How to Build a Career You Love
A new episode of The Quadcast features a conversation between LearningWell Editor-in-Chief Marjorie Malpiede and Executive Writer for LearningWell Nichole Bernier on what Bernier learned while writing her recent article, “How to Build a Career You Love.” In the article, Bernier reports on how college students are applying life design thinking to reexamine traditional career paths through a personal, purpose-based lens. This new twist on career development is inspired by Stanford University’s Life Design Lab and the best-selling book based on it called Designing Your Life.
Mental & Behavioral Health
The New York Times reports that Harvard University has been experimenting with using TikTok influencers to disseminate more evidence-based information about mental health. The researchers, led by Amanda Yarnell, senior director of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication, have found that influencers can be a valuable tool for promoting mental health awareness and understanding. The influencers contacted for the study disseminated TikTok content on mental health topics like intergenerational trauma, mind-body connections, racism’s impact on mental health, and climate anxiety by way of digital toolkits arranged into five main themes. Dozens of influencers (42) received Harvard’s talking points, and the resulting content had 800,000 views in total. The distribution of written materials drove the absorption of these signals; participants who had close connections with Harvard faculty were not further affected. The influencers’ ability to establish a connection with those who were doing the digesting, however, had the most positive impact on the development of new relationships. This might enable Harvard to fulfill its promise of encouraging mental health awareness and understanding, Yarnell says.
Colleges such as the University of Denver and California State University, Fullerton are now augmenting their mental health resources with undergraduates, training students in peer counseling and coaching. The Jed Foundation commends this approach for giving students a sense of community, knowledge, and assistance, Inside Higher Ed reports. By providing students interested in the mental health sector with flexibility, support, and a strong foundation, paid peer-support jobs help to alleviate the scarcity of mental health providers.
An op-ed in The Hechinger Report argues that college campuses are often “breeding grounds for mental health struggles.” The article contends that colleges fall short in assisting students in overcoming challenges, such as financial hardship and racial discrimination, which jeopardize their ability to cultivate deep connections, a sense of community, and general wellness. Colleges should offer counseling services, support groups, outreach initiatives geared at different communities, and culturally sensitive mental health services, author Samuel Museus writes, adding that colleges must acknowledge their role in the creation of the current mental health crisis and take proactive measures to remedy it in order to uphold their social responsibility.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
When selecting colleges, students of all political affiliations are increasingly taking into account diversity, freedom of speech, and course materials that are influenced by the policies of their home states. According to The Hechinger Report, one in four potential students have already decided not to attend a certain institution or university due to the political climate of their state. Liberal students frequently disregard colleges and universities in states with abortion restrictions, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and bans on diversity education or “critical race theory,” while conservative students are more likely to avoid colleges in states with liberal abortion laws, DEI requirements, and pro-LGBTQ+ legislation. A first-of-its-kind College Welcome Guide, compiled by The Hechinger Report, outlines institutional regulations and state laws that impact college and university students.
A new report from NASPA reveals that 58% of students believe multicultural centers and identity groups can improve campus climates, but administrators are not investing in these projects, according to analysis from Inside Higher Ed.
Academic Freedom and Free Speech
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated tensions on U.S. college campuses, compelling college presidents to express their opinions on complex geopolitical developments, often to widespread backlash. Critics contend that college administrators have been silent, have spoken too soon, or have expressed implicit biases, Inside Higher Ed reports. College presidents find it challenging to handle this situation without upsetting benefactors and trustees, alienating student organizations, or igniting a reaction. The problem may cost universities millions of dollars in lost donations. College presidents are expected to make views on significant and contentious global events since they are seen as public intellectuals and moral leaders. However, several institutional leaders and high-ranking officials, such as Williams College President Maud Mandel, have called attention to the risks of speaking up and questioned whether university presidents have an obligation to issue public statements on global conflicts.
Students and community members at colleges and universities across the country participated in “Day of Resistance” protests coordinated by Students for Justice in Palestine, The Chronicle reports. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed throughout the emotional protests. Over 500 college presidents have received warnings from ten organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International, to protect Jewish students. They have been urged to implement additional security measures, offer mental and emotional support, and denounce language that glorifies violence.
