The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

College Says That Pork Is Off Limits On Its Campus

No pork, no more. At least, that’s the message atPaul Quinn College in Dallas. Paul Quinn, a small liberal arts college affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, has nixed pork products from its campus dining facility. That's the message of Michael J. Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas. Well, part of the message at least - after all, Sorrell didn't ban pork from his campus dining facilities arbitrarily. No - the decision to stop offering any pork products was based in a much broader institutional philosophy, the president says. Read more at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-08-09/college-bans-pork/56912112/1

Students Stressed Out About Paying For Higher Education

Three of four students ages 14 to 23 have “some” or “major” concerns about how they’ll pay for college, according to a new study released Wednesday. The cost of higher education is so high that some high school seniors and their parents are questioning how they will be able to pay for it – or if it’s worth the huge expense.  Students in college aren't the only ones feeling the financial stress. The survey of 1,500 students by the Horatio Alger Association included kids as young as 14 and found that they had major concerns about paying for higher education. Read more at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/kcpq-3-of-4-students-concerned-about-how-theyll-play-for-college-survey-shows-20120808,0,5697898.story

Online Survey Will Help Identify College Students At-Risk For Suicide

Counselors at the University of California are updating the way they approach student mental health. An online survey developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will soon be available at all 10 UC campuses. The goal is to connect at-risk students with campus mental health counselors before it's too late. AFSP estimates that 15 percent of college students are affected by some type of mental disorder. Read more at:
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/04/4691547/uc-to-offer-online-mental-health.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/04/4691547/uc-to-offer-online-mental-health.htmlRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/04/4691547/uc-to-offer-online-mental-health.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/04/4691547/uc-to-offer-online-mental-health.html#storylink=cpy

 

Colleges Offer Online Support For Depressed And Suicidal Students

In the fall, about 70 universities nationwide will have the service, including all 10 University of California undergraduate campuses. It is designed to bridge conversation between students who need help and those equipped to provide it. Created by the New York City-based American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the program aims to identify troubled students anonymously through their responses to a voluntary survey they will receive a link to in an email that will be sent to everyone admitted to UC. If survey answers raise red flags, a counselor will initiate contact and invite the student to continue communicating, still anonymously, via a dialogue on the website. Read more at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uc-suicide-20120729,0,693193.story

Over 700 Colleges Now Ban Smoking On Campus

At a growing number of campuses nationwide, total bans on cigarettes and other tobacco products are showing up, barring students from lighting up anywhere on school grounds – even in the open air.Between January 2011 and this January, the number ofUS colleges and universities with total smoking bans rose from 466 to 648, according to the group Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Already this year, 126 schools have moved forward with smoke-free policies that apply to all areas of campus. Some take that policy a step further by forbidding all forms of tobacco, including chewing tobacco. Read more at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2012/0725/Smoking-bans-Tobacco-free-college-campuses-on-rise-in-US

Your College Campus May Be Going Smoke-Free Soon

Bans on use, advertising and sales of tobacco in all its forms are being enacted or considered at perhaps half of campuses nationwide, sometimes over the objections of student smokers, staff and faculty. The movement is driven by mounting evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke, the reduced costs of smoke-free dorms and a drive to minimize enticements to smoke at a critical age for forming lifelong habits. California's state system will begin to bar tobacco use in 2013. A ban on use and advertising at the City University of New York system goes into effect in September, and the University of Missouri at Columbia is going smoke-free in 2014. Read more at:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/06/28/colleges_move_toward_absolute_bans_on_smoking/

Beer Giant Will Help Fund An Anti-Binge Drinking Program

Beer giant Anheuser-Busch will pay the University of Iowa about $185,000 over four years to help support the university’s anti-binge-drinking programs, an athletics department official said. The payments, which start at $43,000 and scale up to $50,000 the final year, are part of a sponsorship agreement finalized this month that allows Anheuser-Busch and the U of I Tigerhawk logos to appear together on some merchandise and advertisements. Read more at:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120622/NEWS02/306220015/1004?nclick_check=1 

 

To Compete For Best Colleges Prospective Students Will Abuse Prescription Stimulants

At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse prescription stimulants. While these medicines tend to calm people with A.D.H.D., those without the disorder find that just one pill can jolt them with the energy and focus to push through all-night homework binges and stay awake during exams afterward.  But abuse of prescription stimulants can lead to depression and mood swings (from sleep deprivation), heart irregularities and acute exhaustion or psychosis during withdrawal. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/education/seeking-academic-edge-teenagers-abuse-stimulants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

College Libraries Offer Puppies, Massages, Yoga And More To Help Students Cope With Finals Week Stress

Anyone who's suffered through finals week knows just how stressful it can be. But bring puppies into the mix and, at least for a moment, the stress evaporates. The library brought in the puppies to help students ease their stress as they prepare for finals next week. Organizers also are offering yoga classes, free 10-minute massages and a paper airplane contest today. "Working in the library, you can feel the anxiety level leap," librarian Jennifer Petersen said. "This is a real stressful week for them." Read more at:
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/may/03/college-brings-in-puppies-to-ease-students/

 

More Colleges Establishing Smoke-Free Campuses

From banning tobacco companies from advertising to kicking cigarettes off school grounds altogether, colleges are making it harder or even impossible to smoke on campus. The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation estimates there are about 700 smoke-free campuses around the country. One of the pioneers in Alabama, Troy University, will go 100 percent smoke-free -- that means no smoking anywhere, indoors or out. Others are taking steps, if not quite going that far. Read more at:
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/04/alabama_colleges_take_more_ste.html