Daily Lumina News 082321

Across the country, colleges and universities are facing a huge increase in the number of students who need mental health care.
Many schools are trying to respond to the rising demand by expanding student support services—despite trying to do so on limited budgets. But there are reasons for schools to figure out a solution. Students who are having a hard time with their mental health are more likely to drop out, which is bad for the schools and bad for students.

Paid internships made it possible for Ashley McCullough, founder of a scholarship program for students from her high school alma mater, to cover the costs of attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University—but the influence of being compensated was far bigger than that.
Interns should be paid, McCullough writes in this commentary, because it shows them that their work has value.

Many students in the class of 2024 had their high school experience cut short in 2020, missing prom and graduation, and went on to a freshman year that was either fully remote or required them to spit in a test tube before moving into the dorms, where they lived relatively isolated lives to prevent the spread of the virus.
As colleges and universities attempt to return to some semblance of normal this year, many are scrambling to find ways to engage sophomores and help them find their on-campus communities.

The surging coronavirus Delta variant is spurring some colleges to make early changes to their health and safety plans as students arrive on campuses for the fall. Some schools are making last-minutes decisions to move classes online; others are reinstating mandatory mask wearing where allowed by law, even among vaccinated students and employees.
Not every college is adjusting fall plans, however, prompting backlash among some faculty members, staff, and students.