ACUHO-I News Blog

Are colleges’ and universities’ efforts to curb alcohol abuse hampered by the effects of our society’s own issues with alcohol? Edward P. Ehlinger, director and chief health officer of Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, thinks that’s the case.

Do you feel students–and their parents–arrive with attitudes about drinking that are resilient to education? Are there perspectives within the institution that help or hinder education efforts?

A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research states that students who binge drink don’t have more sex than students who don’t, but they are more likely to have sex with multiple partners. (Economic research is more interesting than you thought, huh?) More frequent binge drinking ups the relationship, and it is unaffected when other factors are controlled, such as sports participation or mental health. However, students at four-year colleges, particularly white males, are most likely to be affected by binge drinking behavior; students at two-year institutions are the least likely.

According to a survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors says the demand for student mental health services has leveled off. It hasn’t decreased, though, which will likely still strain overtaxed campuses.

A member asked me if we knew of any institutions that had made specific accommodations for “emotional support animals.” I couldn’t find any institutions that had done so (let us know if you have), but I did find a number of policies on the subject. I’ve posted what I found (which is only a selection of what is out there). Most institutions only allow service animals to live on campus; i.e.: animals that have been trained to assist their masters in specific ways: seeing-eye dogs, mobility-impairment dogs (who can open doors and fetch dropped objects, among other tasks); hearing dogs and seizure alert dogs. In some cases, this list also specifically includes psychiatric service animals and social signal dogs, who support people with autism.

Generally, according to my research, emotional-support animals, which have not been trained for their tasks, but are emotionally supportive because that’s what animals provide for their owners, are not allowed on campus. The reasons are numerous; allergies, cleanliness (where does the litterbox go?), and the fact that a residence hall room isn’t the best place in which to confine a cat or dog. Emotional support animals are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it isn’t legally necessary to provide them access.

What are your policies on this? Have you had any appeals? How did you handle them?

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Last fall, the Higher Ed world feared that health care reform would invalidate university plans, since it had no accommodations for those programs at the time.  Six months and much wrangling and lobbying later, there is a provision in the bill for college and university student insurance plans, though fewer students may need to be on them. Insurance companies will be required to allow young adults, up to age 27, to stay on their parents’ insurance plans.

However, this article notes that there’s nothing in the bill that exempts student health care plans for certain stipulations in the bill, namely that pools of generally young, healthy people–such as college students–must be averaged with other, less-young, less-healthy people. These rules don’t take effect until 2014. Lobbyists for higher education have time to argue that colleges and university health care plans should be allowed to remain exclusive to students. Otherwise, the costs of those plans could go up.

Unnoticed in much of the hullabaloo, student loan administration was also changed as a part of the health care bill. Private lenders can no longer make federally-subsidized loans; only the federal government can.

Some groups have estimated the new bill will eventually result in an annual $3000-per-employee savings for colleges’ and universities’ faculty and staff health care costs. If they occur, those savings won’t appear for several years.

If you’re in the eastern United States, you’ve probably seen the bumper stickers: “Ithica Ithaca is Gorges!” The phrase advertises the landscape surrounding Ithica, Ithaca, New York, which is roughly in the middle of the state, near the fingertip of Cayuga Lake.

The touristy boast takes on a darker meaning, however, when one considers that Cornell University students have jumped to their deaths from the bridges spanning the gorges. Six suicides have occurred in this academic year. The three most recent all occurred in 2010, and all involved the bridges. Some other years have also had what seemed to be a high suicide rate, while during others, there were none. Cornell is a very large institution (their total enrollment is 21,325), so the occurrences of things that are both positive and negative will be higher than that for smaller institutions.  However, this is no comfort to the students, staff and administration, and Cornell has been taking steps to prevent tragedies. Cornell adjusted its interpretation of FERPA to allow them to notify a student’s parents of signs of depression without the consent of the student. Faculty and staff members have been trained to spot the signs of depression. A team meets weekly to discuss students who may be suffering emotionally. The institution has beefed up its mental health and counseling services. Cornell has posted police officers on the bridges around campus.

