Mental and Behavioral Health
A recent study found that college athletes have an equal or even higher risk of developing depressive symptoms than non-athletes, and that female track and field athletes have the highest risk of all.
Often dubbed “Drunkorexia”, ICB-WGA (Inappropriate Compensatory Behavior to avoid Weight Gain from consuming Alcohol) is a pattern of behavior that involves fasting or purging to compensate for the amount of calories consumed during binge drinking. Recent research suggests that ICB-WGA is associated with other types of disordered eating among college students.
Proposed legislation in California would use $40 million in tax revenue to improve the mental health services infrastructure within the California community college system. Currently, a number of the state’s community colleges have no mental health services whatsoever despite research that shows a higher risk for mental health issues among this student population.
In August, the University of Southern Maine will open the Collegiate Recovery Center, with the dual purpose of helping recovering students stay sober, while encouraging people in recovery to enroll in school.
Diversity and Inclusion on Campus
The LGBT SportSafe partnership, which aims to increase LGBT inclusion in athletics, will launch this fall at Northwestern University, the University of Oregon, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In a conversation with The Chronicle, North Carolina State Chancellor W. Randolph Woodson says he agrees with the U.S. Justice Department’s position that the North Carolina “bathroom bill” is discriminatory.
After the Supreme Court upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s affirmative action plan last week, The Atlantic examined race-conscious admissions from the perspective of Asian-Americans, many of whom believe the practice to be unfair and discriminatory.
A Washington Post op-ed argues that campus affirmative action programs promote a strong economy, saying “In today’s increasingly diverse society and globally-interconnected world, diversity and access to opportunity is just as much an economic imperative as it is a social one.”
The US Department of Education is easing federal financial aid application restrictions for homeless students making it easier for them to gain access to loans and grants.
Sexual Assault
A former Indiana University student charged with rape in two separate cases accepted a plea bargaining deal in which he was sentenced to a year of probation with no prison time. Those who perceive the outcome to be too lenient are comparing it to the recent sentencing of former Stanford student Brock Turner, who received six month in jail after being convicted of sexual assault.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating American University’s compliance with Title IX for the second time in less than two years. The investigation is in response to the school allegedly mishandling a student’s report of sexual assault.
Guns on Campus
Several states have passed campus carry laws, which allow those with concealed-handgun licenses to bring firearms into public college buildings. The rulings are forcing college safety departments to rethink policing on campus — with efforts ranging from educating students to hiring more officers and altering facilities.
