This letter is to clarify some statistics that were given in the article “Academic Reputation Tops Survey” on Jan. 31, 1992.

While being interviewed one of my points was that there is a myth that the majority of students who seek counseling at the Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC) are “homesick” or suffering in their adjustment to NIU. Our data do not support this belief. This is evidenced in part by the fact that in 1989-90, 27 percent of students seeking services at CSDC were juniors, 22 percent seniors, 19 percent sophomores, 15 percent freshmen, and 13 percent graduate students. These statistics are not the same as saying, as the article indicated, that 15 percent of the freshmen served at CSDC are homesick. Furthermore, we ask each student seeking counseling to indicate their three most pressing concerns. In 1989-90, the 10 concerns that students cited most frequently were: self-confidence/esteem, depression, academic concerns, romantic relationships, family relationships, anxiety, fearing failure, stress, anger and choosing a major.

This list indicates that the students bring to counseling a broad range of concerns, some of which are longstanding and others that may be developmental and/or situational in nature.

Kathy Hotelling

Director, CSDC