Mental and Behavioral Health
The popular and controversial Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” about teen suicide was used as a springboard for a conversation about student mental health at Kansas University.
The Daily Pennsylvanian collects anecdotes from exchange and transfer students comparing Penn’s mental health resources to other universities they have attended. Many students noted that it is more acceptable to talk about mental health on Penn’s campus than their home campus. Engineering senior Gustav Bredell, an exchange student who came from a university in Zurich, said talking about mental health there was “taboo.” Penn has hired 10 additional counselors in the past six years.
Mental Health Awareness Week kicked off at Syracuse University, bringing together the administration and student groups to destigmatize mental health. Activities include stress dogs, meditation, and facilitated discussions.
Diversity and Inclusion
Bonnie Johnson, an alumnus of University of Tennessee-Knoxville, returned to her alma mater to run the school’s Pride Center. “I’m really excited to be back,” Johnson told the student paper, The Daily Beacon. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity to do my part, to be the change I really wanted to see in the South when I was growing up.”
University of Texas at Austin students used the city’s Pride parade to celebrate the legislative defeat of the state’s bathroom bill. “I know there was economic backlash, and that was probably the majority of the reason why it got defeated, but the fact that it did get defeated was just amazing,” said Auston Carlson, a health and society freshman and first-time Pride attendee. “It feels like a triumph for the LGBTQ community, specifically trans people.”
Ole Miss sophomore Daniel Payne writes about his personal experience confronting his own implicit racism and urges the school to be similarly open and honest about its past. “We are responsible for reflecting on the legacy of our history and what part it plays on our campus,” he writes.
High school students from rural areas have the lowest rates of college enrollment in the country, despite the fact that these students typically score better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress than urban students and graduate from high school at a higher percentage than the national average. Even the highest-income white students from rural areas are less likely to go to college after high school than their well-off white city and suburban counterparts; 61 percent, compared to 72 percent from urban schools and 74 percent from suburban ones. As the Atlantic reports, this gap has a negative effect of regional economic competitiveness and contributes to widening political division.
Last week, just prior to the launch of the new Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center at American University, confederate flag posters bearing chunks of cotton were found on campus. Sylvia M. Burwell, the university’s president, addressed students through tears saying, This made me both angry and sad. Angry, because this behavior exists in our nation and sad because, as a person of faith, I don’t actually understand this kind of hate. Sad, as well, because people in our community are feeling pain and anger.”
Last week, at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, five black cadet candidates found racial slurs written on the message boards on their doors. The preparatory school supports students who are not yet ready for the strong academic requirements of the academy. School officials publicly denounced racism and launched an investigation.
The Washington Post published a letter from Tyler Magill, a University of Virginia alumnus and employee, who was a counter-protester at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. In the letter, which was addressed to University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan, Magill questions why white nationalists were allowed to run unchecked through the campus, and argues that because the university “emboldened the fascists with their lack of action”, and set the stage for the violence, it should pay the bills of all those injured in full. He writes, “The university must acknowledge its complicity, and make amends.” Magill was injured during the protests.
Sexual Assault and Title IX
The Daily Gamecock, University of South Carolina’s student newspaper, has features It’s On Us — the campus sexual assault awareness and prevention organization — as it kicks off its fall week of action. The University of Southern California’s chapter will feature a women’s self defense class, a play about police treatment of rape victims, and bystander accountability workshops. Read more about the history and student activism of It’s On Us in the fall 2017 Mary Christie Quarterly.
There were increased reports of stalking and domestic violence at Kansas University in 2016, according to an annual crime report.
Drexel University is facing backlash after sending out a survey to gauge attitudes about sexual assault among sorority members. The survey asked student to rank statements such as “If a sister goes upstairs to a guy’s bedroom at a party, it is her own fault if something bad happens to her” and “If a sister is acting like a slut, it is only a matter of time before a guy tries to take advantage of her” on a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Sorority members who found the questions to be leading and victim-blaming, posted them to Facebook. The school has taken the survey down.
The new federal guidelines for handling allegations of sexual assault are being met with a range of reactions from school administrators. Many are expressing concern that the new process discriminates against the complainants; some welcome the new policy; and many are reading the new guidance with confusion. Kathleen Salvaty, the Title IX coordinator for the University of California system said that parts of the policy are “causing some concern and confusion.” Many are grappling with the mixed signals between these guidelines and the Obama-era rules.
In policy recommendations around college sexual assault, Democrats overwhelmingly focus on the victims of sexual assault, and Republicans overwhelmingly focus on the victimization of those falsely accused. The Atlantic explores why policymaking around this issue is largely divided along party lines.
Last week, students at Harvard University protested Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ speech on school choice. During her address, several students raised their fists and unfurled white bedsheets that read, in red lettering, “WHITE SUPREMACIST” and “PROTECT SURVIVORS’ RIGHTS.” Devos was also met with protestors at George Washington University earlier that day. Eve Zhurbinskiy, a 21-year-old GW senior said, “We’re here to show up for survivors of sexual violence and for transgender students who are being harmed by her policies. And we’re here to advocate and hold her accountable for a stronger Title IX.”
Sexual Health
Some colleges have started stocking vending machines on campus with the emergency contraception known as “the morning-after pill.” Stanford University began doing so this month, following several other colleges, including the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Davis. This year, UC Davis installed a “wellness” machine that sells the generic version of Plan B as well as pregnancy tests, feminine hygiene products, Advil, Claritin and other items.
Physical Health
In response to a recent mumps outbreak at Syracuse University, all students without vaccination records will be “excluded” from campus. This includes students with medical or religious exemptions.
Free Speech
Last week, Georgetown University law students and faculty protested a speech by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in which he criticized colleges who infringe on the right to free speech. Some students said they had received messages informing them they could attend the event, but later were suddenly uninvited, they believe, because they weren’t part of a group that would ensure a friendly crowd. Into a bullhorn at the protest, third-year law student Ambur Smith said, “We, the disinvited, find it extraordinarily hypocritical that AG Sessions would lecture future attorneys about free speech on campus while excluding the wider student body.”
College Readiness
Colleges are increasingly moving away from, remedial education courses — core academic subject classes assigned to first-year students who fail readiness tests. Many states have found that the non-credit classes are costly, taught by ill-prepared teachers and taken by unmotivated students.
The US Department of Education announced last week that IDEA Public Schools, a non-profit organization that operates charter schools in Texas, has been awarded more than $85 million in grants to support college matriculation, growth, and expansion. The award will be used over the next five years to develop and pilot a program to create “college-ready students” in Texas, and will support the creation of 46 new schools.
College Affordability
According to a report by NPR, New York’s Excelsior Scholarship, a free college program predicted to expand eligibility for students to attend the City and State Universities of New York tuition-free, fell significantly short of its goal of 940,000 students. This year, only 22,000 students will be receiving the scholarship, fewer than 6% of full-time in-state SUNY and CUNY students.
Disability
Students at the University of California are working to improve resources for their peers with disabilities through a new two-year project called Demanding Disability Resources and Diversification, or #WeAre3D. The campaign aims to bring attention to problems faced by disabled and chronically ill students and to advocate for better supports.
