I am writing in regards to the story entitled “New Factors Impact Stress in College Students” that was written by Staff writer, Maggie Pund on February 28, 2013. The article talks about how great the “financial” stress has been on students whom already face a lot of academic stress. I largely disagree with the article for a few reasons. First of all, the majority of college students are younger, most likely a year or two removed from college, and they were involved in a study via the article, which labeled 40% of them as reporting a higher stress level in the past year. When you are 18 or 19 years old, do you really know what stress is? When most of us were that age, we stressed out about our classes, what shirt we would wear with our jeans, and whether or not we would be eating Ramen noodle soup or a frozen pizza for dinner.

Just like the younger generation of today, we had financial obligations and had to make ends meet and we met them. There are plenty of jobs available if one needs the money. It might not be the ideal job, but if you are stressed out to the point where you would spend up to 70 dollars for a stress relieving massage, which is now being conducted at college campuses, then maybe you should consider it… and save that 70 for a book you need for your next semester which will in turn lower your financial stress.

Maybe the problem isn’t the actual lack of money. What if the problem lies in the mentality of today’s younger generation? It really feels as if more and more people are feeling “entitled” to things today. We hear about “tuition reimbursement” but what makes it right to do that for people today when everyone else in the past made it work?

Take a look around you when you are driving the next time you have to run out. Look at the nice cars a lot of younger folks are driving. Look at the expensive smart phone they are using to Text, Tweet and Facebook their friends with all day. Maybe it’s time we all face the fact that while times are changing and money seems to be short, we all have it in ourselves to make ends meet no matter the cost. Maybe if we live within our means and avoid keeping up with the Joneses, stress factors would subside because we’d need less money to survive. Maybe it’s time to ask not what others can do for me, but what can I do for myself?

— Joe Seiter, NKU community member