Quarterly Cover: The Increasing Distress of Medical Students
Getting through medical schools has always been a grind, but today’s students are feeling the pressure in ways that are directly affecting their mental health, as our cover story by Nichole Bernier describes. Medical students experience higher rates of anxiety, emotional stress, depression, and suicidal ideation than the average person, leading students and advocates to consider new strategies to help navigate the bumpy road to becoming a healing professional. Read this and other stories in the new issue of the Mary Christie Quarterly.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
Starting Saturday, Americans will be able to call 988 when experiencing a mental health crisis—much like they would 911 in the case of a general emergency. The introduction of this number promises to help counter the growing mental health crisis across the U.S., but The New York Times questions whether call centers will be able to handle a higher call volume. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has struggled to keep up with calls in the past, and public health officials overseeing the launch of 988 have expressed concerns about preparedness.
Higher Ed Dive and Diverse Education both cover a new report from the Student Experience Project which reveals that when teachers make an effort to foster belonging in their classrooms, students report a more positive learning experience. Black, Latina, and Native American women experiencing financial stress were the most likely to experience a positive learning experience, which can in turn translate to improved academic performance. Ultimately, Higher Ed Dive says the project shows “that faculty are essential to improving the student experience and can do so with the right resources and institutional support.”
In light of increasing demands for mental health support from Gen Z students, The Los Angeles Times reviews the perfect storm of conditions that made wellness a particular concern for young people during the pandemic. It also considers the state of mental health support on college campuses in California, finding that counseling departments rarely if ever have enough staff to meet student needs. As funds for mental health services are stretched thin, schools are turning to alternative, less expensive programming, like peer counseling.
Other News
WBUR reveals a reason for the recent increase in enrollment in alternative highschools in Massachusetts: Students with pandemic-fueled anxiety who are worried about returning to their old schools after long stints of remote learning.
The Guardian reports on the results of a study conducted over the course of eight years, suggesting mindfulness training in schools is not an effective tool for supporting student mental health.
Reuters covers the mental health crisis plaguing law students, whose reported need for mental health support and likelihood of receiving a mental health diagnosis have shot up since 2014 according to a new survey.
According to Forbes, a study that assessed college student wellbeing before and after Hurricane Sandy suggests that experiencing a mass trauma—and learning to deal with adversity as a result—can actually benefit mental health.
The Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University’s student newspaper, discusses how a campus wellness support group, Resilient NU, is helping students learn to cope with their mental health problems.
After trying to take his own life in January, UCLA lineman Thoman Cole has decided not to return to the football team in the fall, according to Sports Illustrated.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
According to The Wall Street Journal, $198 million in COVID-relief funds are being designated to colleges serving low-income students and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Last week, the Education Department distributed this aid to 244 colleges and universities for housing, tuition, and food. Close to 90% will go to HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.
After Florida legislation passed to regulate how schools can teach about race, the University of Central Florida evidently removed from its website the anti-racism statements of various academic departments. The Washington Post spotlights responses of some of the university’s faculty members, who worry about the implications of this development for censorship going forward.
While diversity at top colleges may be increasing, many are still holding onto an age-old admissions practice that often favors the elite: preference to the children of alumni. The New York Times considers how a verdict that would end affirmative action—now hanging in the balance—poses to sweep away legacy admissions with it.
As a recent Supreme Court ruling brings the future of tribal sovereignty into question, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are worried about the implications for their institutions. In an interview with Diverse Education, the president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund said, “TCUs are not only an act of sovereignty, if we are chartered to affirm the rights of people, but we’re also in a position where we can influence our own people’s understanding of how they can participate—elections matter.”
The Chronicle reports on recent analysis from McKinsey & Company, revealing that, despite purported efforts to increase diversity, colleges and universities are still lagging. If trends continue, another 70 years may pass before the make-up of higher education even begins to reflect the racial demographics of the broader U.S. For Black and Native American students, the road to representation could be particularly steep (300 years in the future), as their numbers remained largely stagnant from 2013 to 2020.
The Chronicle reports on the experience of college students with disabilities, who, upon finding limited support for them at their schools, are becoming their own advocates and change-makers. They are founding disability cultural centers on their campuses, which help educate others in the community about living with disabilities and provide a safe place for students with disabilities to come together.
The Chronicle also spotlights the rare experience of being an older adult college student. The story of Devon Mitchell, who decided to return to school at age 43, highlights the major personal and financial barriers that can keep Americans away from higher education but resolute to earn their degree—at any stage.
On Twitter, Nikole Hannah Jones, the former journalism professor who was not offered tenure at the University of North Carolina (UNC), revealed the details of her recent settlement with the university. In addition to $75,000, The Chronicle reveals that the settlement also requires that UNC diversify faculty hiring, hire a trauma-informed therapist for the counseling center, and make annual donations to the Carolina Black Caucus.
For first-generation students, especially those who are people of color, finding spaces on campus where they feel they belong can be a challenge. Alongside the unique stories of several first-generation students, Inside Higher Ed presents the findings of its recent Student Voice survey, which polled 1,000 first-generation undergraduates from 94 schools. The survey, conducted with College Plus and supported by Kaplan, considers how first-generation students choose their schools, how they define success in college, and whether they participate in extracurricular activities—among other things.
Inside Higher Ed describes how once disenchanted LGBTQ+ alumni are finding ways to appreciate the Christian universities they attended. They are connecting with new LGBTQ+ student groups and founding and funding their own alumni advocacy groups to help rally for institutional change.
In an op-ed for The Hechinger Report, Tufts University sociology professor Natasha Warikoo disproves the old stereotype that suggests Asian American parents “value educational success more than other parents” and suggests an alternative explanation for the documented academic success of Asian American students: their unique “resources and strategies for getting ahead.”
