This Is Us: Supporting Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions in College
In the new Summer 2021 issue of the Mary Christie Quarterly, MCI Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede interviews advocates, researchers and practitioners on how schools can better support students with serious mental health conditions—the fastest growing student population group with the highest risk of dropping out. In Supporting Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions, experts and alumni with lived experience discuss the stigma and bias that has hindered progress in this area as well as the promising practices that are keeping these students on track and thriving. Read the full Quarterly article here, and listen to the first-part of this important discussion in the latest Quadcast with Dr. Dori Hutchinson, Executive Director of the Center for Psychological Rehabilitation at Boston University.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
A number of Black professional athletes have been “leading the charge” to discuss and advocate for greater attention to mental health issues among athletes, according to NBC News. Tennis star Naomi Osaka, gymnast Simone Biles, and others are some of the most recent to speak on the extent of pressure they feel to perform on the world stage and their experiences with anxiety and depression as a result. For these athletes viewed as the pinnacle of fitness and overall strength, many often struggle to confront mental health problems or continue to face criticism from fans and the media when they do. But as more athletes — and, notably, Black female athletes in particular — tell their stories, experts point out that the stigma around mental health is waning and taking necessary breaks from one’s sport is becoming more acceptable.
U.S. News discusses the impact of online learning on the prevalence of mental health problems among college students, specifically as they prepare to return to school this fall. According to a survey of undergraduates at Ohio State University, the rates of depression and anxiety increased several points each between this spring and the previous summer, while reports of burnout spiked over 30%. Students identify the general uncertainty of the pandemic and a lack of social interaction as some of the sources of their struggle over the last year. Going forward, experts say schools will need to make support available and accessible to students, as well as equip them with their own coping mechanisms to help smooth the transition.
At the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, administrators are planning for a return to in-person learning that supports students beyond their physical health concerns. The Chronicle writes that Dean of Students Adam Jussel helped develop a “human centered and trauma informed” approach to transitioning back to campus, involving strategies that promote interpersonal connections and emotional processing. Recognizing that the pandemic disrupted social interaction and community in unprecedented ways — including economic burden for many families — the school hopes to provide opportunities for students to reflect and heal. Trauma training sessions, meditation spaces, counseling and mentorship programs, and “a trauma-informed tool kit for professors” promises to bring together both students and faculty to confront the challenges of the last year and move forward.
Diverse Education anticipates the challenges for college students from marginalized backgrounds returning to campus this fall after a year marked by a national influx in mental health issues. Experts suggest that, in addition to addressing known issues — housing insecurity, food insecurity, racism — schools will need to be flexible in their approach to confront problems that arise and pose to aggravate student mental health. While faculty and staff may not be able to predict the long-term emotional impact of the pandemic, they can refer students to on-campus support and other services. Faculty and staff will need to be mindful of their own mental wellbeing, too, as they are often the first line of defense in responding to student needs but can face burnout in the process.
Other News
Boston University School of Social Work highlights its own Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm’s recent op-ed in the Mary Christie Quarterly, addressing the need for greater attention to the mental health of Asian international students. While discrimination and mental health concerns already widely affect this student population, the recent wave of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic exasperates these issues further.
For Penn State’s The Collegian, students discuss their concerns, preparing for the upcoming fall semester and return to in-person classes. Some expect that moving back on campus will have a positive impact on mental health, but note that the academic transition could also be challenging and not all students may be comfortable seeking help.
UPI reports the results of a survey from Ohio State University, revealing a marked uptick in anxiety, depression, and burnout among around 1,000 undergraduates. And although more students began seeing a mental health counselor in the last year, unhealthy coping strategies — poor eating habits, alcohol use, and drug use — also increased.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Asian American students claiming that selective colleges discriminated against them in the application process speak to WGBH about the related lawsuit against Harvard University. The Asian American students suing Harvard believe that they were held to higher application standards because of their race. Although experts suggest that the Asian American population would not grow significantly if admission to top colleges was based solely on test scores, one student, Harrison Chen, says of himself and his Asian American peers, “People don’t care about what you have to say or what you’ve achieved. They just compare you to other people in this ethnic group.”
