Q&A with Dr. Judi Alperin King: Supporting students without a safety net during the holidays
In 2014, Dr. Judi Alperin King, PhD, founded the Boston area’s first organization dedicated to supporting students who would otherwise need to navigate college on their own: the Wily Network. Eight years later, Dr. King and her team work with 75 students, called Wily Scholars, across ten campuses. For their entire college career, Wily Scholars gain access to financial assistance, counseling services, and an engaged community of other students and coaches.
While some Wily Scholars have experienced foster care, others have parents who are incarcerated or dealing with addiction. What they all have in common is that none benefit from family support. With the holiday season already here, Dr. King spoke with MCI reporter, Mollie Ames, about the unique challenges her Scholars are anticipating once schools shut down for winter break.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
Sports Illustrated reports that the family of Katie Meyer filed a lawsuit last week against Stanford University and several of its officials, accusing them of wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims. 22-year-old Meyer was the goalkeeper and captain of the women’s soccer team when she died by suicide on campus in March 2022. According to her family and lawyer, her death was the result of contending with a prolonged and “overly punitive” disciplinary process.
The Hechinger Report explores how religiously-affiliated mental health counseling can help college students, especially those contending with challenges related to their faith. For students who need therapy but don’t want to see a counselor disconnected from their religious identity, some on-campus religious groups have started offering mental health support. By connecting students to resources, these religious groups may also help reduce mental health stigma within their communities.
Other News
BU Today engages Sarah Lipson, an assistant professor at BU and principal investigator for the Healthy Minds Network, to consider how the conversation about mental health is changing among college students.
In an op-ed for The Hill, Lyndon Haviland from the CUNY School of Public Health suggests universities are failing students with mental health challenges and implores both schools and Congress to “step up.”
For Slate, education columnist and university instructor Rebecca Schuman explores why some professors are hesitant to institute flexible deadlines for students with disabilities, such as mental health challenges.
According to Inside Higher Ed, Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. has now reinstated a morale-boosting, pre-pandemic program that allows faculty and staff experiencing burnout to take a low-cost vacation to Italy.
The Chronicle reviews a new study finding that universities can play a critical role in helping students form friendships across social boundaries, including religion, in order to “heal campus divisions.”
Forbes highlights a new “Deadline Hotline,” which tries to combat inequities in college admissions counseling by offering high schoolers additional support and advising during the stressful application process.
Caller Times reports that Texas A&M University-Kingsville received approval to launch an Institute for Rural Mental Health Initiatives, which will provide mental health support to rural communities in South Texas.
In The Washington Post, Yale alumna Rachel Williams expresses her grievances about the “sickening” response of two administrators after The Post published an expose on leave of absence policies at the university.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Both the University of California, Berkeley and New York University have agreed to improve certain services and facilities after being accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. UC Berkeley will expand the accessibility of its free online content, Higher Ed Dive says, while NYU will do the same for its student housing, also according to Higher Ed Dive.
19th News spotlights a “landmark study” published earlier this fall, which concludes from the participation of almost 2,800 Indigenous students that “financial barriers often dictate where Native Americans apply for college and whether they graduate, once they enroll.” Meanwhile, Inside Higher Ed describes how the Thanksgiving holiday has become an opportunity to celebrate Native American culture and traditions on many college campuses.
For international students, earning a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has historically allowed them to extend their visas for 24 and up to 36 months—longer than if they were to pursue other fields of study. Inside Higher Ed questions the fairness and logic of this policy, especially given that what classifies as STEM is up for interpretation.
Student Buzz
A feature in The Tufts Daily investigates how peer support services at the university are helping students with mental health challenges recover in the wake of the pandemic.
For Syracuse University’s The Daily Orange, columnist Sarhia Rahim refers to the neglect and criminalization of mental health challenges among Black people and calls for more resources to support college students of color.
Reproductive Justice
The Washington Post solicits responses from college students across the country about the impact of the reversal of Roe v. Wade on their lives, including their sense of safety on campus, their approach to sex and relationships, and their plans for the future. The perspectives vary from stunned and fearful to thrilled and hopeful.
Student Success
This week, many eyes turn to the state of community colleges, contemplating how to promote the success of both the institutions and their students. The Chronicle questions whether merging community colleges with other universities can bolster their finances, while Inside Higher Ed considers a proposal to fund community colleges in Texas based on student outcomes, including transfer and graduation rates and career attainment. In recent years, Inside Higher Ed suggests community colleges have dually enrolled high schoolers to thank for keeping enrollment numbers steady. As for students, Inside Higher Ed reports that one professor is encouraging students to take on more credits to increase their chances of graduating, and The Boston Globe and The Hechinger Report both feature the Transfer Scholars Network, a pilot program helping community college students move to four-year institutions.
College Affordability
With Biden’s student debt relief plan on hold due to impending lawsuits, The New York Times reveals the president is extending the pause on student loan payments, active since the pandemic. As controversy surrounding the uncertain future of student debt relief continues, Inside Higher Ed turns to the perspectives of college and university associations, from which very little has been heard. Higher Ed Dive delves into the impact of the decision at Grinnell College to eliminate the use of student loans for tuition.
The Chronicle highlights the challenges many students face in trying to decipher the details of their financial aid packages. As of this week, a new national task force of higher education associations is proposing to improve the “clarity, accuracy, and consistency” of these agreements and help families make informed decisions.
Basic Needs
The Washington Post reports on the screening tool, Single Stop, which Virginia community colleges use to connect students with basic needs support. To combat the threat of food and housing insecurity, Single Stop reveals what financial and emotional assistance students qualify for—at the local, state, or federal level—and helps them tap into those resources.
Inside Higher Ed covers the findings of its latest Student Voice survey, assessing student perception of campus facilities, including their condition and cleanliness. For 30% of student respondents, maintenance problems involving buildings or specific facilities impacted their ability to learn or focus.
Campus Safety
The Washington Post offers the latest news to date on the murder of four students at the University of Idaho, although frustrations and fear abound given what little information exists about the tragedy. With the killer still unidentified, the university has allowed students concerned about their safety on campus to complete the rest of the semester from afar.
