New Quadcast Episode: A Bird’s-Eye View: Dr. Jessi Gold’s Perspective on Whole-Campus Wellbeing
Dr. Jessi Gold, assistant professor and the director of Wellness, Engagement, and Outreach in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, joins the Quadcast to discuss campus-wide mental wellbeing. As a clinician who sees students, faculty, and administrators, her unique position helps give insight into the mental wellbeing of all campus stakeholders and how the different populations interact with one another. Listen now!
Mental and Behavioral Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is introducing a wellness coaching program for residential undergraduate students, Inside Higher Ed reports. Graduate students in the School of Social Work serve as well-being coaches in undergraduate residence halls, offering virtual and in-person meetings to help students improve their wellness. The program was launched in January to address the need for additional mental health services after multiple students died by suicide or attempted suicide during the fall 2021 semester.
The City University of New York System has launched CUNY CARES, or Comprehensive Access to Resources for Essential Services, a three-year pilot program aimed at facilitating students’ access to health care, mental health resources, food, and housing, according to Inside Higher Ed. The program, implemented at three Bronx campuses, aims to assess student success and wellbeing after the three-year period and implement the most effective components across the system’s 25 campuses.
Tech company EdSights has used data from chatbot text messages to analyze factors affecting student persistence, Inside Higher Ed reports. The company collected data from 150,000 students across 89 institutions during the 2022-23 academic year, analyzing around one million text messages between August 2022 and August 2023. Participating institutions send weekly text check-ins to students using AI chatbots. To measure student persistence, EdSights asks students how they’re feeling on a three-point scale. If a student needs additional help or support, the chatbot refers the student to relevant information or offices. Takeaways from the data highlight the importance of starting wellness check-ins and interventions early in the semester; fostering interpersonal connections; making curricula relevant to students’ interests; ensuring access to basic needs; and investing in student wellness. These insights can help higher education practitioners and leaders better support students and improve their academic success.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Colleges and universities are changing how applicants’ race and ethnic profile is considered in application files in response to a court ruling that struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Washington Post reports. While race and ethnicity, as reported in demographic questionnaires, will no longer appear alongside other application materials, student essays offer opportunities to write about how issues of race, ethnicity, and culture have shaped their lives. Some high school students describe experiencing uncertainty and self-doubt when broaching the topic of race in their admissions essays, wanting to acknowledge how identity influenced their lives and academic interests while simultaneously acknowledging that racial identity is not the only factor that defines them.
Antiracism centers at colleges and universities face mounting challenges as politicians in states such as Texas and Florida restrict teaching in public institutions, college presidents shift their resource allocation, and conservative legislators question the work of these centers. Directors of various antiracism centers told The Chronicle of Higher Education that their work focuses on three primary areas: interdisciplinary research, community partnerships, and public engagement. Long-term success of these centers hinges on investment from the college community, which can involve faculty and staff engaging with antiracism initiatives, attending lectures, and incorporating research into curricula.
A recent study from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University reveals that HBCUs could reduce racial disparities in degree completion and impact Black students’ long-term financial outcomes, Inside Higher Ed reports. The study, based on data from 1.2 million Black students who took the SAT between 2004 and 2010, found that students who enrolled at historically Black colleges or universities were 14.6% more likely to graduate than Black students at non-HBCU institutions or two-year colleges.
A new report by RTI International reveals that Black scientists, who make up a small percentage of PhD recipients in STEM fields, carry an excessive amount of student loan debt compared to their non-Black peers, Inside Higher Ed reports. The analysis of federal data reveals several disparities, including that only 5% of STEM PhDs awarded in the US in 2021 went to Black scientists and 8% to Hispanic scientists, despite the US population being 12-14% Black and 19% Hispanic. Almost half of Black PhDs borrowed more than $50,000 for their graduate education.
Academic Freedom and Free Speech
In an op-ed entitled “Slouching Toward Sensitivity” for The Chronicle of Higher Education, author Janet Burroway describes her experience of revising a fifth-edition creative writing textbook for over a year, revealing what she views as a danger to artistic expression and free speech. The textbook aims to introduce readers to LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors, who have been underrepresented in print. The author faces challenges in selecting examples of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama from various authors, aiming for gender and racial balance. However, the current revision process often involves negotiations and disagreements, and Burroway reflects on the threat of censorship, content warnings, and sensitivity on authorship and expression. Both conservative and left-wing censorships pose dangers, she argues, as banning books and language for any political reason is anti-democratic. To include diverse experiences, textbook publishers and writers must consider the impact of omitting traumatic experiences, expletives, racism, and violence in the name of “sensitivity.” An omission, according to Burroway, silences the people they claim to represent.
