Mental and Behavioral Health
The University of Illinois is conducting a study on the mental health of first-year students and the effect school has on stress, suicide and self-harm. Co-principal investigator Hillary Klonoff-Cohen said, “National data on self-harm behaviors on campuses is seriously lacking. It is important to understand and intervene on self-injurious behaviors because they can evolve into suicidal thoughts and attempts.” Researchers hope the results of the study will be used to create interventions on campus.
A group of Florida State University students launched an awareness campaign last week called Remove the Mask, which represents the cover that society collectively uses to hide the realities of mental illnesses. The group of students leading the campaign want to change the culture of shame on campus.
The University of Pittsburgh Student Health Advisory Board, with the American Medical Students Association, hosted Be The Difference: An Intro to Mental Health First Aid. About 50 students listened to speakers outline the mental health resources available at the University and ways to help family and friends. Sean Moundas, a psychologist at Pitt’s University Counseling Center, spoke to students about recognizing shifts in mental health, keeping track of any changes in routine and letting friends who aren’t acting normally know that they have someone to rely on. He also emphasized the importance of directing those who are struggling with mental health issues to the proper resources.
Students at the New School are entitled to 12 counseling sessions each year as part of their health services fee. However, due to growing demand and insufficient staffing at Student Health Services, many students have been unable to access these resources. In February, forty-four students were on the waitlist for counseling appointments. During the fall 2017, the waitlist climbed to a high of 90. The number of walk-ins increased more than 35 percent between the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. According to Michelle Relyea, senior vice president for Student Success, the university has looked into some overflow resources in the community.
The Tufts University Mental Health Task Force, launched in the fall of 2016, is evaluating the state of student mental health at the school, considering student input and evaluating current policies and resources. According to the website of the Office of the President, the task force was formed in response to increased national awareness of mental health issues’ impact on college students. Starting four years ago, Tufts saw an increase in the number of students visiting Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS). Last year, there was a 25% increase in students accessing mental health services on the Medford/Somerville campus.
In the Daily Princetonian, an anonymous Princeton student recounted his/her experience with the university administration, arguing that the college must work towards providing the resources necessary to help students with mental illness cope with their disabilities, rather than pushing them to withdraw from the University. The author wrote, “During my time at Princeton, I have been taken to the emergency room more times than I can recall, been an inpatient at a mental institution, and been on a partial hospitalization plan. I know more people in the psych ward than I know at Princeton, and it’s comforting in a way because at least people there understand. They don’t succumb to deliberate silence, try to slide the glaring problem under the rug, or work towards removing me from the University… I have tried reaching out to Institutional Equity, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, and even the Office of the President, none of which have reciprocated in a meaningful way.”
An art exhibition at the University of California Los Angeles, titled “Breaking the Taboo: The Unspoken Epidemic ” explores mental health. Sierra Bronkhorst, a fourth-year sociology student who painted three pieces featured in the gallery, said painting helps give her a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Artist Saloni Kothari, a first-year student, said she uses her painting to sort through the strenuous social pressures she feels from her academically-competitive family and experience as an international student from Thailand. Kothari’s piece in the gallery, “Drowning,” depicts a face squished by hands, representing the internal identity crisis she experienced when deciding on a career path.
Student-athletes at Ohio University are asking for more specialized mental health resources on campus. The student senate passed a bill in February demanding that the University take more responsibility for the mental health needs of student-athletes. The bill asks for increased collaboration between academic and athletic administrations regarding student-athletes’ mental health needs, and for the formation of a conference committee to discuss specialized mental health counseling for other groups on campus. Student Athlete Advisory Committee Vice-President, track team co-captain, and primary sponsor of the bill, Emily Deering, said, “At the end of the day, the difference between me competing my absolute best, and me saying ‘I just don’t have it today,’ is having someone to talk to, to help put things into perspective for me so I won’t get anxious, depressed, obsessive or what have you.”
As demand for health services at Oregon State University increases, Counseling and Psychological Services is looking for innovative, cost-effective ways to help. OSU uses a triage schedule, prioritizing individuals in higher risk situations. CAPS has started adding supports aside from individual therapy, including a mind spa relaxation room, drop-in meditation groups, workshops on emotional resilience, more than 20 therapy groups each term and online self-guided resources. Cassandra Gilroy, an office manager at Diversity & Cultural Engagement, said that their office tries to alleviate some of the burden of student distress. “Through our programs, initiatives, workshops, conversations, retreats and especially through our seven Cultural Resource Centers, we are here to welcome individuals and support their journeys in whatever way that means for that individual,” she said in an email.