As colleges and universities in the U.S. grapple with taking a stance on the Israel-Hamas war, donors are pulling their support from universities, Inside Higher Ed reports. The Wexner Foundation, a philanthropic organization, has ended its financial relationships with Harvard University and the Kennedy School of Government. Drexel University President John Fry has been criticized for what some consider an insufficient condemnation of Hamas attacks. The University of Pennsylvania’s President, Elizabeth Magill, has likewise been criticized for her perceived failure to outright condemn antisemitism, and tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on Columbia University to dismiss a professor whose essay appeared to support Hamas’s attacks on Israel. The full implications for university endowments remain to be seen as donors continue to react to university statements on the conflict.
The law firm Winston & Strawn rescinded a job offer to a New York University law student in light of “inflammatory comments” on Hamas’s attack on Israel, The New York Times reports. In a statement on the attack, Ryna Workman, president of the Student Bar Association, claimed that “state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary” and refused to condemn Hamas. The Student Bar Association is conducting a “vote of no confidence” survey and working to remove Workman from office as president. The group has also urged NYU to take greater steps to safeguard the safety and privacy of its students.
Cornell University administrators denounced an associate history professor’s comments that the recent Hamas attack on Israelis “exhilarated” him, Inside Higher Ed reports. Russell Rickford, who made the controversial remarks at a pro-Palestine rally last week, sparked criticism on Cornell’s campus and on social media. Online petitions demand Rickford be fired. In a joint statement with the Board of Trustees, Cornell President Martha Pollack condemned Rickford’s statement as “a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity.”
Student Success
International students account for a significant portion of college and university funding and contributed $32 billion to the U.S. economy in 2022, Inside Higher Ed reports. However, their graduation rates are not recorded at the federal level, and institutional investment is instead required to track international students’ outcomes. To promote academic success, institutions should challenge myths, build cultural competency, and foster individualization, the report contends. Experts advise universities to streamline services, offer orientation events, and provide resources for international students to optimize their college experiences.
College Affordability
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law to allow low-income Mexican residents living close to the Mexico-U.S. border to attend community colleges at in-state tuition rates, CBS News reports. The pilot program, scheduled to run until 2029, intends to increase access to education and equip residents for employment. By 2028, community college boards are required by law to provide lawmakers with a report that includes information on the attendance rate and demographics of students who qualified for in-state tuition rates under the program.
Campus Safety
A 17-year-old male has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder by Baltimore police in the shooting at Morgan State University that left five people injured and forced organizers to postpone or cancel homecoming activities. The teenager was taken into custody on Thursday, and police are still looking for a second suspect believed to have opened fire during the shooting, The Washington Post reports.
Edward Madec, a former basketball coach and physical education instructor at Fresno City College, was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot staff members and students during an August lecture, Inside Higher Ed reports. Madec was initially put on administrative leave and investigated after students reported his comments. He has since paid bail and been released from Fresno County Jail. The district police have described Madec as a potential danger to students and staff.
Substance Use
Three UNC-Chapel Hill students died from fentanyl poisoning in two years, prompting a student-led group to increase naloxone availability on campus. NPR‘s Liz Schlemmer spoke to members of UNC’s Carolina Harm Reduction Union about the role of naloxone in saving lives on campus.
Student Buzz
An article in Howard University’s student-run newspaper The Hilltop explores the mental health consequences of increased spending among college students. The Wall Street Journal reported in August that American college students’ median spending increased by 38% between 2002 and 2022, prompting concerns about long-term financial and emotional health. According to the WSJ article, credit card debt and supply chain disruptions have exacerbated this issue, leading to increased financial stress and mental health issues among college students.
In an opinion piece for The Harvard Crimson, a student argues that Harvard’s leave of absence policy for students with mental health conditions is a one-size-fits-all measure that fails to consider the variance of experiences for these students. The policy requires students to notify the College of their desire to return at least 12 weeks before the semester they want to return, and they must file an appeal to the Harvard College Administrative Board. However, the article contends that the policy does not consider the variance of experiences for students with mental health issues, and many students see a systemic lack of institutional support for mental health resources on campus.