University of Arizona faculty member Rebecca Lopez and co-instructor Rebecca Zapien were penalized for classroom comments about the war in Gaza, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. The penalties were imposed after viral recordings of the instructors referring to Hamas as a “resistance group” and linking a rise in antisemitic attacks to “people not understanding the difference between” antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Lopez claims the recordings were taken out of context, incorrectly labeled speakers, and lacked key parts of the discussion. The university is grappling with calls to punish faculty and staff members over their conduct and statements related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Four university presidents joined a virtual conversation on their approaches to deciding when and how to speak on behalf of their institutions, and how they adhere to their university’s mission and values while maintaining nonpartisanship and protecting free speech, Inside Higher Ed reports. College presidents face the challenge of balancing the rights of free speech, civil debate, and peaceful protest on campus while maintaining the safety and freedom of expressing different religious and political perspectives. The Israel-Hamas war has made this task more difficult, and college leaders are facing criticism from both internal community members and external critics.
The National Communication Association (NCA) has apologized for the censoring and cancellation of a Nov. 18 address. Ahlam Muhtaseb, a Palestinian, planned to use the words “genocide” and “free Palestine” during her part of the address, Inside Higher Ed reports. The address was canceled, and the committee is now actively investigating the events leading up to the censoring and dismissal and plans to institute measures to prevent future violations of free speech and academic freedom. In a statement, the NCA Executive Committee wrote that it “unanimously extends its deepest apologies to the seven performers who invested time, energy, and effort in preparing to share their visions of the future of NCA and the communication discipline, especially to Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb.”
Student Safety
Palestinian college students Kinnan Abdalhamid, Tahseen Ahmed, and Hisham Awartani, all aged 20, were all shot in Burlington, Vermont while visiting relatives during the Thanksgiving break, Time reports. At the time of the shooting, the men were speaking Arabic, and two were wearing keffiyehs (traditional Palestinian headscarves). The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. Awartani, a junior at Brown University, was struck by a bullet that hit his spinal cord, and it is uncertain whether he will regain the ability to walk. Abdalhamid, a junior at Haverford College, is expected to make a full recovery after being shot in the glute, and Ahmed, a student at Trinity College, is in “stable condition” after being shot in the chest. At a vigil held at Brown University, professor of Palestinian studies Beshara Doumani read a statement written by Awartani, NBC reports. “I am but one casualty in a much wider conflict,” Awartani’s statement said. All three men remain hospitalized.
The administrative response to a November 9 protest at MIT has sparked ongoing tensions on campus and online, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. The protest, organized by the Coalition for Palestine, aimed to call for the liberation of the Palestinian people and protest MIT’s associations with Israel. The MIT Israel Alliance has been calling on administrators to condemn antisemitic harassment and hate speech on campus. MIT President Kornbluth has called the demonstration “a 12-hour blockade” and emphasized the importance of protecting students’ freedom of expression. The Coalition for Palestine and the Coalition Against Apartheid, inspired by protests against apartheid in South Africa, have held or participated in over 20 events since the start of the war. At institutions such as Columbia University and Brown University, students have been arrested or suspended, and some colleges have banned the groups behind the demonstrations.
An accident involving a Spin scooter at Virginia Tech has raised concerns about e-scooters on college campuses, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Micromobility companies like Lime and Spin faced issues with litter, littering, and fire hazards. Spin paid the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute $460,000 to study the risks and benefits of deploying scooters at colleges. The study aimed to evaluate the vehicles in a naturalistic environment, focusing on Virginia Tech’s over-hilly terrain. The university planned to introduce about 200 Spin scooters during the 2019-2020 academic year and use the results to decide whether to keep the devices permanently. The study found that infrastructure caused 60% of scooter crashes or near crashes, while rider behavior caused the remaining 40%. Spin is developing new programs to make scooters more comfortable and developing technology to detect dangerous terrain.
Student Success
Colleges and universities are expanding their career services offices, The Washington Post reports. In response to high consumer demand, increasing anxiety among college students entering a competitive job market, and rising doubt about the value of a college degree, institutions have increased funding for career advising, adding separate mentoring and networking programs for different majors. Colleges and universities expect that “tangible return on investment” will assuage consumer doubt and provide students, parents, and alumni with a sense of security and satisfaction.
Beloit College is expanding its Career Channels initiative to include two new schools to promote professional development for students, Inside Higher Ed reports. The initiative aims to address the perception that liberal arts colleges don’t prepare students for the job market and to ensure that higher education has a positive lifelong impact on students’ lives. Beloit offers eight Career Channels, including arts, business and entrepreneurship, curating and communication, health and healing, justice and rights, sustainability, world building and sports, and fitness and recreation. The channels are designed to be broad and encompass a variety of industries and roles, with suggested courses, campus activities, student work, internships, and off-campus opportunities.
The Student Success US event, hosted by Times Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed, discussed the definition and measurement of student success, focusing on four key questions. Defining student success, the panelists argued, includes students’ sense of belonging and engagement, as well as reconciling students’ definitions of success with the institution’s view of success. To measure student success throughout the student lifecycle, institutions should be considering retention, persistence, completion, and differences among student groups. The panelists emphasized the imperative to facilitate a campus-wide, unified approach to student success. The conference aimed to bridge academic and student affairs, focusing on sharing individual student success stories and how staff members have contributed to student success. The conference also highlighted the importance of being student-centric and considering the nuances of personal journeys and success.
