Quadcast: A Collaborative Approach to Student Wellness, UT System’s Dr. Archie Holmes and Dr. Chris Brownson Explain
This week on the Quadcast, MCI Executive Director Marjorie Malpiede explores the collaborative work of Dr. Archie Holmes and Dr. Chris Brownson, kindred spirits from different posts within the University of Texas System who came together in the interest of student wellness. Dr. Holmes is Executive Vice Chancellor of the UT system, while Dr. Brownson is Director of the Counseling and Mental Health Center at UT Austin. With their respective backgrounds promoting academic achievement and mental health—as well as a recent $16.5 million grant from the UT System to support student wellbeing and safety services—the two are paving a holistic, mutually reinforcing path toward student success.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
The Steve Fund has released a “Back to School” toolkit for educators with timely advice on how to start the school year off supporting the mental health of students of color. Tips include taking time to talk with students about the challenges and opportunities they may face, creating spaces for them to create confidence, avoiding making assumptions about the identities of students and having a plan for when microaggressions occur in the classroom. The Steve Fund is the nation’s leading organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color. Please download their entire back to school toolkit here and take a look at campus recommendations.
The Chronicle reports on Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy urging college administrators to increase support around mental health as more students consider dropping out. At a fireside chat hosted by the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, D.C., general Murthy advocated for a further need to collect more data and establish more mental health programming for stressed out college students. “We have this really powerful and unique window of opportunity right now to talk to the country about mental health, and to actually take action on mental health, in a way that we haven’t had in the last few decades,” stated Murthy. According to the ACE, mental health has been and remains a top concern for college presidents over the past 18 months.
Other News
An op-ed for The Hechinger Report argues that colleges must help students develop skills and habits to cope in difficult times. “We should start by reframing the topic from a ‘problem with our students’ to a ‘problem with the historical moment in which our students live.’ There is a lot to be anxious about today,” writes Adam Weinberg, president of Denison University.
The Daily Campus, the student newspaper for University of Connecticut, features an article for college students on managing mental health on campus. The article lists reaching out to mental health services on campus, getting active, spending time outside, and joining clubs and organizations.
An op-ed for Inside Higher Ed says community colleges should be made to be more joyful. “Rather than offering a first introduction to college as an inspiring, challenging experience, they are instead introduced to college as akin to a job, something that they must ‘do’—clock in, complete tasks, but little more than that,” writes Robin Isserles, a professor of sociology and author of The Costs of Completion: Student Success in Community College.
The GW Hatchet, student newspaper for George Washington University, reports on a new student group that focuses on improving relationships and navigating friendships.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new initiative aimed at diversifying California’s physician workforce. The California Medicine Scholars program’s long term goals are to increase diversity, address health disparities among low-income minority groups, and tackle physician shortages in the state by helping students from California community colleges enter medical schools. According to the California Health Care Foundation, only 6% of doctors in California were Latinx, yet 39% of the state’s population are identified as such.
Inside Higher Ed reports that while LGBTQ+ inclusion has increased in Greek Life, exclusion may still exist. The University of Alabama fraternity and sorority recruitment, known as “Bama Rush,” has been booming on TikTok. Nonbinary student and TikTok star Grant Sikes announced being cut from sorority membership, sparking conversations about LGBTQ+ acceptance in Greek life culture.
Student Success
Inside Higher Ed reviews the results of its recent Student Voice survey, gauging student opinion of the various non-academic offices—the library, the registrar, financial aid, etc.—at their colleges. The survey results also point to eight steps these offices can take to increase student satisfaction, from expediting communication to setting practical expectations.
In what it imagines could become a national trend, The Wall Street Journal finds that school districts in New York, Texas, and California are making remote schooling permanent to accommodate students who need it. While a minority of students are choosing to study remotely (6% according to one survey), the online option may serve those who are moving, dealing with social anxiety, or living with immunocompromised family members.
Higher Ed Dive explores the “mixed reactions” to the American Bar Association’s proposal to do away with the standardized testing requirement (i.e., for the Law School Admission test, or LSAT) of the law school application process. Those who want to move away from LSAT requirements often think doing so would help increase diversity in the profession, while those in favor of the test say it’s the “best measure of academic talent.”
For colleges across the country contending with an ongoing enrollment crisis, The Hechinger Report suggests the University of Maine can serve as an example. Despite Maine’s declining number of high school graduates, UMaine has increased enrollment in recent years in part by decreasing tuition costs and expanding recruiting tactics.
Basic Needs
The Chronicle covers the housing shortage plaguing the University of California at Berkeley, where some students have ended up “couch surfing” in the absence of dorm space or affordable alternatives. As the UC System plans to grow even more, Berkeley, like colleges nationwide, is scrambling to expand its campus but coming up against its surrounding community in the process.
College Affordability
Last Wednesday, President Biden announced his plan to cancel $10,000 in student debt for those making less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 for Pell grant recipients. According to The New York Times, the decision came after months of deliberation over whether to launch some form of debt forgiveness and the best way to do so. As over 40 million Americans can expect some relief from their debts, Biden has also decided to extend the Covid-induced pause on student loan payments until 2023.
In addition to The Times, The Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed highlight the divisive response that Biden’s decision has drawn from politicians and the general population. While some have praised the debt cancellation for freeing millions of Americans from undue financial burdens, others say the decision is unfair to those who already paid off their debts and fails to address the continually excessive cost of higher education. To answer basic questions about Biden’s new plan, The Washington Post breaks down who qualifies for debt cancellation, as well as how to go about seeing debts forgiven.
Higher Ed Dive further evaluates the long term impact of Biden’s loan forgiveness plan, citing the Penn Wharton Budget Model which suggests costs could amount to between $300 and $980 billion over ten years. Also taking into account the extended pause on student loan payments and “income-driven repayment changes,” the total could reach up to $1 trillion.
Physical Health
Inside Higher Ed covers the tensions emerging as colleges and their faculties disagree on Covid-19 safety regulations, particularly when it comes to mask mandates. Many professors have expressed anxiety about the latest protocol that does not require masks in the classroom. While some have negotiated accommodations for those who need them, others continue to worry about possible risks to their health.
For Psychology Today, Marcia Morris M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of Florida, writes about the importance of getting enough sleep for college students, who tend to sleep less than most. Given the impact of sleep on mental and physical health, as well as academic performance, Dr. Morris offers a number of ways parents can help their college students detect and confront barriers to a good night’s sleep.
