Dr. Zainab Okolo, a therapist, advocate, educator, and strategy officer for student success at the Lumina Foundation, joins the Quadcast today to discuss a host of student mental health policy issues, including new research from the Lumina Foundation and Gallup that identifies college students’ emotional stress as the main driver behind stopping out of college. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Main Stories
The Washington Post reports on findings showing that the pandemic exposed a mental health divide among college students. According to researchers at Dartmouth, young people who were most concerned about the virus were more likely than others to struggle with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. “The pandemic has put students on a literal mental health roller coaster, mostly heading downward,” said Andrew Campbell, a researcher and computer science professor.
Higher Ed Dive reports on colleges reconnecting “pandemic classes” by graduating in person this year. The University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, along with other institutions, welcomed alumni who graduated college during the COVID-19 to partake in this year’s commencement ceremonies. The University of Alaska Anchorage offered the classes of 2020 and 2021 their own events. “It was a community-building experience, graduates seeing each other again or, in some cases, for the first time. This is how we demonstrate that we value our students and our graduates. And I think higher ed is better for it,” said UAA’s Chancellor, Sean Parnell.
The Chronicle interviews two experts on why women in college sports are struggling with their mental health. The reported deaths by suicide of female college athletes have made headlines this Spring. Ellen J. Staurowsky, a professor of sports media at Ithaca College, and Joy Gaston Gayles, senior adviser for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at North Carolina State University talk about issues around masculinity, social media and exposure, exhaustion, and more.
Other News
The Seattle Times reports on the state’s universities struggling to serve all of their students’ mental health needs and reasons why.
Diverse Education reports on how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues for Black students.
Forbes news reports on the fragile state of student mental health and declining trends.
Inside Higher Ed interviews researcher Doug Lederman on turnover, burnout, and demoralization in higher education.
The Harvard Crimson reports on an uptick in advisees, freshman students, leading to burnout among student proctors and tension with administrators.
The Hechinger Report reports on the University of Iowa’s college counseling center’s overload in demand to meet students’ needs.
Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle report on historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving colleges forming partnerships to share courses across their campuses. The course-sharing collective believes the programming will help students complete college and save money in the process. For those with course registration and work scheduling conflicts, students will be able to enroll in online classes offered by other schools to help them graduate on time.
The Chronicle reports on a bus of an HBCU’s women’s lacrosse team being pulled over and searched for drugs by deputies. During a traffic stop in Georgia, law enforcement cited a minor traffic violation to stop and search Delaware State University’s students’ belongings for narcotics. Police searched for over two and a half hours with a drug-sniffing canine and did not find any drugs.
The Wall Street Journal reports on some disabled students advocating to continue remote options from the COVID-19 pandemic instead of in-person classes. As campus disability offices report struggling to meet students’ needs, remote learning may help with accommodations. “Many disabled students asked for remote learning options before the pandemic began,” stated Amanda Kraus, president of the Association on Higher Education and Disability.
The Washington Post reports on how popular merit scholarships have traditionally perpetuated racial inequities. Often needing high standardized test scores and grades to be offered these scholarships, advocates argue such scholarship programs benefit more privileged students. Black and Native American students are the least likely to receive merit scholarships in the state of Georgia. Jennifer Lee, a policy analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, says achievement-based merit can discount historical context – such as discrimination in housing, employment and the financial sector.
Higher Ed Dive, The Chronicle, and Inside Higher Ed report that 39 million students left college without finishing their degrees. According to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, students who stopped attending college grew by 5.3% in 19 months. The number of stopped-out students has increased by 8.6% from 2018. Over 24% of first-year college students do not return for their second years in college, and 41% of community college students do not return.
Inside Higher Ed reports on transfer enrollment dropping from two- to four-year colleges. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the transfer student enrollment rate has decreased by 6.9% in the last year. “We’re looking at a double-digit decline over one year,” said Mikyung Ryu, director of research publications at Clearinghouse. “I’ve never seen that kind of decline in my adult career.”
Higher Ed Dive reports on California’s lawmakers weighing legislation to limit remedial coursework. In 2017, a bill was established to discourage sending students to remedial classes at community colleges. Advocates argue that developmental classes can prolong degree completion, decrease retention, and disproportionately impact students of color. Other officials argue that the added restrictions may limit remedial education at California’s community colleges.
The Chronicle reports on the uneven climb from college to career, such as equity gaps upon college graduates and attaining first jobs. Low-income students, students of color, and those who were the first in their families to attend college often have a more difficult time finding their first jobs after graduation and earn less than more privileged peers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, Latino college graduates earn about 85 cents for every $1 made by white counterparts; Black college graduates make 78 cents to every $1.
The Chronicle reports on how the overturn of Roe v. Wade could affect colleges and universities. The U.S. Supreme Court will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade – the 1973 Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy. About one in four women are expected to have an abortion at some point in their life, and women in their 20s who have attended some college are the most common demographic to receive an abortion.
In an opinion piece, The Wall Street Journal interviews college students on what they think about abortion. Recent news of a leaked draft decision suggests Roe v. Wade will be overturned. “Overturning Roe on originalist grounds, however, would have serious implications for our society. If a decades-old precedent can be overturned by originalist arguments, others could be too,” said Ally Fertig, a student at Cornell University.
Inside Higher Ed reports on multigenerational admissions policy initiatives and growing scholarships. HOPE Toledo, a nonprofit offering scholarships to cover tuition of books, room and board, is providing financial help to the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 at Jesup W. Scott High School in Ohio – and their parents. About 12 parents have started pursuing their degrees at partnering colleges and universities. “To have a multigenerational impact, you need to do a multigenerational program,” said Rev. John Jones, president and CEO of HOPE Toledo.
Diverse Education interviews Dr. Phillip Levine, a professor of economics at Wellesley College, on how the cost of college can hurt students and institutions. According to a 2015 poll of ACT test takers, most students assumed the cost of college was the “sticker price” shown rather than the expected family contribution (EFC) from financial aid. “That complexity is really hurting kids. They think college is expensive, and that limits access,” said Dr. Levine.
Higher Ed Dive reports on the Georgia legislature passing a bill to banish free speech zones. On Tuesday, Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill that would ban state colleges from establishing “free speech zones,” designated campus areas to host rallies and other forms of protest. “Freedom of expression is one of this great nation’s fundamental liberties. Here in Georgia, we will protect those rights and that which is appropriate for any place of higher learning — the ability to learn of different ideas,” stated Governor Kemp.
The New York Times reports on two students at Ohio State University who died this week from fake adderall pills containing fentanyl. A college student reported to police that her roommate and her roommate’s friends overdosed at an off-campus apartment. Three students were ushered to the hospital, and two students died in an apparent overdose, which is being investigated by the division’s drug crime bureau.