Mental and Behavioral
Last week, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Health Center started the Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program for students with eating disorders. The program will provide them with the type of care that, previously, would have required them to leave campus.
The University of Rhode Island is the first school in the state to provide Mental Health First Aid training for its students, faculty, and staff. The training teaches people to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders.
The Texas Education Agency will form a task force with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to address post-Hurricane Harvey trauma in the Houston area. The task force will connect Harvey-affected schools, universities and their communities with counselors, training, and funding opportunities as they continue to deal with the after-effects of the destructive storm.
The Iowa State Daily compiles a list of the mental health support services and clubs available on campus.
The final event of the University of Michigan’s Mental Health Awareness Week was a panel discussion featuring student leaders who shared their personal experience with mental illness. “The answers to my problems can’t be found on a Google search,” said panelist Marissa Stringer, speaking about her ADHD diagnosis.
In the Student Life, Washington University in St. Louis’s student paper, Tyler Sabloff writes about the frustration of not getting consistent appointments with a psychologist at Student Health Services. For Sabloff, the final straw was trying to make an appointment in December, only to learn that the soonest available time was in March. “SHS does not have the capacity to help students with serious and consistent mental health needs,” Sabloff concludes. “And that’s a big problem.”
Diversity and Inclusion
The University of Florida is bracing for a speech by the white nationalist Richard Spencer on campus this Thursday. The school had previously canceled a speech by Spencer in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville in August, claiming that it posed a threat to safety. However, Spencer’s supporters have filed lawsuits claiming the move violated their constitutional rights. In anticipation of his speech, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday, warning that a “threat of a potential emergency is imminent” in the county where the university is located. The University has expanded mental health counseling, and offered to excuse students and employees who don’t want to go to class on Thursday.
Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, two public schools just hours apart, announced two different responses on Friday to Richard Spencer’s requests to speak on their campuses. The University of Cincinnati decided to let Spencer rent a space and speak at the public institution, while Ohio State University determined the proposed speaking event couldn’t be held safely.
NFL football players aren’t the only athletes protesting racism in dramatic ways. Last weekend, a group of University of Michigan football players stood with arms linked while “The Star-Spangled Banner” played before their game. Cheerleaders at Howard University began kneeling during the national anthem last fall and have continued to this year.
According to a coalition of government-ethics watchdogs and civil-rights lawyers, the Justice Department is looking into whether Harvard University discriminates against certain applicants based on their race. The group received a letter last Wednesday from the DOJ in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that it argues confirms the investigation.
A new survey calls into question the way that universities are defining microaggressions, which informs much of their cultural competence and diversity training. The Cato/YouGov survey on free speech and tolerance included questions about the offensiveness of many expressions and sentiments.
In an op-ed in the New York Times, Najay Greenidge, a University of Pennsylvania student, argued that the generational gap in social media acumen is a source of misunderstanding and miscommunication between students and administrators, as messages of hate and racism are spread online. As a result, she says, administrators often don’t know how to help or respond.
Elgin Community College held a panel discussion for undocumented students to talk about their experience as a DACA recipient. “One of my concerns is not going back into the shadows,” said Anna Rojas, 20, a full-time student studying business. “I found my voice thanks to ECC.”
Sexual Assault and Title IX
Boston University is investigating claims by graduates from the earth and environment department that chair David Marchant sexually harassed them during research trips to Antarctica. The first allegations came out last year, nearly 20 years since the alleged assault occurred.
Substance Abuse and Greek Life
Arrest warrants for hazing have been issued for eight Louisiana State University students who are members of Phi Delta Theta. The charges are related to the death of Maxwell Gruve, a freshman pledge who died after participating in a fraternity drinking game where he consumed alcohol “in excess.”
In an opinion for the Daily Mississippian, Francisco Hernandez writes that the monopoly fraternities have on alcohol is the elephant in the room when the school tries to enforce substance use policies. At Ole Miss, the campus is technically alcohol free, but reports indicate this has not been applied to fraternities. “Since fraternities hold a tight grip on the supply of alcohol, freshmen and sophomores who can’t legally consume it see Greek institutions as the most desirable way to access drinking and its perceived social benefits,” Hernandez writes. “In college, booze can equal power, and fraternities have too much of both.”
The Atlantic examines the power that Greek organizations wield in battles with college administrations. Administrators who attempt to restrict their behavior face influential, well-financed, and politically connected opposition.
John Hechinger, senior editor at Bloomberg News and author of “True Gentleman: The Broken Pledge of America’s Fraternities,” appeared on WBUR’s Radio Boston to talk about the problems with drinking, hazing, and sexual assault in Greek Life culture.
The Chicago Tribune covers collegiate recovery programs, an increasingly popular option for schools to help students struggling with addiction stay sober and remain on campus. Read our Mary Christie Quarterly profile on The Haven at College, a collegiate recovery program that is expanding across the US.
Wellness
The Durango Herald, in Colorado, covers the University of Vermont’s Wellness Environment, called the WE program, which has attracted national attention for its substance-free residences and promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Free Speech
The University of Chicago hosted presidents and provosts from a range of colleges and universities at a closed-door discussion on how higher education should respond to threats to free expression on campuses across the country. Daniel Diermeier, University of Chicago Provost, said the presidents were in strong agreement with the principles of free speech, “irrespective of the ideological perspective of the speakers.”
Guns on Campus
University of Wisconsin students and government leaders held a press conference about gun safety after the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill which would allow for permitless concealed carry.