Part of the problem might be something Cornell can’t do anything about: the gorges. The usual perception of a  suicidal person is that if the gorge weren’t accessible, he  would determinedly find another way to end his life.  That might not be the case. A study published in the British Journal of Criminology looked at suicide rates in Britain before and after the design of gas stoves was changed in the 1960s and 1970s.  Pre-1960s stoves delivered the gas in a way that made it easy for people to end their lives. Death by gas inhalation was far more common than any other suicide method during that time; nearly everyone, of course, has a stove. After stoves were made in a way that makes it more difficult to asphyxiate oneself with the gas, suicides decreased dramatically. Apparently the people who would’ve otherwise killed themselves with gas from the kitchen stove did not find another–less convenient–way to end their lives. Scott Anderson wrote about this study, and similar research, in an excellent New York Times Magazine article. Suicide, it seems, is often an impulsive act. If the impulse can be thwarted, the suicide is less likely to occur at all.

Survival in the college and university housing field requires being connected with others beyond our own institutions. It was a basic lesson in graduate school, but has become central in my life working in a department of only two professional staff members. I rely on my colleagues and friends at other institutions for shared resources; I also rely on them for support as I navigate unfamiliar waters of being a mid-level professional.

With The Placement Exchange and NASPA conference being only two hours from my campus this month, I had an easy excuse to drive to Chicago and visit with those who came to town. I carved time away from campus to have coffee with my grad school mentor. I spent hours with the student affairs community from Twitter, with whom I’ve only recently connected, but can’t imagine not having in my life. I crossed paths with a beloved faculty member from my graduate program. I visited with friends from GLACUHO. I met James, the voice behind the ACUHO-I Twitter account, who has provided me with a new tool for professional development via this blog.

In coincidental timing, a colleague from my first professional position is coming to visit this weekend. My enthusiasm, which is generally above average, is skyrocketing at this opportunity to reunite with the person I consider my best friend in the field.

I once asked a supervisor how she stays connected with her professional colleagues from her career path. Her answer was simple: She doesn’t. I was shocked. I can’t imagine not having this network for challenging discussion, for providing feedback, for providing raw enthusiasm that keeps me motivated on days when I feel isolated.

For a field that places people and connections at its center, we often neglect to maintain these relationships ourselves. How do you stay connected with colleagues personally and professionally outside of conferences?

Young adults do a lot of dangerous things, things that are widely acknowledged to be risky: drinking heavily; drinking and driving; drugs; standing on slanted, 30-degree rooftops in 5-inch heels (I’m personally guilty of that last one).  But some also do things that seem innocuous. Eating a peanut butter sandwich, some ice cream, or a slice of cake.

Increasing numbers of students have been arriving on college campuses with food allergies they are unable–or perhaps, unwilling–to manage by themselves. Perhaps their parents had done most of the work of coordinating doctors’ appointments, medications and keeping the illicit ingredient out of the way.  Despite the parent’s best intentions, their child arrives at college with limited ability to cope with their own condition. Some students may be reluctant to admit that their allergy limits them in any way. Some have never had a very severe reaction, and regard their allergy as a mere annoyance, rather than something that could be life-threatening.

The situation is difficult for dining halls as well; ensuring that adequate meals are created without allergens and making students aware of the ingredients of each dish, all the while creating delicious meals that appeal to everyone, providing a welcoming environment, and hopefully making a profit, or at least breaking even. Some institutions have opened special allergy-free kitchens and refrigerators to deal with the issue. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network introduced its College Network in 2009, a resource for students on institutions that can accommodate their diets.

Despite an institution’s best efforts, however, there’s no way of preventing an allergic student from eating an off-limits food, unknowingly or otherwise. And these are the sorts of things that keep administrators awake in the wee hours.

How has your institution dealt with this issue? Have food allergies affected the residence halls? Does a student who keeps a jar of peanut butter handy find it hard to live with a roommate who must avoid the stuff? Have allergies affected how the vending machines are stocked? Have you had to confront a student who is eating dangerously? Let us know.

