New Q&A: Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett on “Emerging Adulthood”
In a new Q&A, renowned psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett describes coining the phrase “emerging adulthood” in a paper published in American Psychologist, which challenged and helped change society’s perception of today’s young adults in their late teens to early twenties. Arnett discusses encouraging young people to take the time to find themselves, appreciating their relationships with their parents and attending to their wellbeing.
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar at the Department of Psychology at Clark University and the Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
This week, Inside Higher Ed interviewed college students on returning to campus where they describe mixed feelings of anxiety, hope and excitement being together again. Erica Riba, director of higher education and student engagement at the Jed Foundation, says the nervousness is normal and expected due to the “collective trauma” brought on by COVID, “specifically on student mental health.” “COVID happened to be very isolating, and it really altered the routines of young adults and got in the way of students being able to flourish,” says Riba.
Diverse Education features a new study revealing that racial discrimination affects mental health and alcohol use in Black students. Conducted by Arizona State University and Virginia Commonwealth University, the results show that Black American college students have a higher likelihood to experience greater negative social and health effects from drinking as opposed to white peers. Dr. Jinni Su, assistant professor of psychology at ASU and author of the research paper, says, “Black American college students drink less than their peers but are more likely to have problems from drinking.”
Other News
The National Society of High School Scholars conducted a recent poll surveying 290 incoming college students; nearly half (44%) said they expect to face mental health issues this fall.
Utica College Executive Director of Health and Wellness T.J. Lane shares warning signs of mental health issues in college students.
Long Island Press covers how Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are helping destigmatize mental health struggles for college student athletes. Meredith Whitley, PhD, associate professor at Adelphi University, describes the unique stressors student athletes experience when transitioning to college level sports.
In an interview for Forbes, higher education policy contributor Allison Griffin speaks with Darryl McDaniels, the founder of Run-DMC, on bringing attention to college student mental health through hip-hop.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Chronicle reports on students at the Asian University for Women in Afghanistan hoping to flee the country, given the current state of seizure from the Taliban. Kamal Ahmad, the founder of the University, is working with American colleges, hoping some may admit the students. Meanwhile, the United States has been unable to fly students at the American University of Afghanistan out of the country.
The Chronicle summarizes federal enrollment data, showing diversity trends at American institutions after race and ethnicity data from the 2020 Census were released last month. The state of Maryland had the greatest increase in diversity with a significant decline in white students at 18 colleges. Liberal arts colleges also led the highest percentage point increases among Black students.
Inside Higher Ed features a new initiative from Complete College America aiming to boost college completion rates for adult learners at predominantly and historically Black community colleges. The project will examine 25 to 30 institutions to assess how they serve adult learners of color and develop better pathways to support students and increase their earnings.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
Alexandra Brodsky, JD, co-founder of Know Your IX, discusses how to have constructive conversations about campus sexual assault. Brodsky expands on what she has learned from speaking to accused men and perpetrators of sexual violence, why these issues cannot be handled soley by the police, and what she hopes the Biden administration will do in its process of revising Title IX regulations after Betsy Devos’s term.
Higher Ed Dive reports on 20 states suing the Education Department over Title IX interpretations of Biden’s executive order that opines that gay and transgender people are protected under federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools.
Student Success
In GBH News, higher education reporter Kirk Carapezza interviews working students who find online college learning from the pandemic to be an advantage. The digital shift has provided community college students flexibility for other life responsibilities and access to benefits such as virtual office hours that students may not have had the time or transportation to receive before.
In an opinion piece for The Hechinger Report, Sonia Cardenas, acting dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs and professor at Trinity College, says liberal arts colleges must be partners in workforce development. Cardenas questions why liberal arts is invisible in the technical requirements listed in job ads, arguing that “training people only to meet short-term labor demand is short-sighted and doesn’t anticipate the needs of the future.”
Diverse Education reports on a study revealing transportation assistance can lead to success for community college students. Conducted by The Hope Center for Community College and Justice and DVP Praxis, the findings show that students with access to discounted or free transit had better rates of student retention, credit earning, and college completion.
College Affordability
Inside Higher Ed reports on the pandemic’s increasing demand for tuition insurance. Uncertainty caused by continuing pandemic and the Delta variant has led families to purchase tuition insurance for financial reimbursement in the case of an unforeseen circumstance. John Fees, CEO of tuition insurance company GradGuard, says the increase in his business has been driven by several factors such as a greater focus on student health and a growing mental health crisis.
The Hechinger Report analyzes the misleading effects of college tuition freezes and how the actual costs of college can instead increase for lower-income students who rely on financial aid. A higher education Tuition Tracker shows that halting tuition only offers limited relief for low-income families and provides the biggest benefits to affluent families who pay full tuition.
Coronavirus: Safety and Reopening
Inside Higher Ed reports on the various strategies and approaches colleges are taking for online learning this fall. With increasing Coronavirus cases, some institutions are opting to offer 50% of their classes online. As a result, some universities are changing plans to try to accommodate student and faculty requests to switch to virtual classes. Other universities have already reported COVID-19 outbreaks, forcing classes to shift online.
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, college campuses from the Northeast to the Gulf Coast were forced to close due to flooding, damage, and power outages. Damage from the storm has led to weeks of disruption and highlights the growing need for college leaders to prepare for emergency planning and flexibility.
Inside Higher Ed reports that over 260 students and professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have signed a letter to the administration for stricter policies regarding COVID safety. Since August, 466 students and 74 employees at the university have tested positive for COVID.
Over 400 students at Amherst College have signed a letter protesting the college’s COVID safety policies. Debate ensued whether the rules in place were justified or overtly excessive after the college’s president, Biddy Martin, sent a campus-wide message on August 24 stating changes to safety measures. New policies include: a temporary suspension of in-person dining at the dining hall, a new outdoor mask mandate in addition to the indoor mask mandate, and limitations of students’ off-campus travel.
