Mental and Behavioral Health
Last week, a University of Chicago campus police officer shot 21-year-old student Charles Thomas in the shoulder, after the student allegedly charged at the officer with a metal object. Thomas faces charges of aggravated assault of a police officer with a weapon and criminal damage of property. Thomas has a family history of bipolar disorder, and had reportedly visited the Student Counseling Center last year before being referred off campus. Students and community members protested Friday, alleging that the University of Chicago has failed Thomas, and demanding more mental health services instead of police action to address students in crisis on the campus.
For the third year in a row, Purdue University is hosting a Campus Walk, part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s student fundraising series that aims to encourage awareness about mental health issues and its dangerous consequences.
As part of the university’s increased focus on mental health and well-being, Drexel University will host Fresh Check Day, a national, fair-like event that aims to promote mental health and prevent suicide on college campuses.. Fresh Check Day Uses peer-to-peer messaging to encourage students to discuss mental health. It is intended to increase awareness of mental health resources and services, reduce misconceptions regarding mental health and empower peers to be gatekeepers by understanding warning signs. Dr. Paul Furtaw, associate director of counseling at Drexel said, “This program really helps students take ownership of the source of their well-being.”
A student survey at Yale University found that around a quarter of undergraduate respondents said they sought mental health counseling at the University this academic year – and most of those students said they were less than satisfied with the experience. About a third said they were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the care they received, another third reported feeling “neutral” about the experience and the same fraction of respondents said “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”
Hamilton College held its inaugural “Town Hall” event that brought students together along with faculty and staff to discuss free speech, mental health, sexual assault, racism and (in)tolerance. The event featured two sessions, one focused on issues, and the other meant to build consensus around solutions. The Town Hall came the day after the release of a letter from the parents of Graham Burton, a member of the class of 2019 who took his own life on campus in December 2016 during finals week. The letter outlines the events preceding Burton’s suicide, and the alleged inaction of the college in preventing Burton’s death. Specifically, the letter notes that while six members of the college staff and faculty had expressed concern regarding Burton’s mental health, including an Associate Dean, Burton’s case was not referred to the Students of Concern Committee, and his parents were not notified. The letter calls for an outside panel to review the college’s policies towards students with mental health concerns, and for faculty, students, and staff to undergo annual trainings centered around mental health.
Last month, a committee made up of faculty, staff and students released a plan detailing recommendations for how Vanderbilt University should enhance mental health and wellbeing through education, research and services, and reduction of the stigma for those seeking support. The committee was formed by Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos in the fall of 2016 to assess the current state of mental health resources and programs on campus, and to develop a plan to improve these efforts over the next five to ten years. Over the past year and a half, the committee has gathered feedback through town halls, listening sessions, a suggestion box and campus surveys.
Mediaplanet announced the launch of their first edition of “College Health & Safety,” a campaign that will serve as a much-needed guide for parents, students, and campus healthcare professionals, arming them with the latest tools, programs and resources to tackle the most pressing health and safety issues prevalent on college campuses. The campaign explores issues such as the growing need for mental health resources for this age group.
In an op-ed in the Michigan Daily, several students argue that the University of Michigan should add a mental health education component into all freshman residence hall meetings. They write that the University’s First Year Experience programs provide freshmen with information on sexual assault, bystander intervention and the dangers of binge drinking. But they fail to include something similar to fill the current void of mental health education and assist students in navigating an oftentimes confusing system.
According to the student newspaper LSU now, many Louisiana State University students are questioning whether the Student Health Center is adequately addressing students concerns. John Otzenberger, the director of mental health services, said the department has 14 therapists for roughly 42,000 students. “Yes, we can always add more therapists, and that would help to some degree, and we have added therapists in the past, but there’s a space issue, as well,” he said.
The University of California, Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Graduate Network is a peer network that promotes mental health awareness and offers a first point of entry to Ph.D. students as they navigate the pressures of graduate school. Science Careers spoke with Wendy Ingram, one of the founders, who is now a joint postdoctoral fellow in psychiatric epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, about her own struggles and how trainees can create support systems for themselves and others.
Two people within four days have fallen from the same parking garage on Ohio State’s campus, spurring the university to investigate what safety measures it should take. Though Ohio State has not officially called the falls attempts at suicide, OSU President Michael Drake asked people on campus to contact an emergency department if they know anyone at risk of hurting themselves and announced the creation of a task force to improve Ohio State’s mental health practices and resources. On Sunday, Drake said he directed Ohio State public safety officials to launch a review of facilities on campus and enhance safety measures.
