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By Howard Elliott Chronicle staff writer _ Since January 1979, two university students in Waterloo Region have committed suicide. And no one has discovered ) Officials say both deaths were sudden and unexplained, neither student had a record of emotional distress. Yet they both comnmiitted suicide, one by burning himself to death near his residence. . why. Counsellors say Were their deaths related to their progress in school? Did social and family pressures play a large part? Or were the two students emotionally distressed before they ever atâ€" tended university? “'S'tâ€")r'r;ewe;béi‘is'fn the field of student counselling feel there is a definite link between psychological problems and a stuâ€" dent‘s social and academic life. e _ Dr. Berry Calder, director of counselling at Wilfrid Laurier University is one. y s "Some students‘ learning styles don‘t fit in with the tradiâ€" tional approaches to teaching,"" Dr. Calder said in a recent interview. And for students who don‘t fit the system, presâ€" sure and anxiety can cause serious mental and physical problems, he added. Exams, career decisions, family and social pressures and general insecurity plague many students in the postâ€"seconâ€" dary system, Dr. Calder said. Some deal with it, but others find themselves unable to cope. |l;l that situation a student may drop tut of school, resort to the use of drugs or liquor or take more sgriou§ action. Postâ€"secondary education is still "caught up in the paperâ€" chase‘"‘ to a great extent, Dr. Calder said. Compulsory exams and strict academic guidelines often serve to put a troubled student under more pressure. i3ytalkmg to students with potential problems, he feels depression and frustration can be re@uced or elin.linated. Student counselling services can play a vital role in helpâ€" ing students cope with pressures, according to Dr. Calder. ‘"‘Too often we just put out fires instead of preventing them," he said. "lr3‘il'l‘li)iiék,r director of counselling at the University of Waâ€" terloo, says the recent suicides and other serious problems are ‘"unrelated"‘ to university life for the most part. â€" _ ""Incidents like that (suicides) are more or less coâ€"inâ€" cidental...the bulk of the student body are wellâ€"adjusted young peoplg,“_he _said._ i _ . . Mr. Dick feels that the incidence of psychological probâ€" lems amongst postâ€"secondary students is lower now than in the past. It was worse, he said, when the final exam made up most of a student‘s mark. The "stressâ€"level"" at univerâ€" sity is high, but not high enough to induce action like suicide. Christmas is the worst time for student problems, accordâ€" ing to Al Logan, head of counselling at Conestoga College. December and February are serious stress points, he said. but Christmas is often worse. That time of year finds students with government loans running out of money. Christmas is also the time many stuâ€" dents discover they haven‘t worked hard enough to prepare for exams, Mr. Logan said. X The final year of a college program "has its own trauâ€" ma...do I have a job or don‘t I..?" he said. _ _ Students today are more conservative than 10 years ago, and they‘re more concerned with the security that comes with finding a job. City to discuss plea The Town of Paris sent a letter of distress to Waâ€" terloo City council on Monâ€" day night. The letter was a plea for financial aid, to help Paris repair some of the damage caused by recent floods. The floods were caused by an iceâ€"jam that built up near the town. The jam caused water to back up and floodâ€" ing was the result. According to the letter. a total of 60 buildings received extensive damage due to the flooding. Paris council is asking the province to deâ€" clare the town a disaster area. which would make it Insecurity, pressures hamper students _ eligible for provincial fundâ€" ing. Waterloo is being asked to contribute to the Paris Reâ€" lief Fund, established by the Town. Mayor Marjorie Carroll said the matter should be studied further to find out if insurance won‘ t cover most of the loss sustained by the town. The Paris Relief Fund will be discussed further at next week‘s meeting. (¢4# "® |Pp c > 5> W ‘ s ( , ~ '“\‘ 1| | o Also in the final year, many students experience what Mr. Logan calls "separation anxiety‘‘. Leaving the school enâ€" vironment ‘"‘often causes grief‘, because school has been like home for many students. ‘*As each year passes, we (the counsellors) see problems developing in students...we recogriize the symptoms," he explained. â€" o â€" _ Mr. Logan says preventative counselling is growing more important all the time. â€" _ 8_ ‘Career, vecational and personal counselling usually overâ€" lap in college counselling. i2 S ‘"Weâ€"as counsellorsâ€"have to be finely tuned to student needsâ€"and not over or under react.‘" y s _ * Dr. Calder and Mr. Logan agree the most important thing a troubled student needs is someone to talk to. Sometimes it‘s a counsellor and often an interested faculty member is able to give advice and unofficial counselling. In ani' case, students have a number of options if they take the initiative and realize that they need advice and help. _ Cathering, a 22â€"yearâ€"old U of W student says cramming for exams and keeping late hours can "get you down"‘. (She asked that her last name be withheld.) "The strain is really incredible at times...between exams and worrying about getting a summer job,""‘ she said. _ The thought of low marks and "flunking out" is frightenâ€" ing, Catherine said. _ _ _ s "I can see why they did it,"" she said referring to the two students who committed suicide. Helping students cope (Continued from page 17) Championship in the Tourâ€" nament. Earlier in the week the Chevies travelled to Stratâ€" ford to play them the second game in the best of three series Hub League Tier 1 Semiâ€"Finals. The Chevies had lost the first game of the series 5â€"2. With 3 :39 left in the period Dale Hergott scored from Rob Deutschmann for the Chevies to tie the game at 1â€" Stratford opened the scorâ€" ing with 4:33 left in the first period with Steve Otto‘s goal assisted by Dale Shean and Quincey Wilker. The object of the program, according to counselling director Dr. Berry Calder, is to have students make a *‘*selfâ€"assessment"‘. The emphasis in the Student Success Program and others like it, is on preventing problems before they develop into a crisis for the student. _ o The Student Success Program at Wilfrid Laurier University is helping students cope with university life. _â€" 4 **We‘re trying to help students set their goals, and isolate those with particular concerns." Dr. Calder said. ‘‘We‘re assuming they (the students participating) have an insight into themselves," Dr. Calder said, ‘‘*We‘re trying to sit down and talk about them and where they want to go in areas like social life, friends and activities." Some students don‘t have an opportunity to ‘"‘let out‘~ their concerns, frustrations and disappointâ€" ments‘"‘, he said. Counselling programs can encourage them to talk about themselves, resulting in a better attitude. Although the Student Success Program is voluntary. 50 to 60 per cent of WLU‘s first year students are parâ€" ticipating. Dr. Calder said. * Chevies win Dale Fiddy scored from Dale Shean and Pete Thomas with 4:59 left in the third period to give Stratâ€" ford a 3â€"1 lead in the game. With 41 seconds left in the game Eric Calder scored from Dave Wettlaufer for the Chevies to complete the scoring at 3â€"2 for Stratford. The win gave Stratford the series two games to none and puts them in the Hub League Tier 1 Finals and eliminated the Chevies from further play. These games complete the 78â€"79 Season for the Major Midget ‘Schlueter‘ Chevies. Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday, March 21 Your, course fee is income tax deductible and you may save up to 44% in insurance premiums by presenting our course certifâ€" icate. 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