Sexual Assault and Title IX
Inside Higher Ed and Politico report on a federal judge blocking the Education Department’s Title IX guidance protecting transgender students. Tennessee Judge Charles Atchley issued an injunction with 20 plaintiff states in claims that the Title IX guidance “directly interferes with and threatens Plaintiff States’ ability to continue enforcing their state laws.” The department will need to set its Title IX rule to enforce protections and is also working on another rule-making process for athletics and sports eligibility by gender identity.
Reproductive Health and Justice
NPR reports on colleges navigating varying legal landscapes following the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade last month. Dr. Jessica Higgs, president of the American College Health Association, says smaller universities in more rural settings are of greater concern since larger universities may be better resourced. Some students must travel two or more hours to reach an abortion clinic, and many students who travel out of state to reach one may be trekking in fear of confidentiality and their identity being reported. “While some states have laws that specifically make aiding and abetting an abortion illegal, it may still be illegal to do so in other states even if they don’t have that language in their abortion statute,” said Kimberley Harris, a professor at Texas Tech University School of Law.
The New York Times reports on students advocating for colleges to provide the abortion pill and the schools that are resisting measures. While most colleges may provide birth control, screenings for sexual health, and other reproductive health services, students are likely referred to physicians or clinics for abortion services. In the midst of Roe v. Wade, students are now demanding student health services provide medication to end pregnancies. Experts cite that cost, wait times for referrals, and transportation can be a major factor for women struggling to receive abortions. The average cost of medicated abortion was about $600, according to a study by University of California researchers.
The Chronicle reports on what crisis pregnancy centers are and how they have been around campuses for years. Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are nonprofit organizations that are often affiliated with evangelical Christian organizations and designed to keep women from undergoing abortions. Centers are receiving a reported increase in attention, and patients in search of more information on their pregnancies leave these centers told to consider continuing their terms and the potential risks receiving abortion care. CPCs are usually located near high schools or colleges and even other abortion treatment centers. “They’re not a very appropriate place to send students – unless students are aware of all those things,” said Kimberly Kelly, a sociology professor at Mississippi State University, who noticed advertisements around campus of a local CPC.
The Washington Post and Diverse Education report on abortion access at HBCUs in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade. Many of the United States historically Black colleges and universities are located in the south and in states likely to restrict access to abortion services. Almost three-fourths of HBCUs classified by the Department of Education are concentrated in areas that have banned abortion rights. According to the Turnaway Study, women who are denied abortions are at four times the increase in odds of their households falling below the poverty line.
Student Success
Higher Ed Dive reports on higher education experts’ advice to stopped-out college students who wish to re-enroll. Approximately 39 million people in the United States have some college but no degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Only 2.4% of these students enrolled in the 2020-21 academic year. Successful strategies from Morgan State University, an HBCU in Maryland, include offering a flexible degree structure when it comes to attaining their degrees. Making their degrees more affordable and offering credit for previous coursework also helps bolster retention.
An op-ed for The Chronicle argues that while a smaller share of college-attending students are male, the actual crisis should be centered on “what’s happening to women in the workforce.” “In 2020, women earned 84 percent of what men earned,” writes Carine Feyten, chancellor and president of Texas Woman’s University. “While there are higher-paying jobs in the energy sector, construction, and agriculture that do not require a college credential, they also do not employ many women. These long-standing economic structures push women to earn a college credential just to have a chance at making a livable wage.”
An opinion essay for The Hechinger Report argues on why test optional admissions may not be “a game changer for equity after all.” “Second, having test-optional policies doesn’t mean that the most selective colleges significantly change who they admit. In fact, evidence points to little to no effect on whether going test-optional increases the representation of marginalized students at selective college campuses,” write Awilda Rodriguez and Sayil Camcho, co-founders of the Equity Research Cooperative (EqRC). “The 2020 test-optional movement was not born to alleviate the need for students of color and other marginalized communities to measure up to white supremacist standards of ‘meritorious’ test scores. It was born from institutions trying to reduce the uncertainty of enrollments during a pandemic.”
Diverse Education features findings from Excelencia in Education on what happens to Latinx students upon graduation. After examining seven Hispanic Serving Institutions, Excelencia published a brief suggesting that institutions widen data collection, strengthen connections and networks with local trades and employers looking to diversify their workforce, and call higher education leadership to proactively serve their alum. Three characteristics were also identified when it came to post-graduate success for Latinx students: culturally relevant practices specifically chosen to accelerate Latinx post-completion success, customized metrics and measures to track students after graduation, and demonstrated progress in closing equity gaps in post-completion success
College Affordability
Higher Ed Dive reports on for-profit colleges opposing plans to forgive $6 billion in student loans in settlement of a borrower defense case. The Education Department would relieve loans for 200,000 defrauded students in the Sweet v. Cardona case. The American National University, Lincoln Educational Services Corp., and Everglades College filed in defense, claiming that the borrower defense case would harm their reputations and violate defense regulations.
Campus Safety
Inside Higher Ed reports on a surge of bomb threats targeting campuses this summer, many of which are community colleges. Last week, two Eastern Florida State College schools closed and evacuated from bomb threats, in addition to a number of community colleges in Virginia. Law enforcement agencies are comparing the bomb threat calls across other state lines, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations has issued a statement reminding the public to report anything suspicious to officials immediately. The threats have disrupted academic life and continue to disturb faculty and students.
Inside Higher Ed features an infographic highlighting students’ safety concerns, and what colleges can do to address them. According to its Student Voice survey of over 2,000 undergraduates, college students described 8 areas of apprehension about campus safety. Fifty-seven percent of students say they have never had an interaction with campus security. More than a third of students also said they would prioritize having more lighting on campus sidewalks.
