Integrating Routine Screening for Substance Use in College and University Mental Health Service Settings
A new op-ed in the Mary Christie Quarterly showcases research on college student alcohol and drug use, emphasizing the importance of integrating routine screening for substance use in college and university mental health service settings.
The author is M. Dolores Cimini, Ph.D., the Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research and Senior Research Scientist within the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, School of Education at the University at Albany, SUNY. She has been nationally recognized for her translational research work addressing the interface between mental health and substance use among college students.
Mental and Behavioral Health
Main Stories
For The Washington Post, Royette Dubar, a psychology professor at Wesleyan University, discusses her findings from a recent study of college students who have experiences with “ghosting,” an online phenomenon in which someone suddenly cuts off communication. Professor Dubar learned that students may “ghost” for a number of reasons, including to avoid an anxiety-inducing “break-up” conversation or to exit a toxic conversation or relationship. For those who are “ghosted,” Professor Dubar also identifies possible negative mental health effects, from short-term low self-esteem to long term mistrust in relationships.
Fortune Well offers strategies for parents who want to get ahead of potential mental health concerns before their student arrives at college, where experts say confusion often abounds about the type and purpose of wellness services offered. For a better understanding of on-campus services, parents should consider scoping out what’s available ahead of time and not expect “one stop shopping” for all their students’ mental health needs. Those who have open conversations about mental health with their children and consider alternative, off-campus therapeutic options may also reap the benefits.
College students with climate anxiety are trying to make a positive environmental impact on their campuses, US News says. After learning that their schools use synthetic pesticides which can cause cancer and pollution, these students are taking up the charge of Herbicide-Free Campus, a “youth-led national movement for safer, more sustainable land care.” The project has mental health benefits, too—helping students not only feel that they are actively combatting the climate crisis but also get outside to work alongside like-minded peers.
Other News
In an op-ed for The Dartmouth, Dartmouth College’s student newspaper, Anna Roodnitsky describes the lacking mental health infrastructure she returned to on campus after taking a medical leave for chronic depression.
A new study from The Conversation reveals that losing a grandmother can lead to increased depressive symptoms in adolescents—a finding with vast implications given the many grandparents that died during the pandemic.
Although high schools typically offer limited resources to help students cope with grief, NPR highlights Atlantic Community High in Florida, where one teacher founded a peer support group for those who have lost a parent or primary caregiver.
CBS News reports on a $1 million anonymous donation to New York City Health + Hospitals which will sponsor a new student loan forgiveness program specifically for behavioral health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and more.
Harvard Political Review offers a “temperature check” on the state of mental health on Harvard’s campus, revealing a number of lasting concerns among students in the wake of the pandemic, including trouble concentrating, social isolation, and struggling in silence.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
College alumni groups are forming across the country in an effort to support free speech and discourage “cancel culture.” According to The Washington Post, these groups want to use their power in numbers to lead an “urgent rebellion against what they see as a growing orthodoxy on campuses, with faculty and students canceling opposing views, afraid to speak freely, and threatening the inquiry and debate that are central to academia.”
Sian Beilock, former president of the women’s college Barnard, will become the first female president of Dartmouth College, according to The Washington Post. Of the eight Ivy League schools, Dartmouth is the sixth to hire a female president in a permanent capacity, outlasted only by Yale and Columbia University.
Although receiving a higher degree has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for parents, Diverse Education reveals that not enough data is typically collected on student-parents. For the policy changes and programming that stand to make schools more accessible to student parents (improved childcare services, increased affordability, etc.), experts say collecting data is the critical first step.
Inside Higher Ed covers the results of a new study from the consulting firm Accenture, which surveyed not only current students but other “learners” who may have dropped out or pursued alternative programs. By expanding the typical survey pool beyond traditional students, the study can help colleges and universities serve learners with a wide range of needs and mind-sets.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
The recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has caused uncertainty with regards to how Title IX may or may not protect pregnant students. According to Inside Higher Ed, a group of Democrats in Congress have requested clarification on this point from the Education Department, specifically whether pregnant students seeking abortions are at risk of legal or other disciplinary action.
In an op-ed for The Chronicle, three professors describe the limitations of proposed Title IX regulations that would require employees to report sex-based discrimination, whether or not the victims consent. By depriving students of their autonomy to decide to report, the professors argue that schools risk worsening victims’ mental health, rather than helping it.
After University of Utah freshman Zhifan Dong died earlier this year at the hands of her boyfriend, The Chronicle highlights the need for colleges to better identify and respond to instances of dating violence among students. Some measures schools can take include training staff on dealing with intimate-partner violence, as well as improving emergency procedures and reporting processes.
