Mental and Behavioral Health
Iowa State University’s new Police Chief Michael Newton wants to ensure that mental health cases involving campus police end in treatment, not arrest, by providing special training for officers. Newton came to Iowa State from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was the board president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
A new study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology suggests that “imposter syndrome”, a phenomenon felt by high-achieving individuals who cannot believe their own success, is associated with poorer mental health for black and asian college students.
Students involved in Greek life at the University of Pennsylvania took part in I CARE training, a program that helps students recognize and address signs of mental distress among their peers. The training is facilitated by Penn’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
In an op-ed for the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student paper, Andiver Castellanos argues that the school should require all incoming students to complete an online mental health training module. “Many people have already said we need a substantial conversation on mental health – and we do,” he writes. “Implementing this module will help continue all the progress UCLA has made on this front and make sure that students not only know about the warning signs and problems surrounding mental health issues, but how to start addressing them.”
Harvard’s Indigo peer counseling, which provides sessions for students on issues of race, class, and first-generation status, will return this fall after a year of inactivity due to a lack of counselors.
The American Freshman, an annual survey that provides data on incoming college students’ characteristics, high school experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for college, was released last week. It showed a record-high 12% of first-time, full-time students starting in the fall of 2016 who reported feeling depressed “frequently” in the past year. 14% of survey respondents said there was a “very good chance” that they would seek counseling in college. The survey, conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program of the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, also found that today’s college freshmen are more politically polarized than ever before. 35% said they were “far left” or “liberal ” and 22% said they were “far right” or “conservative.” A majority of the freshman surveyed (56%) reported having “some” concern about their ability to finance college, while 13% said they had “major” concerns and didn’t know if they would be able to complete college due to finances.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
On April 27, students across the country participated in Denim Day, wearing denim in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. “I didn’t know until I got to college what exactly consent was,” Kat Kirby, a volunteer at North Carolina State’s event, said. “Having a clear understanding of consent helps us have healthy relationships across all spectrums — whether romantic or not. This is a real issue on this campus and it’s not something we should turn the other cheek and look away from.”
Lehigh’s chapter of It’s On Us, the national campaign to end sexual assault on college campuses, held a walk for consent and hosted a “speed friending” event. Read more about It’s On Us from Shaquil Keels, the military regional advisor for the organization, in the Mary Christie Quarterly.
Diversity and Inclusion
Students at California State University at Stanislaus are urging their administration to take action against fellow student Nathan Damigohim, the leader of an all-white group who was seen in a video punching a woman in the face during the volatile April 15 protests in Berkeley, CA. More than 300 people have signed a petition saying they do not feel comfortable with him being on campus.
Demonstrating its willingness to face the darker parts of its history, Georgetown University, led by President John J. DeGioia, formally apologized to the descendants of 272 slaves the University sold in 1838 to pay off it’s debts.
This fall, the University of Rhode Island will offer a LGBTQ Friendly Roommate Matching System, which will pair members of the LGBTQ community and allies. The University has previously lagged in providing housing options for LGBTQ individuals.
California State University-San Bernardino is changing its bathrooms and their signage to comply with California’s 2016 restroom policy for all genders to be able to use the same or a neutral restroom.
A pamphlet that circulated at Harvard with information about transgender rights drew criticism from online conservative and Christian outlets. The pamphlet, which contained information on gender diversity and local resources, was handed out when a free speech bus visited campus.
Julia Friedmann, a sophomore at Georgetown, writes that the school’s decision to invite Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka to speak on Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is evidence that that the school needs to review its policies for speakers and instate a student advisory panel to help with selection. “That a figure with ties to neo-Nazi groups was invited to speak on Yom Hashoah speaks to the lackluster representation of diverse student experiences and voices within the administration,” she writes.
Princeton students held a Rally for Hate-Free Princeton after anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and racist flyers were found on campus.
Classes were cancelled at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota following a weekend of protests against hate speech on the campus. Several racist expressions against students prompted the demonstrations, the latest of which came hours prior, when a black student reported finding a note on her car with a racist slur that included the threat, “Shut up or I will shut you up.”
Completion
A recent report by the nonprofit Center for Community College Student Engagement shows that students who enroll full time in community colleges are more likely to complete their degrees than their part-time counterparts. The report found that while 50% of students enrolled full time for the entirety of their tenure at college earned an associate degree or certificate, only 23% of students enrolled part time throughout their time at school completed their degrees. The report also demonstrated that attending just one semester full-time can make a difference in academic performance.
Free Speech
Fallout continues over the cancelled speech by conservative pundit Ann Coulter at the University of California at Berkeley. Controversial alt-right writer Milo Yiannopoulos announced last week that he will host a week of free-speech rallies at the school this fall. Yiannopoulos blames Berkeley for its handling of his visit to campus on Feb. 1, which also was canceled after it sparked massive, violent protests.
In an op-ed in the Chronicle, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business, argued that it is no longer possible to assume that protests on college campuses will be nonviolent, and that we are witness to the emergence of a dangerous new norm for responding to speakers who challenge the ideology on mostly liberal campuses.
Sexual Assault
Former vice president Joe Biden spoke to students at George Mason University on Wednesday as part of an event for “It’s On Us,” a campaign launched during the Obama administration that is focused on stopping sexual assault on college campuses. Biden pushed students to combat sexual assault on campus by intervening when they see a fellow student in trouble and speaking up against “locker room talk.”
The University of Texas-Austin student government passed a resolution to increase marketing for sexual assault awareness resources by placing informational stickers in restrooms. In the same session, they opposed a resolution that would require student leaders to report sexual assault and make it a criminal offense for University employees to not report cases of sexual assault.
University of Maryland-College Park freshman Erin Hill writes about how turning down a man’s advances can cause fear of violence in retribution. She argues that raising better boys can help. “Disrespect toward women, even at a young age, cannot be permitted,” she writes. “If boys are allowed to defend or express themselves physically to a preemptive fault, then what’s to stop young men from associating aggression with dignity?”
Disability
The Technician, North Carolina State University’s student paper, kicks off a series on disability with a feature on the delegation of responsibilities across campus to accommodate students with disabilities.
Columbia University’s Senate subcommittee for students with disabilities hosted a panel on policy improvements through the Office of Disability Services. Suggested changes included making residence halls and non-academic spaces more accessible.
Guns on Campus
University of Georgia students and members of the Athens, GA community rallied together to protest a campus carry bill that is headed to Governor Nathan Deal’s desk for signature. Protesters are worried about a chilling effect in classrooms because of the threat of an armed student who disagrees with a controversial topic.
According to a study by Joslyn Krismer, a Ph.D. candidate in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, 70 percent of professors oppose campus carry. A similar number (71 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that campus carry laws “will have a negative impact on the free and robust exchange of ideas at the my university.”
Marijuana Policies
Harvard will vote on changes to the student handbook that include a ban on vaping and a clarification that, despite being legalized in Massachusetts, marijuana is still not allowed on the school’s campus.
Austin Attack
Kendrex J. White, a 21-year-old student at the University of Texas, killed one student and wounded three others on Monday by stabbing them with a knife. The University of Texas at Austin Police Department said the authorities did not know of a motive for the stabbings though animosity over Greek life behaviors have been mentioned as playing a role.
