Mental and Behavioral Health
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine detailed elements of his running mate Hillary Clinton’s college mental health plan on a call with student leaders. The plan emphasizes increasing the capacity of campus mental health centers and educating community leaders.
The College of Charleston suspended alcohol-related social activities for its greek system. In a letter this week, the College’s President Glenn McConnell wrote, “This is not a knee-jerk reaction to an isolated incident, but rather a serious response to a series of dangerous behaviors connected to some members of our fraternities and sororities”.
This week, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and The Jed Foundation jointly released a guidebook for college students and parents on mental illness. The guide provides information on the warning signs for mental illness, resources available to students, as well as information on privacy laws and how students can keep their parents informed about their mental wellbeing.
University of Chicago Dean of Students John Ellison had a rather blunt message for the class of 2020. In a letter to new new students, Ellison wrote “Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own,” The letter stirred controversy and drew criticism, with some saying it showed an indifference to concerns that many students now bring to campus.
Diversity and inclusion
To better support the learning path of its black male students, University of Connecticut created a new residential “living-learning community” called the Scholastic House of Leaders Who Are African-American Researchers and Scholars. Aimed at creating community, and reducing stress as well as attrition for black men on campus, the Scholars House has drawn criticism from some who see the move as further segregating black students.
The University of Vermont canceled a women’s basketball game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, due to concerns about the state’s controversial “bathroom bill” HB2. Marist College recently faced criticism for its decision to play a men’s basketball game against another North Carolina school – Duke University. Marist had replaced the University of Albany, which had also pulled out in response to HB2.
Southern states have been disproportionately cutting spending on public higher education, forcing tuition increases. Many education leaders and social justice advocates believe making college less affordable is contributing to falling enrollment in a region already struggling with some of the nation’s highest poverty rates and lowest percentages of residents with college educations.
This week, in an effort to “respond to its historical ties to the institution of slavery”, Georgetown University announced that it will embark on a series of steps that include awarding preferential status in the admissions process to descendants of slaves whose labor benefited the institution. Georgetown President John J. DeGioia will offer a formal apology, create an institute for the study of slavery, and erect a public memorial to the slaves associated with the institution. The move, considered an unprecedented act of atonement by a university, drew some questions and criticism.
Project Rebound, a program at San Francisco State University that has been helping former prisoners earn college degrees for almost 50 years, is now sharing its knowledge with other schools within the California system.
Sexual Health
Public colleges and universities in Arkansas are now required to educate students on how not to get pregnant by including sex ed in orientation and other standard curricula. The requirement is an attempt to address Arkansas’s unplanned pregnancy rate which is the highest in the U.S. Of note: Arkansas teaches abstinence-only in its public middle and high schools.
Addiction and Recovery
University of Texas Austin will now offer sober dorms for students in recovery. The Healthy Lifestyles Living Learning Community will provide extracurricular activities conducive to their recovery or overall wellness. Of the community, one UT student in recovery said, “Any resource that is available whatsoever is extremely important because chemically and physically speaking, the way that my brain operates as an alcoholic and addict is, the odds are stacked against me to achieve sobriety.”
Title IX and Sexual Assault
A Texas federal court challenged the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation that Title IX includes gender identity in its protections against discrimination based upon sex. The move has raised concerns among and for transgender students.
Guns on Campus
At the University of Texas, students have been protesting a law that allows concealed guns on state college campuses by carrying something they consider just as ridiculous, brightly colored sex toys. One of the protest organizers told The New York Times, “These laws won’t protect anyone. The campus doesn’t want them. It’s absurd. So, I thought, we have to fight absurdity with absurdity.”
