Quick hits.
- A survey of over 10,000 undergraduates in the University of Wisconsin system found that about 30 percent of students feel uncomfortable sharing their thoughts in the classroom, especially when it comes to hot-button issues. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities by a group of former football players who accused the institution of discriminating against them on the basis of gender. The suit was filed after the players were suspended or expelled for allegedly sexually assaulting a female student in 2016. (KARE)
- In a top-secret trip, Will Smith visited Tougaloo College to speak with a group of mass-communications and performing-arts students. He did it as a favor to Aunjanue Ellis, his co-star in the movie King Richard, who is an alum of the college. (WAPT)
- The University of Houston rescinded a faculty decision that theater students should wear neon vests while rehearsing outdoors, a policy that some theater faculty members had called for after a campus police officer drew a gun on a Black student rehearsing a scene. (NBC News)
How should faculty handle requests for mental-health accommodations?
Eric Enriquez is a determined student. But some days, his mental-health challenges make it difficult for him to participate in class. When he’s feeling overwhelmed, he appreciates instructors who are flexible with attendance and assignments, or who provide remote-learning options. Enriquez is one of many students who believe that colleges should scale up such accommodations for academic-related distress.
Across higher ed, there’s a growing recognition of the connection between students’ well-being and their success in the classroom. Some colleges and faculty members are creating or considering new policies to support students when they need a day to tend to their mental health. But providing the kinds of academic accommodations that many students are calling for –– such as reforms to extension and attendance guidelines –– requires instructors to shoulder new responsibilities and change old habits and standards that some of them value.
Campus officials and professors are debating how to balance academic rigor with increased flexibility for students, as well as who should be responsible for determining when students should get a break.
Read more from our Julian Roberts-Grmela.
Undergraduate enrollment shows signs of recovery.
Undergraduate enrollment has stabilized, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which provides a final tally on enrollment for the fall of 2022. It marks a slowdown of a trend that had been in effect for years and that had worsened during the pandemic.
Undergraduate enrollment in the fall of 2022 fell only 0.6 percent, or by 94,000 students, from a year earlier. Total enrollment in the fall of 2022 was essentially flat as well — down by 0.7 percent from a year earlier.
But the odds of a bounce-back to pre-pandemic levels are still remote. Since the pandemic began, undergraduate and total enrollment have each dropped by more than a million students.
Read more from our Audrey Williams June.
Comings and goings.
- John Shannon, provost and senior vice president at Trine University, in Indiana, has been named president of the university.
- Sarah Kottich, former executive vice president at the College of Saint Mary, in Nebraska, has been named executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Millikin University, in Illinois.
- Rich Mendola, enterprise chief information officer and senior vice provost for information technology at Emory University, has been named vice president and chief information officer at the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
To submit a new-hire announcement, email people@chronicle.com.
Footnote.
George Washington University recently sent a “campus advisory” email alerting students about a pattern of robberies related to Canada Goose jackets.
“The jackets have been taken off of victims, and in some cases, weapons have been brandished,” the email said. “These jackets are very expensive, and our community members should be mindful while wearing them, even in very public spaces.”
The cheapest Canada Goose jacket is $550, but most winter parkas from the trendy label are over $1,000. The brand is often associated with elitism on college campuses, as discussed in Anthony Jack’s book The Privileged Poor.
Has your college warned its students about the potential dangers of wearing expensive clothing or the need to safeguard other high-value items? I’d love to hear from you at marcela@chronicle.com.
