Jeff Dorsey works on homework. The Whetstone/ Cochise Lucas

By Alicia Seewald (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Stress is so prevalent with college students it has been accepted as part of the college experience.

What students do not know is how much effort and stress goes into each of their classes. It is well known that students are anxious. But professors may be experiencing just as much stress over the classes they teach.

“As a professor teaching four to five classes a semester, something’s due in every class every day,” said Dr Jeffrey Gibson, an English professor. “Sure, as a student, I had reading due for each class, but on those few occasions when I wasn’t completely prepared, as a student I could blend in with the crowd of 15 to 30 other students.”

Now as a professor, Gibson is counted on by students to be prepared for every class.

Professors are also accountable for deciding the best way to deal with the cancelled classes due to the snowstorm.

“Part of me is thrilled not to have to go to work and just as many students are thrilled not to have classes,” Gibson said. “Yet the other part knows that I’m the one responsible for figuring out how to best deal with all the material that wasn’t covered in classes this week.”

Many students are still convinced that they have to cope with more stress.

Senior Michelle Mules is balancing three jobs and two sports. She is also a double major, which means she is forced to take 18 credits every semester if she wishes to graduate in four years.

“Students have to make the grade for their future,” Mules said. “They have an intense work load for all classes, not just one. They are going through a crucial development into adulthood. There is pressure to succeed, especially from parents.”

Merle Reddine agrees.

“Professors only have to prepare for a few classes,” she said. “Usually they are only repeating the same classes.”

Dr. Elizabeth Siemanowski, a psychology professor, has an explanation for the opposing views.

“I suspect stress levels for students and professors vary by the time in the semester,” she said. “My observations suggest that professors appear most stressed at the beginning and end of the semester, punctuated by a few periods of discomfort when heavy loads of paper and exam grading coincide.”

According to a study on procrastination, Siemanowski found that the main reason students put off writing papers and studying for exams is because they feel overwhelmed. She said students feel most stressed before major deadlines.

Students agree, but they also believe it is not only procrastination that causes them to fall behind. They blame their busy schedules as well.

“With homework, the earliest I get to bed is 12 a.m.,” Reddine said. “I have all 8 a.m. classes. I’m always cramming. I work so I have to.”

Professors also have busy schedules and more responsibilities.

“Like most of my colleagues, I have many roles in life,” Siemanowski said. “During any given day, I am a professor, a wife, a mother, a friend and an advocate.”

Also a parent, Gibson has a busy work schedule as well.

“With four classes (and soon a fifth), it’s easy to get mixed-up,” he said. “I’m constantly checking and re-checking my calendar and syllabi to see where I am and what’s coming up.”

On an average, it takes Gibson 15 to 30 minutes to grade a three-page paper. If there are 25 papers the task can be lengthy and tiresome.

“More responsibility equals more stress,” Gibson said. “To be clear, that’s not a complaint. It simply comes with the career I’ve chosen.”