Next Wednesday: Webinar Presenting Key Survey Findings on Peer Support in College Mental Health
This 90-minute webinar presents the findings of a recent national survey examining college and university students’ interest and satisfaction with peer counseling, motivations to provide support, and experiences with training that can guide policy decisions and inform program development.
In a partnership between Born This Way Foundation and the Mary Christie Institute, this live web event will include a presentation of key findings and implications, followed by a panel discussion providing expert commentary and placing this new data in the context of college life. Register here for the virtual event next Wednesday, January 26th at 1:00pm (EST).
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new survey finding that students are more stressed now than they were last January. In a survey of 1,700 college students, 88%, or nearly 9 in 10 students, agreed that a mental health crisis prevalently exists at colleges and universities. Over half of respondents said they have more stress and anxiety than they did last January, and 70% of respondents said they are experiencing emotional distress or anxiety from the COVID-19 pandemic and/or due to the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants. “With the Omicron variant, the uncertainty and isolation that we saw at the beginning of the pandemic really is back,” said Barb Solish, director of youth and young adult initiatives at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The Chronicle’s advice column features an editorial on how faculty can work towards giving students the grace we all need. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professors, Nicole Else-Quest, Viji Sathy, and Kelly A. Hogan, outline six ways faculty members and administrators can better support students without exhausting themselves in the effort. “None of us has lived through a global pandemic before. Our first- and second-year undergraduates have yet to experience a ‘normal’ semester of college. … But as faculty members, we have an opportunity to help: We can give grace and support to our students and ourselves through this uniquely taxing time,” they write.
Other News
GBH reports that two more students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have died, bringing the total to six deaths since July. WPI students have raised concerns about their mental health and the school’s stressful academic culture.
The Boston Globe reports that community colleges are focusing on creating a culture of belonging for community college students to prevent enrollment declines and dropouts.
Students at the University of Minnesota are turning to animals for comfort and their mental health. For four days a week, students have access to a program called Pet Away Worry and Stress, or PAWS, that allows students to interact with animals such as rabbits, dogs, chickens and miniature horses.
A new report from the University of Vermont and the University of Maine found that skipping medications, weight gain, depression, anxiety, substance use, and food insecurity increased during the COVID era.
MedicalNewsToday reports on the impact of social media on mental health, which remains unclear with countering research on its benefits and negatives for younger people.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Inside Higher Ed reports that community colleges are scrambling to keep and retain their students as the Omicron variant spreads. Community college leaders are looking for strategies to safely keep and retain their students, many of which are low-income, first-generation college students, students of color, and working adults with children and other family responsibilities. Community college students may be more likely to face “job insecurity and issues with family members at home being sick or having a major effect from COVID,” said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the American College Health Association’s COVID-19 task force.
Last Wednesday, students and professors at Youngstown State University rallied to preserve the campus’s Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies. While the university’s endowed Holocaust studies center will remain open, the center’s faculty director, Jacob Ari Labendz, will be laid off due to budget cuts. “White nationalism and anti-Semitism remain a threat to minorities and to take away a resource like the CJHS, as well as Dr. Labendz’s expertise in the subject matter, is a direct threat to the safety of vulnerable populations in Youngstown,” stated the petition to administrators.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
Inside Higher Ed reports that the federal appeals court has ruled that Title IX liability can extend to non-student guests. According to the ruling, Millersville University in Pennsylvania was notified of its liability “for its deliberate indifference to known sexual harassment perpetrated by a non-student guest.” The ruling coincides with a lawsuit from the parents of Karlie Hall, a student who was killed in her dorm room in 2015 by her boyfriend at the time who did not attend the school. “If you’re going to a school and the school has knowledge that you’re facing harassment or dating violence or other sex-based violence and they have the ability to do something about that, they have to do something about it,” said representing attorney, Jim Davy.
Student Success
Student Success
Higher Ed Dive reports that 1 million fewer undergraduates were enrolled in the fall of 2021 than prior to the pandemic. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that undergraduate enrollment has declined by 6.6% this fall, compared to two years ago. The number surmounts to 465,300 students. For-profit colleges witnessed the sharpest declines in enrollment by 11.1%.
The Chronicle includes an article on how colleges can reach the lost freshman of 2020.
An op-ed for the Hechinger Report argues that “students need more than a bachelor’s degree to thrive in today’s labor market competition.” Deputy provost for Graduate Education at Lehigh University, Oliver Yao, writes about how master’s degrees can provide students with an advantage when it comes to fast-moving technology. “College students should consider pursuing a graduate degree as a defensive strategy against technology displacement,” Yao argues.
Diverse Education reports on guidelines to help institutions support students with unfinished degrees and standing credits. Released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, the playbook recommends that institutions use strategies, such as reverse transfer and adult reengagement. Reverse transfer would allow students transfer credits from a two-year institution to four-year institutions and focuses on supporting and reaching out to students that were close to completion to re-enroll.
College Affordability
Inside Higher Ed and Higher Ed Dive report that high school juniors who do not believe they can afford higher education are 20% less likely to attend college in 3 years upon graduating, compared to those who do not see affordability as a barrier. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics presented findings, showing that students were more likely to enroll in college if they believe their family can afford to send them. The analysis also examined parental education history and college enrollment numbers in relation to students’ perceptions of college affordability.
Inside Higher Ed reports that state financial aid grew, amounting to about $14.8 billion in aid during the 2019-20 academic year. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, the majority, about two-thirds, of all undergraduate need-based aid was awarded to mostly eight states. The state of California provided $2.4 billion in financial aid to students, more than any other state. The other states include Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Covid-19: Safety and Reopening
Despite the Omicron variant, colleges and universities report pushing through the Covid surges. The New York Times reports on some colleges loosening rules “for a virus that won’t go away.” Some institutions, such as the University of Wyoming, are enforcing fewer restrictions for the spring semester, as they transition from “containment” to “management.” The Washington Post and Inside Higher Ed report that as the “Omicron semester” starts, whether online or in-person, colleges are tense and universities are aiming to push through the semester, despite a wave of infections, receiving pushback and criticism from others.
As many institutions pushed back their in-person start dates amidst the Omicron variant spread, The Chronicle reports that some faculty are asking for more flexibility in their classrooms to teach virtually. Citing safety concerns and fear for those with young children or personal health complications, instructors are asking administrators to provide accommodations for them to teach remotely. Some students are also rallying for safer conditions in support of faculty. However, some faculty members still fear retaliation from their supervisors.
The Chronicle examines what the “new normal” could look like on college campuses. University health experts acknowledge the challenges that have risen from attempting to contain the virus, with some colleges reporting that their prevention efforts are breaking down. Stanford University, for instance, ran out of isolation spaces, and some schools are scaling back on their testing, contact tracing, and isolation measures, despite the reality of the continuing and historically high infection rates throughout the country. Experts look towards the virus’s endemic stages, however, say they expect high surges to continue for the next three weeks.
