Daily Debriefing
By Kate Farley
Published on Monday, May 21, 2007
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law released a guide Thursday outlining how colleges and universities should respond to students who show signs of mental health disorders. While the center did not create the guidelines specifically in response to the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, the center's executive director Robert Bernstein called the release was "particularly timely." The model policy advises colleges to encourage troubled students to seek proactive counseling, and also recommends against disciplinary action for students exhibiting symptoms of mental health problems, such as suicide attempt or self-injury, as such action could discourage other troubled students from seeking help. The release also cites a 2006 study by the American College Health Association that found that 43.8 percent of students surveyed had felt severely depressed during the past year.
The College Democrats held a discussion on two current pieces of legislation regarding public education funding on Sunday evening. One proposed amendment to the New Hampshire constitution, CACR 18, calls for the general court of New Hampshire to "distribute state aid to promote equal opportunity to receive an adequate education." The second piece of legislation, HB-927-FN, is a bill currently pending approval by the NH House that would provide a definition of an "adequate education." Leaders of the College Democrats felt that the issues were controversial within political parties and important to New Hampshire's future. CACR sponsors State Sen. Peter Burling, D-Cornish, and State Rep. Sharon Nordgren, D-Grafton, were in attendance, and Concord attorney Martin Gross served as a facilitator.
Southern New Hampshire University leaders announced on Saturday that the college would embark on a plan to become carbon neutral within two years. The school has partnered with PPM Energy's Maple Ridge Wind Farm in New York in order to balance emission of carbon dioxide with restorative actions. The planned emissions reductions are equivalent to removing 2,100 cars from the roads. The overall plan spans 15 years and could help the university cut energy costs by $2.6 million per year. SNHU would become the first university or college campus in New Hampshire to be carbon neutral, and one of only a handful of schools in the nation to have a carbon policy.