Diversity and Inclusion
Octavio Martinez Jr., the executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin, wrote an op-ed in The Monitor arguing that ending DACA could trigger ‘public health crisis’ of Dreamers. Martinez writes that colleges have a responsibility to provide Dreamers with the emotional support they require, and to understand their unique challenges well enough to assist them in a culturally competent manner. According to Martinez, “With DACA hanging in legislative limbo, many of these young people who are enrolled in our state’s colleges and universities must grapple with the dread and anxiety of not knowing what the future might hold. There are 124,000 people in Texas who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
“Trauma informed” approaches toward investigating campus assault complaints have changed the way investigators interpret inconsistent reports or confused timelines, but they are now facing backlash. Lapses in memory or chronological uncertainty were once seen as holes in an account. But trauma-informed practices encourage investigators to start with an open mind. Critics of this practice are concerned that this open mind does not extend to the accused, and that explaining away story inconsistencies prevents accused students from being able to defend themselves.
In The Chronicle, an anonymous administrator who oversees sexual-misconduct complaints penned an open letter to a new hypothetical colleague. The letter warns about the complexity of sexual-assault cases, with multiple and often intersecting variables, and the limited patience of many who are working within these dynamics.
John C. Weistart, a professor of law at the Duke University School of Law explains in the Chronicle why he believes that colleges shouldn’t be handling sexual assault complaints. According to Weisart, colleges have special responsibilities to protect students from sexual abuse, and they have largely failed in responding to the sexual-assault crisis. Weisart believes that the process of victims reporting assaults should be moved to more neutral organizations that, unlike universities, have no inherent conflict of interest.
Sexual Health and Contraception
Boston University’s Her Campus and PERIOD, hosted “STIs and Smoothies,” an open discussion with medical professionals, at BU’s College of General Studies. The evening began with a presentation from Dr. Amanda French, a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Erica Thibeault, a surgical physician’s assistant at BCH’s Department of Gynecology, about different types of STIs and protective measures.
Ithaca College publicly announced that it will continue to support students’ access to contraceptives after lobbying from the Ithaca College chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, an activist organization. The group reached out to the Hammond Health Center and the college administration after Trump administration repealed a previous federal requirement in which employers had to include birth control coverage in their health insurance policies. The group sought public affirmation from the administration that access to contraceptives would be guaranteed despite the federal mandate.
In an op-ed in Student Life, a student newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis, WU Student Advocates for Reproductive Rights argue that Wash U should provide access to emergency contraception, commonly known as Plan B, and condoms 24 hours a day, seven days a week through vending machines placed in residential halls. According to the student group, emergency contraception can only be obtained at SHS during open pharmacy hours which do not include weekends.
Free Speech
According to a new survey by the American Council on Education, seventy percent of college presidents are somewhat or very concerned about the prospect of violence on their campuses as a result of issues related to free speech and inclusion. The survey of 471 college presidents of both public and private institutions found that the most common methods leaders use to “manage the tension between free speech and inclusion on campus” include public statements that lay out institutional values, community forums, and the monitoring of social media. College leaders are wrestling with how to handle invitations extended to controversial speakers – including white supremacists- to appear on their campuses.
Student Activism
On Friday, Howard University students and officials announced an end to the student protest that occupied the schools administration building. The deal between university trustees and students promises that students will be involved in reviewing the adequacy of on-campus housing, makes pledges about improving the reporting of sexual violence and commits to holding the line on tuition. The students had called for the resignation of Howard’s president, Wayne A.I. Frederick, but rescinded that demand in the final deal. Howard’s experience put a spotlight on protests stemming from long-simmering grievances on college campuses. The Atlantic covers the new dynamics driving campus activism, in particular the unprecedented length of the students’ protest, that may be a sign for the sort of pushback on long-standing, pervasive issues that other college leaders might soon face.
College Affordability
Even with scholarships, student loans and other financial aid, many low income students often need additional help to cover the extensive costs of attending college. The Low-Income and First-In-Their-Family Assistance and Resources program at Haverford College offers low-income students financial assistance to cover unexpected expenses, which can include academic-related costs, such as art supplies, laptop repair fees and nonacademic costs, like winter coats, emergency medical and dental treatment, and help with plane tickets for unexpected trips home due to a family emergency. Since the program began in September 2017, it has handled 115 requests from 78 students at a cost of about $25,000. (The school has 1,250 students). The program aims to remove the barrier of financial stress, allowing students to learn and flourish at college.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy plans to make the state’s community colleges tuition-free with $45 million in grants for low-income students that will start in the second semester of the coming school year. The grants would fully cover tuition costs for an estimated 15,000 full- and part-time students who are already receiving some financial aid and whose families earn an average annual income below $45,000. Murphy said he believed making community college more accessible to New Jersey residents would help the state generate the talent needed to attract technology and startup companies. It is estimated to cost $200 million to make community college free for all students by 2021.