Syracuse University is relocating some of its programs in the Health Services building to accommodate a satellite Counseling Center office – a move that will prioritize accessibility and privacy for students seeking mental health treatment. The decision signifies a strong re-evaluation of where student services are hosted on campus and how their locations affect the students utilizing them. Students have expressed discomfort over the Counseling Center’s extreme visibility, surrounded by Greek houses, and the lack of privacy students experience as a result. According to the Daily Orange Editorial Board, the move to open a satellite Counseling Center office also signifies a change in the culture surrounding discussions on mental health
Uncle Joe’s, Washington University in St. Louis’ confidential peer counseling and resource center, recorded 44 percent more interactions with students in fall 2017 compared to fall 2016. Over the past five years, interactions have increased about 220 percent. As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Uncle Joe’s co-directors Sarah Vaughen, a senior studying cognitive neurology in Arts & Sciences, and Ellie Borgstrom, a senior studying psychology and English in Arts & Sciences, spoke to the Source, a Washington University news source, about the peer counseling group and their experiences working with students.
As more students seek campus mental health services nationwide, some colleges have adapted their programming to keep up with the growing demand. At the University of Minnesota, the Boyton Health center hired 12 mental health employees during the 2016-17 academic year and expanded the clinic in 2017. University of Wisconsin-Madison added initial phone consultations, online appointment scheduling, and a service allowing students to have informal conversations with a professional in frequently-visited spaces, like the library and student union building.
A new study in Nature Biotechnology warns of a mental health “crisis” in graduate education. In a survey of 2,279 mostly Ph.D. candidates, 39 percent of respondents scored in the moderate-to-severe depression range, as compared to 6 percent of the general population measured previously with the same scale. “Our results show that graduate students are more than six times as likely to experience depression and anxiety as compared to the general population,” the study says, urging action on the part of institutions. “It is only with strong and validated interventions that academia will be able to provide help for those who are traveling through the bioscience workforce pipeline.”
Diversity and Inclusion
Last year, 30 elite colleges banded together with the goal of enrolling an additional 50,000 low- and moderate-income students at top institutions by 2025. In the fall, Princeton University will begin taking transfer students from community colleges for the first time. Davidson College recently began keeping dining halls open during school breaks, an acknowledgment that not all students could afford the trip home. These are small steps, but the institutions hope that if enough peers make similar moves, the nation’s highest ranked campuses could seem within reach for thousands of financially-strapped students.
A recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shines a light on the racial disparity in persistence and completion rates for African-American and Hispanic students. According to the report, “When examined by race and ethnicity, Asian and white students had much higher completion rates (68.9 percent and 66.1 percent, respectively) than Hispanic and black students (48.6 percent and 39.5 percent, respectively). Black students represent the only group that is more likely to stop out or discontinue enrollment than to complete a credential within six years.” These numbers show that significant numbers of black and Hispanic young people are unable to access the benefits that result from higher education.
Richard Spencer, a white nationalist and president of the National Policy Institute, spoke on Monday at the University of Michigan after a lawsuit was brought against the school for refusing an initial request for the event. The speech was held at the school’s livestock pavilion, far away from the heart of campus, to avoid violence on campus. Lou Anna K. Simon, who was Michigan State’s president until a few weeks ago, addressed the selection of the venue in a January statement: “This agreement was based on the university’s requirement that the event occur on a date and at a venue that minimizes the risk of violence or disruption to campus.” Despite the precautions of the University, fights broke out between protesters and white supremacists at the event. As Spencer’s supporters and attendees arrived, masked protesters shouted at them. A group of white nationalists marching down the road toward the venue was blocked by the protesters. Additional law enforcement officers arrived, lining both sides of the road leading into the venue to restore calm, and protecting those wishing to go in. Two attendees were pushed to the ground, and another attendees was pelted with sticks, dirt and cans.
After years of declining enrollment, historically black colleges and universities are once again seeing their student populations increase. In the fall of 2016,11 HBCUs had record enrollments, and several saw increases this past fall. Part of this increase can be attributed to the current political climate, the rise in racially charged incidents at colleges around the country and reignited conversations about how students of diverse backgrounds are welcomed on campuses.
