University’s Staff Demand Raises Amid Rising Student Mental Health Concerns
University of Illinois at Chicago faculty are asking for significant pay rises partly because student mental health needs have become so severe and time consuming to address. Separately, Yale University launched new policies for helping students with mental health problems.
The Chronicle for Higher Education:
As Students’ Mental-Health Concerns Grow, One University’s Professors Say They Should Get A Raise
University of Illinois at Chicago faculty say they deserve to be paid more, partly because students’ mental-health needs in recent years have become so severe and time-consuming to address, while administrators have failed to adequately respond. The faculty of the more than 34,000-student campus went on strike Tuesday after more than nine months of negotiations. They’re demanding that the university raise their pay by 21 percent over the next three years and raise the minimum salary for faculty from $50,000 to $61,000. They’re also calling for the administration to provide all students with mental-health assessments and increase their on-campus access to therapy. (Roberts-Grmela, 1/17)
The Washington Post:
Yale Changes Mental Health Policies For Students In Crisis
Yale University unveiled sweeping changes Wednesday that will allow students suffering from mental health problems to take time off without losing health insurance or facing a daunting application process for reinstatement — policies that have been under increasing fire from students and alumni. Under the new policy, students in mental crisis will be able to take leaves of absences instead of being forced to withdraw, and they can return to classes when they feel ready, Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis told students in an email. (Wan, 1/18)
In other news about mental health —
Reuters:
U.S. Mayors Meet In Washington To Tackle Mental Illness, Immigration
Mayors from across the United States gathered in Washington for their annual winter conference this week to tackle major issues facing their cities, with mental health, addiction and mass migration high on their lists. ... Mayors are determined to tackle the suffering they see on their streets, said Reno, Nevada, Mayor Hillary Schieve. "That is the No. 1 issue in every city," Schieve, an independent, said at a news conference, adding that she personally wanted to see an end to "treating jails as mental health hospitals." (Borter, 1/18)
Science Daily:
ADHD Persists Throughout Life – Strongly Linked To Mental Health Issues Like Anxiety And Depression
A new UK study shows adults with high levels of ADHD symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with autism. Adults with high levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with high levels of autistic traits, according to new research led by psychologists at the University of Bath in the UK. (University of Bath, 1/18)
People:
Mich. Mom and 2 Boys Found Frozen to Death in Field After Mother Suffers Mental Health Crisis
A Michigan mother and two of her three children were found frozen to death in a vacant field after authorities said she suffered a mental health crisis. Monica Cannady, 35, "believed someone was trying to kill her and that everybody was in on it," before she, and her sons, Kyle Milton, 9, and Malik Milton, 3, died of hypothermia on Jan. 15, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said during a press conference. (Acosta, 1/17)
St. Louis Public Radio:
Afghan And Syrian Women Refugees Seek Therapy For Past Trauma
Many women from war-torn countries suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses and do not receive therapy. Oasis International, a St. Louis nonprofit, intends to help women who fled conflict in Afghanistan and Syria and resettled in the region cope with that trauma with a free group therapy session on Thursday. (Henderson, 1/19)
