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?
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.
In Inside HigherEd this week: Campus counseling centers report a 16% increase in their visitors in 2009; the gender gap has quit growing (mostly), and plagiarism education helps prevent that form of cheating — perhaps because students are aware their institution is paying attention to the issue; perhaps because they previously didn’t realize what qualifies as plagiarism.
NO MORE EARLY VACATIONS: Think it’s not worth holding class the Friday before spring break? Faculty leaders at Penn State want you to know they disagree.
LOOKING FOR HELP: Campus counseling centers report a 16% increase in last year in students seeking assistance.
GENDER GAP STOPS GROWING: New analysis suggests that — except for Latinos — the decline in male enrollment rates has leveled off:
PLAGIARISM PREVENTION WITHOUT FEAR: New trial suggests that teaching students about integrity issues can be effective, especially with those who may otherwise be the most likely to copy.
AWAITING THE TABLET: Will Apple’s new electronic device galvanize the market for e-textbooks and transform higher education?
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 Task Force on Gambling Policies has released “Call to Action,” a report on college and university efforts to curb problem gambling. The task force was created by the Cambridge Health Alliance’s Division on Addictions, which is affiliated with Harvard University and funded the National Center for Responsible Gambling, the charity branch of the American Gambling Association. (The NCRG’s logo is made to look like slots. Cute.)
Several studies on college student gambling are cited in the report. One, from 2003, found that 42 percent of college students had gambled the previous year; others suggest that between 3 and 11 percent of college students have a serious gambling problem. The report states that only 22 percent of colleges and universities have formal gambling policies. The report offers ten recommendations for colleges and universities, and can be read in full here.
Have you had cases where student gambling — anything from football pools to online poker — has posed an issue on your campus?
“Conversations,” a regular department in the Talking Stick magazine, is dedicated to capturing dialogue between high-level professionals on the topics that affect campus housing. The July+August 2009 issue featured a conversation on student substance abuse that was so thorough and valuable, that it all couldn’t fit on the printed page.
The following is the complete conversation featuring Valerie Randall-Lee (Northeastern University in Boston), Dan Pedersen (St. Cloud University in Minnesota), and Paul Hubinsky (Illlinois Institute of Technology in Chicago). After reading, please share your own thoughts about student substance abuse and the efforts your campus is making to address it in the comment section.
A selection of college housing and student affairs headlines from InsideHigherEd.com. Look for these on a weekly basis in the ACUHO-I news blog.
REACHING STUDENTS WHO DON’T REPORT DEPRESSION: Study at 20 colleges suggests that screening those seeking primary medical care, combined with new type of case manager, can yield huge gains in treating those who might never get help:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/29/depression
PAYING FOR CAMPUS HEALTH CARE: At college health gathering, a packed house hears encouragement for the idea of requiring all students to be enrolled in a single insurance plan:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/28/health
IN GLOBAL RECESSION, GLOBAL ED STILL GROWING: At international educators’ conference, panelists discuss the impact of the financial crisis on student mobility.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/29/international
CLIMATE REPORT: About three-fourths of colleges are meeting their reporting deadlines under a national pledge to reduce carbon emissions:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/28/climate
THE DISTANCE ED TIPPING POINT: Community colleges consider: What happens when your online enrollments hit 50 percent (or some other level that changes nature of the institution)?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/05/26/distance
This seems to be the philosophy of many college students regarding seeking counseling for mental health issues. At least, that’s one conclusion that could be drawn from a study recently released by the Center for the Study of Collegiate Mental Health (CSCMH) based at Penn State University. Counseling centers at institutions nationwide, 137 in all, participate in the CSCMH. The recently released study is a pilot, so there will be comparison numbers in the future.
One alarming statistic from the study: One in four college students who have visited a campus counseling center for mental health reasons has seriously considered suicide. This may indicate students delay seeking help, waiting until things seem very dire. Mental health issues still carry a stigma, and many college students likely feel they are young and invincible, even to the mental demands of college and young adult life.
Some students are likely pressed to accomplish and experience too much, in too many arenas, all at once. A recent New Yorker article discusses the use of “neuroenhancing” drugs, such as those prescribed for ADHD, and how students use these to pack as much as possible into every 24-hour cycle. College–and life–pulls students in many directions, and with little or no sleep or food, students using neuroenhancer drugs party, study, attend meetings, write papers and generally run themselves ragged. The article goes on to discuss how this mindset is expressed in the post-college world as well.
Young adults tend to think they are healthy by virtue of being young, but that’s not the case, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control.
According to a recent report from the CDC, a third of those 18-29 are cigarette smokers; a quarter are obese; two-thirds don’t get regular physical activity. As a result, chronic health issues are found in younger and younger populations, said a CNN health expert. On top of this,young adults tend to take more risks; their chances of accidental death are two to three times more likely than those of other age groups. The transitional, uncertain nature of young adult life is also to blame; many are without medical coverage, and they are more likely to have mental health issues than other age groups.
Much has been written and discussed about the increasing demand for mental health services on college campuses and the benefits they could deliver. However, results of a recent survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors show that counseling centers remain understaffed.
The results — presented at the NASPA annual conference and reported by The Chronicle of Higher Eduction — indicate that the professional-staff-to-student ratio averages out to one staff member per 1,952 students. The group, however, indicated an ideal ratio of 1 staff person per 1,500 students.
When faced with low staff numbers, the importance of communication between staff (both counseling and housing departments), the students, and their parents becomes even more important. You can read more about this in the story “Widening the Safety Net,” available in the new print and digital issue of the Talking Stick magazine.
In December, FERPA got a makeover.
FERPA is, of course, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which attempts to establish the situations in which student records can or cannot be disclosed by an institution of higher education. Previous FERPA rules were restrictive in favor of student privacy, and somewhat vague as well. Institutions and parents sometimes found the rules binding and confusing. Colleges and universities were reluctant to release student information inappropriately, thus violating FERPA.
The revision follows 120 comments from higher education associations, institutions and other interested parties. As a result, the more confusing parts of FERPA have been clarified, and the new take on the law allows institutions a bit more leeway with regard to individual circumstances. In the first incarnation of the law, information was only to be disclosed in an “emergency” and this circumstance was narrowly defined. This definition has been stricken. Now institutions can disclose student information “if there is an articulable and significant threat to the health or the safety of the student or other individuals.” Administrators have more latitude also, when they decide which records to release and to whom this information should be given. Tragedies, such as the Virginia Tech shootings, may have prompted these clarifications, and the greater ability of institutions to manage troubling situations without violating FERPA. The law also covers issues such as accessibility of directory information, the use of Social Security numbers and the release of academic records. The regulations took effect January 8. The US Department of Education has provided a guide on FERPA 2.0.
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