Quadcast: Student Researchers with the Healthy Minds Study on the Mental Health Needs of High Schools Students, Students of Color and “Non-Traditional” Students
Researchers Akilah Patterson and Meghna Singh discuss their research interests (including the mental health of graduate students, students of color, and high school students), alternative sources of support and the need for cultural humility in counseling services.
Akilah Patterson, MPH, MCHES, is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a graduate of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and Meghna Singh is a Community and Global Public Health student at the University of Michigan and Student Associate Coordinator for the Healthy Minds Network.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
The recent suicide of Stanford soccer goalie Katie Meyer has inspired her parents to propose a new policy for colleges and universities, “Katie’s Save,” aiming to ensure all students have a “designated advocate” in times of personal crisis. Specifically, colleges would be able to reach out to these advocates when students are facing disciplinary action, as Katie Meyer had been in the lead up to her death. While some experts appreciate this policy as a mode of instituting additional, personalized support for students, The Chronicle reports that others feel systems with the same proposed effect already exist.
Inside Higher Ed highlights a partnership between the insurance company United Educators and The Jed Foundation (JED), offering reduced insurance premiums for schools that institute JED-designed mental health programs. United Educators considers the JED programs a form of risk management critical to the insurance industry and student wellbeing alike and hope their new relationship will incentivize schools to help mitigate the growing mental health crisis.
Other News
The Vanderbilt Hustler reports on biomedical graduate students publishing an open letter alleging a mental health crisis among graduate students at the school.
The California Aggie reports on how gardening improves mental and physical health during the pandemic. In a survey conducted by UC Davis and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), gardeners reported finding gardening to be therapeutic.
The University of Virginia reports on a program that has proven to reduce depression and loneliness in new college students. Hoos Connected is a program established by the Adolescence Research Lab in the Department of Psychology at UVA.
The New York Times reports on a Connecticut school board’s opposition against its high school opening a state-funded mental health clinic. Despite the state’s push to expand mental health services, residents in the town of Killingly are resisting efforts on the basis of infringing on the rights of parents.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Chronicle reports on the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion at universities across South Dakota, where some faculty and staff have chosen to leave their posts rather than continue in the current climate. Responding to the perceived rise of “wokeness” in academia, state authorities implemented restrictions to teaching about race and encouraged changes to diversity services. These policies have in turn garnered anxiety from some community members, wary of the increasing barriers to creating inclusive spaces for students.
According to Inside Higher Ed, a recent survey from the Century Foundation reveals Black parents of college students, in addition to Black students, are suffering disproportionately from the impact of student debt. The federal loans, Parent PLUS loans, available for parents to pay their children’s tuition are leaving low-income and low-wealth Black parents saddled by more debt for longer. At the same time, rising tuition is continuing to make Parent PLUS loans, which are even costlier than other loans, more attractive to low-income parents.
Inside Higher Ed announces plans for a new Spanish-language degree program at the University of St. Thomas Houston, where the student and surrounding city populations are over 40 percent Latino. The program targets students who are either native Spanish speakers or English speakers wishing to improve their Spanish. Faculty and staff hope that the program will open up new academic and professional opportunities for immigrants in particular.
This week, several colleges in Massachusetts are grappling with issues of diversity on their campuses. First, WGBH finds that universities across the state have made little headway on promises to increase minority contracting. Inside Higher Ed highlights rising tensions at UMass Boston, where institutional commitments to anti-racism provoked mixed reviews from faculty – some worried their research might not be funded/supported if it weren’t socially-conscious, while others on campus are concerned that efforts to diversify tenured positions continue to suffer.
The Washington Post reports that companies looking to diversify their staff are partnering with historically Black universities to recruit workers. Some companies are not only networking with students but sponsoring school programs and technology. By growing connections with top employers, the colleges hope to attract more students and balance the professional playing field for lower-income students.
Student Success
A new study out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute uncovers where students in each state typically attend college. Results suggest that 54 percent of students go to in-state public universities and 15 percent go to in-state private ones. Students from Michcan, Louisiana, and Texas are also most likely to remain in their state for college, while those in Alaska and New Jersey often leave the state. For more findings, see the latest in The Chronicle.
According to The Chronicle, universities often refer to predictive analytics to monitor retention rates or manage finances, but experts are suggesting the data can harbor dangerous biases, too. For one, the way schools use this fate to recruit students may be keeping deserving students from educational opportunities based on their address. Now, the Government Accountability Office is asking Congress to consider regulating the use of predictive analytics.
Inside higher Ed reports on a new app called Community that allows incoming students to connect with each other along with administrators. Chat rooms can be dedicated to different interests or identities, such as music, race, and sexuality. Though many students previously have utilized Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook groups to connect, Unibuddy, the founding company of Community, says students are shying away from these platforms and may not have access to large group chat rooms.
Inside Higher Ed reports on the state of Maryland eliminating requirements for a bachelor’s degree for half of its jobs. The decision coincides with a growing number of employers looking to fill jobs in technology, customer service, and administration. An interview with chief customer officer at the nonprofit group Opportunity@Work, Bridgette Gray, explains the factors that led to the state’s announcement. “Seventy-four percent of new jobs between 2008 and 2017 were in occupations that require a bachelor’s degree, but 60 percent of the adult workforce doesn’t have a degree,” said Gray.
College Affordability
The Chronicle, The Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal report on the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement to cancel $5.8 billion in student loans for borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges. Over 550,000 borrowers will be affected in what has been announced as the largest cancellation of student loans in one event. Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit chain that previously operated over 100 schools, was sued by Vice President Kamala Harris in 2013 for falsifying data on job placement rates to their students.
Inside Higher Ed reports on advocates wanting reform in conversations around President Biden’s plans to cancel some student debt. According to White House officials, Biden plans to cancel $10,000 of student debt for borrowers with incomes under $150,000, which would benefit 15 million Americans. “We have a vestige of a bank-based lending program, even though we’ve had a direct government–to–student loan program for more than a decade. So things like interest rates, negative amortization, capitalization, even the concept of default,” said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Campus Security and Safety
The Chronicle calls attention to the shooting of two students at Iowa state last week— likely a case of intimate partner violence—as a pattern of mass shootings sweeping the country. The university released a statement, pointing students to counseling services. “This is an especially difficult time as we also process recent shooting deaths that have occurred across the country. There is no justification for this senseless gun violence. These terrible tragedies must end,” the announcement said.
Physical Health
Diverse Education covers a report calling for data disaggregation to combat health inequities. A new report argues that the classification system is too broad when it comes to dividing Americans into only six racial and ethnic categories: Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), white, and Latino/Hispanic. The report also calls for more data on factors that can influence health, such as education, income, and place of birth.
News Medical and Eureka Alert report on an analysis of survey data on sleep disparities contributing to achievement gaps amongst minority students. As part of the National College Health Assessment, researchers reviewed over 20 years of data from 1.9 million college students. Students from underrepresented minority groups reported lower sleep scores and worse sleep health. Researchers analyzed whether poor quality sleep mediated the relationship between race/ethnicity and students’ grade point averages (GPAs).