Micah Fialka-Feldman, an intellectually disabled student at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, is in a program for students like him; he takes mainstream classes, but uses tutors and other assistants to keep up and complete his coursework. Since he’s a part-time student in a special program, he was not allowed to live on campus. His commute from his parents’ home takes about two hours, and Fialka-Feldman felt he was missing out on campus life. He sued for the right to live in the on-campus residences, and recently found out he won. He’s hoping to move in soon, to begin his last semester at Oakland.

Many institutions limit on-campus housing to full-time students because allowing part-time students to live in campus might lead to other issues: people who are mostly non-students taking advantage of the low rental rates on campus; students with too much free time. However, this sort of policy excludes students such as Fialka-Feldman, who are part-time for other reasons. Students with varying disabilities (diagnosed or otherwise) make managing the living environment more challenging. On the other hand, students who drink too much, who violate the community rules or who avoid participating in community gatherings, also make it harder to nurture a cohesive and safe community. Not all disruptive factors can be controlled, and at what cost? Have you encountered similar issues on your campus? How have you dealt with them?

The Center for Public Integrity has released a report on how sexual assault on college campuses are reported and how the disciplinary proceedings proceed. Sexual Assault on Campus Shrouded in Secrecy is the first in the series. Barriers Curb Reporting on Campus Sexual Assault and Campus Sexual Assault Statistics Don’t Add Up are parts two and three. Balancing the rights of the accuser and the accused is difficult. How does your system do this? Are there improvements that could be made?

National Public Radio has aired a two part series on college student mental health. They discuss the increasing need for mental health services on campus, the limited resources many institutions are able to devote to counseling and care, and how housing staff attempts to deal with at-risk students with sensitivity and urgency. The first story, on the growing need for mental health services, is here; the second, which is on overwhelmed mental health services is here.

The Senate Finance Committee’s recently approved health care bill specifies two sorts of health care plans: employer-provided and individual policies purchased through an insurance exchange. To much of the population, this would seem to cover all the forms of insurance, but those affiliated with college and universities know there’s a third way: college- and university-issued insurance. Health insurance plans issued by institutions of higher education fall into another category, “limited duration products” according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

This may be an inadvertent mistake, and representatives of the American College Health Association have written to Senators requesting clarification.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that, in 2007, 67% of college students 18-23 received health insurance through employer-provided plans (likely their parents’ plans); 6% used Medicaid and the like; 20% were uninsured, and 7% had insurance through another private plan, such as an college-issued program.

Student insurance plans were offered at 71% of private institutions, 82% of public institutions and 29% of two-year public institutions in 2008, reported the GAO.

LAST UPDATE, 10.29.09, 11:45 A.M.: A New Surge in Flu Cases; Vaccine is Hard to Find

ACUHO-I has covered H1N1 in depth here on the blog (view stories in the “Health” category or search for the H1N1 tag), and also has established a resource page on our Web site for further information. ACUHO-I members are also encouraged to visit the Health & Safety forum on the ACUHO-I network to post questions for other members.

As stories continue to come out, we will utilize the “sticky” tag to keep this post at the top of our blog feed and simply update the post as necessary. Click on the link to read more of this post and look for updates. (more…)

The American College Health Association, in the first of a series of weekly reports, announced that more than half of the 165 colleges surveyed reported at least one occurrence of the H1N1 virus on their campus. While 55% is an unnerving number, the illnesses, when compared with the total number of students at the institutions, 7.9 per 10,000 students, show the outbreak is still mild.

Swine Flu, AKA H1N1, AKA Novel H1N1, is joining students at move-in, apparently. Fortunately, the number of cases reported, while stretching nationwide, are hardly epidemic: a few people here, a few there.

Some institutions have had more sickness than others; the University of Kansas had 319 affected students at one point, but that number is now decreasing. The institution has 30,000 students, so while the illnesses are disconcerting, they represent just over 1 percent of the student population. Colleges and universities nationwide are urging students to protect themselves from infection and offering instructions for ill students.

You will all be surely comforted, however, that this valiant crusader is on your side against H1N1.