Student Success
The New York Times interviewed Ruth J. Simmons, the former President of Smith College and Brown University, and the first black woman to lead an Ivy League institution. The article focused on her new role as president of Prairie View A&M University, a historically black school with about 9,000 students, as well as her previous accomplishments. At Brown, she established need-blind admissions for undergraduates (the last of the Ivy League to do so). In 2003, she commissioned a study of the university’s ties to the slave trade – one of the first university efforts to uncover the historical connection between academia and slavery. At Smith, she created an engineering program, the first at any all-women’s college. Now she faces a new challenge.
Substance Use
This semester, the peer-to-peer network of students and faculty at the University of Texas at Austin began learning how to use naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The goal is to teach students how to save a life if they encounter a peer showing symptoms of an overdose. The new training comes as many of the states’ public universities lack written policies on naloxone distribution. The group plans to expand to the University of Houston and Texas A&M University at Kingsville.
Eating Disorders
Student groups at the University of Pennsylvania are coming together for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Last week, Project LETS and Project HEAL kicked off the week with a “LETS X HEAL” panel event, in which several students with lived experience were invited to share their stories and stimulate discussion. Three volunteer speakers described their experiences with eating disorders and how it affected their health and relationships. “Hearing the perspective of a student who’s gone through [an eating disorder] makes it so much more real and personal, and then you can recognize those stories in your own friends. It can be very powerful,” co-coordinator of Project LETS Lauren Drake said. Project HEAL is an American non-profit dedicated to supporting and advocating for people suffering from eating disorders. Project LETS works to destigmatize mental health through peer-led support groups.
For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, North Carolina State organizations are promoting and educating students about eating disorders and related mental illnesses. The Women’s Center, Counseling Center and Student Health are among the event organizers behind NEDA Week events on campus, which included Trash Your Insecurities Tuesday and Feelin’ Myself Friday. In addition to these events, there is a lunch-and-learn on Thursday that will address the topics of eating disorders and body positivity. “I think it’s essential to bring attention to really an epidemic and to demonstrate that there’s nothing to be ashamed of in seeking help and resources,” said Rebecca Schwartz, the NC State Counseling Center’s eating disorder coordinator and staff psychologist. “We’re here to support students and guide them in the appropriate direction.”
Hunger
Two Keene State University organizations – the Pre-Medical and nutrition-focused SNAKS clubs – , came together to establish an on-campus food pantry, after learning that food insecurity is a problem for some of their peers. With support from Pre-Medical Club advisor Dr. Susan Whittemore, Interim President Melinda Treadwell, and Director of Residential Life Kent Drake-Deese, they launched a non-perishable food drive, The Hungry Owl, which is set to open later this month.
Guns on Campus
Last week, James Eric Davis Jr., a Central Michigan University student, shot and killed his parents in a residence hall. Police later said Davis, who was found and arrested over the weekend, had received medical attention the night before after he was observed behaving erratically. The university’s president, George E. Ross, said the campus would step up safety efforts and offer counseling to students the week after spring break.
High-school students around the country are organizing in support of stronger gun-control legislation in the wake of the Parkland shooting, but some have expressed fear over disciplinary action hurting their chances of getting into college some day. Superintendents in some school districts have warned that students who participate in the peaceful protests will face disciplinary actions such as suspension. But over 250 college-admissions offices around the country have responded to these concerns, most of them with assurances that students’ activism will not hurt their chances at admission, even if their high schools do take disciplinary action.
Utica College was locked down and buildings were evacuated by law enforcement Monday after the college “received threats from an individual who stated that he was armed with a weapon on the campus,” Lt. Bryan Coromato, a spokesman for the Utica Police Department, wrote in an email. “This agency, along with other local, state, and federal agencies are on scene investigating the incident.” There was no violence on campus and no reports of any injuries.
College Affordability
The Chronicle reports on colleges’ use of “completion grants” – small sums of money given to students at risk of leaving school due to financial difficulties. College officials working to improve completion rates know that much smaller sums of money can be the difference between graduating and dropping out, playing an outsize role in student success. While experts recognize that improving completion is a complex, multifaceted problem, and that these types of grants are not a silver bullet, students who’ve made it most of the way to a degree are the low-hanging fruit of student-success efforts.
Disabilities
The college dropout rate is already high for students with disabilities, but it doesn’t capture the many prospective students who never apply to college in the first place because of accessibility gaps. One barrier that concerns prospective students at the University of Washington is the hardship withdrawal system. Under the current rules, students cannot get a hardship withdrawal for the same reason twice, which can be very challenging for students with chronic but unpredictable illnesses.
