Carson Domey talks about the advocacy work he’s been pursuing since before he was a teenager; including his recent work with the Massachusetts legislature on promoting information and reducing stigma for teen mental health. Passionate and outspoken about ending the stigma around mental health, Carson Domey will be a recurring guest host on the Quadcast.
Main Stories
The Hechinger Report features an article on how educators, parents and students can navigate the uncertainty of returning to school amidst the resurgence of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. Phyllis Fagell, a K-12 school counselor in Washington D.C., advises parents and educators to show extra kindness, support and compassion regardless of whether students return to remote learning or in-person. With more universities announcing delays to in-person learning, concern for college student mental health grows. As students enter their third year into the pandemic, the columnist emphasizes embracing “the powerful lessons we’ve learned so far” in the past two years.
In an opinion piece for EdSurge, Tondra L. Moore, the lead public health official at Prairie View A&M University, writes about college healthcare professionals experiencing burnout. “It has become more important than ever to stop and frequently communicate to my team of healthcare professionals my appreciation for their tireless efforts,” writes Moore. The uncertainty of the pandemic has led public health officials, such as herself, to “prepare expanded public health services for a long-term period without additional personnel or financial resources.” “The pandemic has demonstrated that student experiences and student services—and the people who provide them—must be fully acknowledged as vital components in the success of any institution of higher learning,” states Moore.
Other News
In an opinion letter for The New York Times, Gretchen Cappio, a parent of a college sophomore, argues that “universities must prioritize students’ mental health when addressing Covid-19 on their campuses.” Cappio’s child is a student at Dartmouth, where three students died by suicide last year.
Seattle Times interviews Meghann Gerber, a clinical psychologist who offers tips on how to support college students’ mental health after Washington colleges announce returning to remote learning due to the Omicron variant.
Kelsey Richards, a high school senior in Texas, is aiming to improve mental healthcare in prisons. “They go to solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is actually really bad for them and can worsen [their mental health],” said Richards.
Inside Higher Ed reports on new findings that shows how identity shapes science. The report, titled “Intersectional inequalities in science,” analyzed 5.4 million articles from the Web of Science database between 2008 and 2019, examining the representation of race and gender. The study’s authors found that research by Black, Latinx and Asian scientists is usually congregated in certain fields and underrepresented based on citation count. The study notes, “The compound effect of different citation rates of topics and unequal distribution on topics by race and gender leads to negative effects for marginalized groups and for science itself, as some topics become systematically less studied … The diversification of the scientific workforce is necessary to create a scientific system whose results benefit all of society.”
Diverse Education reports on the pandemic’s unequal toll on faculty of color. Dr. Leslie D. Gonzales, an associate professor at Michigan State University, notes that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color, bringing inequalities such as accessible healthcare and employment to the forefront. Women and faculty of color in higher education are reporting exhaustion with valid reason. Gonzales says faculty of color are more likely to know family or friends who have passed away from the coronavirus, and students of color tend to turn more readily to faculty of color for support.
Inside Higher Ed covers lagging remedial education reforms at California community colleges, despite a state law focused on cutting back these courses. Higher education advocates and frustrated students say remedial education prevents students from completing their degrees and often leaves students financially strained from having to pay more tuition for non credit coursework. Students of color are often disproportionately impacted, when shuttled into unnecessary remedial courses. Assembly Bill 705 prohibits community colleges in California from requiring students to take remedial English or math classes without first examining their high school GPA and coursework, yet many have not fully complied.
Higher Ed Dive briefs an overview of strategies colleges can use to convince admitted students to enroll. A new report from EAB outlines targeted recruitment efforts for college admissions offices. Methods include personalizing their approach to students, counselor outreach, virtual campus tours, and school-owned social media platforms. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate student enrollment declined by 3.5%.
The Washington Post reports on activists and lawmakers pressing President Biden to cancel student debt and fulfill one of his campaign promises. Last week, the Biden administration extended the pause on student loan repayments, invigorating the push for student loan forgiveness. Advocates have called on Biden to cancel the $10,000 in student loans, as promised in his election campaign to recover the economy. Activists are demanding that the Biden administration broaden loan forgiveness and reduce the burden of student debt, especially for Black student loan borrowers who owe a disproportionate amount of debt.
Inside Higher Ed reports that a pilot program in Ohio will allow students to settle their debt and release their transcripts. Students with stranded credits and unpaid bills have long struggled with accessing their transcripts, unable to transfer to another school or continue their studies. Higher education consulting firm, Ithaka S+R, will allow students at one of eight Ohio institutions to re-enroll at another school in the consortium and have transcripts released, despite stranded credits. According to Ithaka S+R’s research, 95% of institutions withhold transcripts from student balances and 6.6 million students have stranded credits, totaling an estimated $15.4 billion to their former institutions.
The Wall Street Journal publishes a series of data visuals on how student debt keeps increasing despite borrowers continuing to make payments. Many graduate students often enter repayment plans with tied monthly payments to their salaries. However, the growing interest rates cause borrowers’ overall debt to grow. The Wall Street Journal exhibits these costs through a series of simulations.
The Chronicle reports on how the growing list of job demands required for college presidents is changing how leaders are hired. The last few years have brought on a number of challenges stemming from the pandemic, political climates, enrollment declines and the public’s changing perceptions on the value of college. Boards have altered their search criteria and are looking for more strategic leaders to navigate the growing political and financial pressures. Candidates are also becoming more selective with the colleges they want to work at, asking to review the institution’s finances and expectations.
Inside Higher Ed reports on colleges facing the question of how to start their semesters in January with the Omicron variant’s arrival. The Omicron variant has now become the dominant strain of the virus, SARS-CoV-2. Many institutions are shifting their academic calendars – some starting their semesters online and others continuing with their original plans. The article lists various colleges’ announcements and plans to return to campus. Peter McDonough, vice president and general counsel of the American Council on Education, says more higher education leaders are thinking about “how we live in the COVID era,” as opposed to viewing this time as something that will pass.
The Chronicle’s Live Coronavirus Updates report on some universities now requiring more protective face coverings in place of cloth masks. On Monday, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans announced that a KN95 or N95 mask would be required for its campus, due to the Omicron variant. Julio Figueroa, chief of infectious diseases at Louisiana State’s School of Medicine, said, “With Omicron it appears that the contagion plus the aerosol aspect is very similar to measles and therefore requires this higher-level mask.” Figueroa added that cloth and surgical masks were less effective in mitigating the spread of the Omicron variant.
Inside Higher Ed reports on scholarly associations moving forward with in-person conferences and annual gatherings with extra safety precautions and other options for participation. Over the holiday break, a number of academic associations consulted on whether to proceed with their scheduled events in early 2022, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. The Modern Language Association and the American Historical Association are still planning to meet this week. The Association of American Colleges and Universities will meet in person in later January, as will the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in early February.