According to The Chronicle, student visa issuance is rolling out from American consulates at close to pre-pandemic rates, as international students prepare to return to in-person school this fall. While the emergence of the COVID-19 Delta variant could disrupt this progress in coming months, around 117,000 student visas were approved in May and June alone. Complications linger, however, as virus outbreaks have already stalled the process in certain countries, including India, and some students still struggle for access to a vaccine approved by their college.
Inside Higher Ed reveals that California Community Colleges will now require all students to take an ethnic studies course, which can include African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Latinx Studies, or Native American Studies. The policy arrives in the wake of a similar one instituted across all California state universities last year and is likely to unroll in the 2022 or 2023 fall term. As racial justice organizing expands throughout the country, some professors expect the push for ethnic studies to follow suit.
Diverse Education discusses a report from the Black Education Research Collective (BERC) at Columbia’s Teachers College, reviewing the impact of the last year on education for Black students. The toll of illness, racial violence, and job insecurity on the study’s participants left many concerned about safety and the vast majority worried about police and White violence — specifically, the raid of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The report concludes that schools are not prepared to handle the needs of Black students, advocating for increased funding of mentoring programs, professional development, and mental health services that handle racial trauma.
After a Texas Judge ruled the DACA program illegal, colleges in the state will need to address the resulting fallout for many students, says Higher Ed Dive. Although over 200,000 college students may be eligible for DACA — which protects children brought to the U.S. from being deported — the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stopped approving new applications, depriving those students of in-state tuition rates and possible scholarships. Experts say that colleges can support students by raising money for scholarships, providing legal services, offering culturally competent mental health counseling, and advocating for legislation that helps children in the U.S. obtain citizenship.
Lincoln University became the first HBCU with a law enforcement training academy this year, graduating its first class of nine students. Diverse Education reports that the creators of the academy hope to encourage diversity among an overwhelmingly White and male police force, but the program is also controversial given the disproportionate violence committed against Black Americans by police. One expert, Dr. Bryant Marks, believes that new opportunities in policing can “unlock a door” for students of color, but he remains cautious that “A lot of these police departments have issues — deep, institutional, cultural issues — that involve bias.”
A joint statement released this week on behalf of the U.S. Departments of State and Education announces an official push to strengthen the American system’s focus on international education. The Chronicle reports that some of the proposed efforts include advocating for the exchange of students between the U.S. and other countries, centering international education in the recovery from COVID-19, and promoting new ways for international students to work and study in the U.S. Still, these plans arrive as concerns linger that the Trump administration hindered international relations.
In an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Jeffrey Herbst, President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, urges colleges and universities to prepare for the potential explosion of anti-Semitism on campuses this fall. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents across the United States have doubled, following the May conflict between Israel and Hamas. Forty-one percent of Jews, Herbst points out, state concerns for their physical safety due to the violence in the Middle East. Herbst writes, “Many campus officials, especially in student affairs offices, are apt to consciously or subconsciously code Jewish students as “white” and therefore not vulnerable to the hate that is directed toward communities of color. It is, in fact, not true that Jewish students are all white. The recently released Pew study on American Jewry found that 15 percent of Jews under 30 years old identify as Hispanic, Black, Asian or multiracial.” Herbst advises college leaders to “speak out before an incident against anti-Semitism.”
Sexual Assault and Title IX
In a lawsuit against Liberty University, twelve women are accusing the school of creating a hostile environment that increases the likelihood of sexual assault. The lawsuit states that the school’s honor code makes it difficult for students to report sexual violence because it does not protect students from punishment for conduct violations, such as drinking alcohol. The lawsuit states that plaintiffs who experienced sexual assault and reported their assaults “were actually disciplined and fined in spite of their prompt report.” One student says her resident advisor told her she would be punished for drinking after she reported being sexually assaulted after a party. The twelve plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial to estimate damages.
Student Success
According to The Hechinger Report, some colleges are relaxing timelines for undergraduate students to decide on their majors. The approach has spurred debate as to whether colleges should be institutions where students are allowed to explore options until they discover their passion, or whether students should finish their degrees as quickly as possible in order to begin earning a living. The topic raises questions as to who has the luxury of exploring various majors and the difficulty students experience connecting vaguely-defined majors to post-grad careers. Belle Liang, a professor of counseling, developmental, and educational psychology at Boston College, says students do not have “high levels of meaningfulness in their work, which is a terrible outcome for students and their families that spend so much money and time on higher education.”
