Quadcast Ep. 33: Carson Domey and Massachusetts State Representative Jack Lewis on improving state mental health policy and funding
Young mental health advocate Carson Domey co-hosts the Quadcast to interview Massachusetts State Representative Jack Lewis on ongoing legislation to improve mental and behavioral health policies and funding. Representative Lewis discusses prioritizing social and emotional health education in K-12 school systems, adding crisis intervention hotlines to student IDs, and current state efforts to tackle challenges faced by social workers.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
Inside Higher Ed features a guest post by Joshua Eyler on how grades are at the center of the student mental health crisis. Joshua Eyler, director of faculty development and clinical assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Mississippi, writes about the stress teens and college-age students experience around grades from parents and teachers. “We need a wholesale reconsideration of our use of grades in higher education. There are many alternatives that we can use in place of traditional, inequitable grading models, and we are long past due for widespread adoption of these practices. Changing our orientation to grades in no way means we need to abandon academic standards,” argues Eyler.
Higher Ed Dive reports on colleges offering counseling following the invasion of Ukraine. Institutions such as Pennsylvania State University, the University of Utah, and Princeton University sent campus-wide messages to students, providing services to both international and domestic students who have been affected. In a community letter, Chancellor Kent Syverud of Syracuse University called the images fromUkraine “horrific” and offered mental health resources to the campus. Advocates are also pushing for federal protections on behalf of Ukrainian students studying in the United States. Temporary Protected Status, for instance, would extend work permit eligibility and protection from deportation.
Other News
CNN reports on Stanford University’s women’s soccer captain, Katie Meyer, who died by suicide. Meyer’s parents said potential disciplinary action by the school may have contributed to the 22-year-old student athlete’s death.
Inside Higher Ed reports on the re-emergence of YikYak, the social media app that shut down due to rampant bullying in 2017. Despite new community guidelines in place, some students say it’s not enough.
Faculty Focus features an article on increasing the visibility of mental health in instructors’ coursework. The column advises showing empathy, checking in with students periodically, conducting surveys, and lightening workload.
According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teens visiting the emergency room for eating disorders doubled during the pandemic. “Eating disorders thrive in isolation and secrecy, so the pandemic could have exacerbated that in some people,” said Allison Chase, PhD, an eating disorder specialist and clinical psychologist.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Hechinger Report features an article on the lack of support and attention given to English learners in college. “Students go from being visible and marginalized to sort of being invisible,” said Shawna Shapiro, an associate professor of writing and linguistics at Middlebury College and author of a new report with best practices to help English Learners transition to college. “If you’re in college and no one recognizes that you’re multilingual and not only do you need certain types of support, but you have something to offer to diversity and global citizenship in higher education, that’s also a missed opportunity,” Shapiro said.
Diverse Education covers data on increasing opportunities for justice-impacted students. In a new report from The Education Trust, eight states’ justice policies were analyzed to offer recommendations to better support students in and out of prison at state, federal, and institutional levels. “Pell restoration at the federal level is remarkable and essential to making college affordable for folks currently incarcerated,” said Dr. Kayla Elliott, director for higher education policy at Ed Trust and co-author of the report.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
In an op-ed for The Boston Globe, the editorial board argues that victims of sexual harassment on college campuses deserve independent investigations. “Congress should amend Title IX to eliminate inherent biases so that the law can fully live up to its promise to eradicate sexual discrimination,” the article argues. Following the recent news at Harvard on professor John Comaroff, the writers state that “Universities should no longer assess harassment claims themselves, a practice that is rife with real or perceived conflicts of interest, and should instead bring in third-party investigators to probe allegations.”
Activism
The Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed report on colleges cutting ties with and divesting from Russia in protest of its invasion of Ukraine. In a symbolic move, the Arizona Board of Regents voted on Monday to sell their Russian assets in demonstration of disapproval towards Putin’s war in Ukraine. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology also announced ending its partnership with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. Many colleges, however, are treading carefully with college leaders suggesting that it may not be the best move to cut ties. Other Russian academics have risked arrest to oppose the war or are finding ways to protest the war without endangerment.
Student Success
The Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal report that the University of California, Berkeley, must cut in-person fall enrollment by 2,629 students. On Friday, the California Supreme Court voted 4-to-2, denying UC-Berkeley’s appeal due to the result of a lawsuit alleging that the university’s increasing enrollment strains housing and other resources in local neighborhoods. California students will get priority admission as new enrollment could be cut by a quarter of students. Over 1,000 will be offered to enroll online for the fall or defer enrollment until January 2023.
College Affordability
Inside Higher Ed showcases findings that many students do not learn more about student loans or personal finance, yet they tend to have high expectations when it comes to receiving financial help during difficult times. Results from the Student Voice survey show that 3 out of 10 students with student loan debt think it is somewhat or very likely that some or all of the debt they incur in college will be canceled or forgiven.
The Washington Post reports on the tuition-free college movement gaining momentum, despite President Biden’s stalled plans and campaign pledges. According to the College Promise campaign, at least 7 tuition-free initiatives have been publicly launched since November. Currently, there are 33 statewide programs covering tuition at community colleges or universities; experts say programs are likely to increase.
Diverse Education features remarks from pollster, Kristen Soltis Anderson, on colleges needing to show clear return on investment from a conversation with American University’s President, Sylvia Burwell. At the American Council on Education’s annual meeting in San Diego on Sunday, Anderson discussed young adults’ concerns over mounting debt. “This does raise the stake for institutions to deliver on full value propositions and whether they can deliver the skills needed in order for students to get a job in their field of study,” said Anderson.
