exception to such obstacles. OHS Director Henrietta Dela Cruz explains that doctors have to examine their patients through telemedicine as compared to physical check-ups. She notes how doctors might have to ask patients for a photograph of their throat, for instance, in order to proceed with a more accurate diagnosis.

Renewed vitality

In light of these limitations, Faustino emphasized the importance of examining one’s current physical and emotional state, especially with the ongoing pandemic. “Without paying attention to your well-being, whether physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, you are bound to get sick. To remain productive in this world and fulfill the mission by which God has called us to, we have to be fit for the fight,” he says.  

Furthermore, CMH Co-commissioner Katrina Uy also stressed the value of dialogue with the LS administration in order to best adapt to the present context of both students and staff. “Right now we’re all adjusting, and it’s important to have collective communication with the administration and the faculty,” she says.

As Ateneo adjusts to an online environment, the University’s health-related services are no exception to this transition. Although there are still issues and concerns with this new setup, access to these services and communication with these offices are at the forefront of maintaining Ateneans’ physical and mental wellness.