In an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Steve Stoute, the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff at DePaul University, argues for a student-centric transformation of higher education. Stoute says if colleges were to focus more on students as opposed to business models, the results would lead to significant benefits for institutions, such as “improved outcomes across all student populations, reduced student debt and default rates, higher perceived value, greater alumni engagement, and more financially stable institutions.”
College Affordability
The New York Times reports that fewer high school seniors applied for financial aid this year. More low-income students, many of which are Black or Hispanic, are opting to go directly into the workforce due to the pandemic labor shortage. Applications for federal financial aid decreased by 5% this year, and colleges are struggling to fill spots at their institutions. Ryan Fewins-Bliss, Executive Director of the Michigan College Access Network, says Michigan was one of the states that was hit hardest in college enrollment declines, seeing a decline of 9.2%. “These were enormous hits,” Fewins-Bliss said.
Diverse Education features results from a new survey “How America Pays for College,” conducted by student loan lender Sallie Mae, which found that the majority of undergraduates and their families (89%) say they believe college degrees are still worth the cost. However, some experts say the report does not include key constituent groups of students over the age of 24 and young adults who did not enroll in college, especially those who could not afford to attend.
Advocates and lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to continue the freeze on student loan repayments after October 1st, the projected end date pausing student loan repayment. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, two-thirds of survey respondents say it would be difficult for them to afford payments. Another survey from the Student Debt Crisis revealed that 90% of approximately 24,000 borrowers responded that they were unprepared to resume student loan payments in October. Sixty-four Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to President Biden that resuming payments on October 1 could lead to “long-term damage to borrowers’ credit and financial stability and could put a sudden and unnecessary drag on the recovering economy.”
Augustana College is piloting an income insurance program for 20 students who transfer to its college by August 23, making it the first of its kind to do so. Students are promised to earn, at minimum, the average income for their academic fields in the first 5 years post-graduation from Augustana College. If not, the insurance would provide the difference. Incomes will be generated based on actuarial information, and Degree Insurance would fund the remaining gap in salary earnings. The pilot program is influenced by growing concerns of students landing jobs post-graduation.
Coronavirus: Safety and Reopening
The Chronicle’s live Coronavirus updates report that the new guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention could change plans to return to college campuses this fall. Due to increasing infection rates for the Delta variant, colleges may alter loosened mask requirements since the spring. Public-health experts are advising colleges and universities to get fully vaccinated, especially considering that “the Delta variant is being contracted by younger unvaccinated people at a faster rate,” according to Eleanor Wilson, an associate professor for the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Experts are warning that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is more infectious since it takes a shorter amount of time to infect others in close proximity, unmasked and inside.
Higher Ed Dive reports on the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement of how colleges and universities can tap into federal emergency aid to improve ventilation in their buildings. Funds designated towards institutions from the American Rescue Plan, the latest major relief package allocating $40 billion of aid to colleges, can be used to inspect, test, and maintain ventilation systems. While a large proportion of relief funds must be given towards students in need, schools can utilize federal funding to buy filtration units, fans, equipment to host outdoor classes, carbon dioxide monitors, and fix doors and windows for fresh air to be let in.
Inside Higher Ed highlights a new program training college students in Connecticut to combat vaccine hesitancy and support vaccination outreach campaigns. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Public Health College Corps program is training 110 students across the state to help with canvassing and outreach. Students will complete virtual training with experts in biomedical sciences and social work and receive a stipend of $2,750 for being a part of the program. Training will include topics on vaccine information and knowledge, strategies in communication, persuasive storytelling, and more.
Inside Higher Ed reports that the Association of American Medical Colleges recommends medical schools and teaching hospitals mandate vaccines for employees. Chief Healthcare Officer, Janis M. Orlowski, said, “If teaching hospitals enact the recommendation, students studying a variety of health-care fields —not just medicine — would be required to be vaccinated to undertake their clinical placements.” The statement was influenced due to concerns relating to the slow progression of vaccinations and the failure to reach the Biden administration’s goal of 70% of adults having received one vaccination shot by the Fourth of July.