Reproductive Health and Justice
The Washington Post reports on abortion access at historically Black colleges and universities following the aftermath of Roe v. Wade. 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.
The Washington Post reports on how abortion laws can be a deciding factor for students making their college choices while new abortion laws in the south and midwest are affecting prominent universities and their recruitment efforts. Higher education leaders from Rice University in Texas released a statement on the overturn of Roe v. Wade, acknowledging the Supreme court ruling “has serious consequences for women.” “Rice is committed to gender equality and to supporting our faculty, staff, and students. We are exploring how we can best continue to appropriately support the reproductive rights of our community, including access to abortion services,” stated the letter.
Dozens of medical students at the University of Michigan walked out of their initiation “white-coat” ceremony in protest of keynote speaker Kristin Collier, who is an assistant professor at the medical school and also openly antiabortion. The Washington Post suggests this walk-out may reflect a new trend on college campuses, where “culture clashes” have not typically affected technology and science-centered spaces.
Student Success
The Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed report on new findings showing conflicting views of higher education from Americans. According to the sixth annual survey by New America, public support for higher education has faltered, varying by age and political affiliation. College affordability was the major concern amongst survey respondents. A majority of respondents said the government should be responsible when it comes to paying for higher education and that colleges should be held accountable upon their return on investment and student-loan debt ratios.
Higher Ed Dive reports on the reputation of online education becoming more favorable. Forty-seven percent of American adults from the New America survey believe online education offers about the same quality as in-person instruction, an increase from only about a third who said the same last year. However, most respondents, about 4 in 5, also said that online instruction should cost less than in-person teaching.
College Affordability
NPR reports on an ongoing borrower defense case in which 200,000 student loan borrowers may receive debt erasure. On August 4th, a federal judge at a San Francisco courthouse will decide on the $6 billion settlement of Sweet v. Carolina, where thousands of borrowers claim they were defrauded by their colleges.
An op-ed for The Chronicle argues that in efforts to solve the college-cost dilemma, tuition prices should reflect the payoff of different majors. “A shift in that direction would recognize that, for most students, field of study matters most for future earnings,” writes Anthony Carnevale, a research professor and the director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. “For example, at one college, students majoring in engineering could pay $10,000 more in tuition annually than would those majoring in English.” Carnevale also emphasizes that data should be more accessible to students and their families to help guide them in their college careers.
Inside Higher Ed reports on new updates to the Economic Mobility Index. The new criteria will help policy makers and others by ranking colleges on their economic mobility for low-income students. According to a report earlier this year, Hispanic-serving institutions provided the greatest economic mobility for their students upon graduation. Over 1,300 institutions were ranked by greatest economic mobility; Duke University came in at 722, Stanford University ranked at 548, and Harvard University ranked at 847. Economic mobility indexes are becoming increasingly popular to hold institutions accountable for student outcomes.
Inside Higher Ed reports on borrowers being unprepared for federal student loan repayments to begin after a two-year hiatus. The current pause is set to expire on August 31, which will affect 45 million borrowers. The Education Department has not announced whether there will be a seventh extension of the loan repayment pause, and many borrowers may not be aware that repayment may resume this coming September. Around 60% of student loan borrowers have not made any payments since the student loan pause began in March 2020, and many may not be financially able to resume payments.
Basic Needs
Higher Ed Dive and The Chronicle report on college student housing shortages. As the fall semester approaches, hundreds of students are still awaiting housing assignments and searching for off-campus housing options. Despite developers constructing new housing options, the pandemic has led to increased rental prices and interest rates, along with delays in supply chain issues. Many students are also hoping to live closer to campus to be a part of the “full” college experience following virtual and remote learning, leading to increased demand for neighboring housingto campus.
Physical Health
Inside Higher Ed reports on COVID cases surging in California. Some universities are returning to mask mandates and evaluating public health strategies as the new COVID variant, BA5, spikes. According to local and state data compiled by The New York Times, last week’s seven-day case rate was recorded as 20,000, compared to 5,000 since April. In Los Angeles county, the daily COVID infection rate has increased tenfold compared to March. The University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Irvine have both reinstated mask mandates.
The Chronicle features an article on how colleges can prepare for and prevent Monkeypox outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization are monitoring the new epidemic that has been spreading across Europe and the United States since May. An estimated 3,500 people in the United States have tested positive for Monkeypox, and over 18,000 cases have been reported globally. “First thing is the monkeypox virus is an old virus… Number two, we have a vaccine — two vaccines, actually. And thirdly, we do have a treatment,” said Wafaa M. El-Sadr, founder and director of ICAP, a global public health initiative at Columbia University.
