Lynette Paczkowski Writes “Support Responsibilities in an Age of Campus Suicide” for the New England Journal of Higher Education

By Lynette Paczkowski  •  June 13, 2018

Lynette Paczkowski wrote “Support Responsibilities in an Age of Campus Suicide” for the New England Journal of Higher Education. Below is an excerpt from the article:

In 2004, then-University of New England President Sandra Featherman authored a piece for NEJHE (then called Connection) headlined “Emotional Rescue” and focusing on how a new generation of troubled college students was putting a strain on campus resources. Featherman, who died in April, wrote of colleges and universities scrambling to provide additional and better support services for students in need. She cited to a 2001 University of Pittsburgh survey in which 85% of schools reported increases in the severity of problems presenting at campus counseling centers over the preceding five years. Eight years later, a NEJHE article by Lasell College admission counselor Christopher M. Gray asked whether the proliferation of natural disasters and tragedies like the Sandy Hook mass shooting were creating a new category of emotionally vulnerable college students. Specifically, he suggested that it was higher education professionals’ “duty to aid these college-bound students as much as possible,” and urged the provision of counseling, knowledge and support. But moral duties and obligations aside, what is a higher education institution’s legal obligation to provide support services? And from a risk-management perspective, if the institution provides such services, what is its liability if the student’s mental health issues nevertheless consume him or her?

Continue reading “Support Responsibilities in an Age of Campus Suicide” on the New England Journal of Higher Education website.