I walked into my sorority’s first chapter meeting of the term, excited to see my friends after spring break. I sat down and glanced around the room. That’s when I noticed there were a lot of women absent. There are over 150 of us, so it’s pretty jarring when we fill only half of a lecture hall.

The weather was nice that evening, so I assumed everyone was just slowly getting back into the groove before classes kicked into gear. That assumption didn’t last long. The following week, not only my sorority, but another one of my on-campus organizations had a good portion of its members missing.

I began to notice it everywhere. At work, with my friends, my family, at school. Everyone was gone. Where were they? Inboxes were filled with excuses explaining why people couldn’t attend a meeting. Friends sent texts containing sad-face emojis expressing woes at missing a birthday party. To put things colloquially, people just didn’t seem to want to do anything anymore. There is an apathy problem on our campus, and I wanted to figure it out.

To get a student’s perspective, I interviewed Tiffany Nill, co-director of recruitment counselors for Panhellenic. I felt she would be a good person to talk to, as Nill’s role gives her a good perspective on the enthusiasm (or lack thereof) in the community. In her sorority, she noticed burnout from the older members. She said, “As [members] get older, they lose a bit of motivation…and people get busier in their major. There’s less time to give.”

The numbers would agree. According to a study published in BMC Medical Education, over half of college students surveyed have experienced academic burnout. It makes sense that these would include upperclassmen. Typically, older college students have more commitments and a heavier course load.

While I agree with Nill that age plays a role in disengagement, I think there’s more to the story. I combed through academic papers, news articles and social media posts, looking for anything that would point me in the direction of the apathy source. Research methods for studying engagement are typically assessed through one lens, such as behavioral engagement, rather than taking a holistic approach. Additionally, they rely on numerical data and shy away from experimenting with theoretical frameworks. This means research on burnout is often inconclusive when it comes to pinpointing a single source.

Some researchers argue that instructor support is the key to increasing engagement, while others think on a much wider scale, citing dramatic societal change and political polarization. In this context, living in an unstable world can leave students unsure and uncomfortable about the future. When the standards of adult life are rapidly changing, it can be troubling to keep up.

Personally, I’d say my indifference stems from the job market. It feels unprecedented. When my parents went to college, they both graduated with one internship under their belts and found work within a year. Now, my peers are graduating with multiple internships, leadership of on-campus activities, and some have even created startups and are still struggling to find employment. Knowing this, it can seem a bit pointless to work hard in school.

We may not be able to agree on the culprit of student apathy in higher education, but we can take steps to reduce it in our school community. Simple solutions can make a large-scale issue more manageable.

For ourselves, we can develop coping strategies like limiting exposure to news and social media, engaging in regular self-care, and even seeking professional support. If what’s happening in your life is causing you to be apathetic, talk to someone! Therapy is a great outlet and nothing to be ashamed of.

Treating one another as people is a good start. The next time someone doesn’t show up to a planned activity, check in on them. Human beings aren’t machines, and our mental health impacts us a lot more than we’d like to admit.

Did the women of my sorority miss chapter because they were too lazy to go? Or are they overwhelmed with schoolwork? What about their economic stability? Or the job market?

Apathy isn’t going anywhere, that’s clear. But there are ways we can support one another that might improve things. When you notice a change in your organization, take the time to check in. After all, we are only human.