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Upon completion of my Master's in Student Development in Higher Education with a certificate in Academic Advising, I hope to get an opportunity to work in the Academic Advising department.  Academic advisors have the responsibility to understand students in different levels, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to have a helpful advisor during my undergraduate years.  I plan to learn more about mental disabilities to assist students before it interferes with the students academic success.  Mental health is clearly linked to retention and academic performance (Backels & Wheeler, 2001).  Therefore, learning and teaching others on the excellent resources that are available in school to help prevent any suicidal thoughts or violence crisis in campus. The main audience that need to work closely with the students are the student affairs professionals and educators.  They must learn the signals of students distress such as excessive procrastination, decrease in the quality of work, or threats regarding self or others (Harper & Peterson, 2005).

References
Harper, R. & Peterson, M. (2005). Mental health issues and college students. NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources.  https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Mental-health-issues-in-advising.aspx

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2. Mental Health Disabilities Concerns and its Impact on Higher Education

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2. Mental Health Disabilities Concerns and its Impact on Higher Education

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The University of Houston Downtown (UHD) college students with mental disabilities are treated unequally because they are perceived as being different.  It is important for the student affairs professionals and educators to be aware of the different types of mental crisis that a student is going through.  Some examples of mental disabilities include maniac depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders.  These students need the appropriate help by providing resources needed to succeed in their education years and they have the right to receive accommodations in their courses. The faculty and staff of the University of Houston Downtown need trainings in how to handle students during mental breakdowns in school or in their classroom.  Therefore, developing  special programs to empower the students with mental disabilities and mentoring programs for educators will prevent any violence or distress in students.  Student affairs professionals and educators have the heavy responsibility of reviewing and understanding school policies and procedures regarding students suffering from mental health problems.  In addition, the increase in the mental health disabilities that is caused by the type of disabilities mentioned earlier can lead to violence if the student feels depressed and decides to commit suicide or take the lives of others.  It can be a great danger in higher education campuses if they also decide to bring arms to school.  Is important to focus on these students that need more attention to increase the student well-being and safety while decreasing the dangerous consequences of untreated mental disabilities.

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3. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) 

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3. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) 

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NASPA provides seminars, training opportunities and articles that informs on how to handle mental health issues in campuses.  In this article, it explains that the goal is to raise awareness to student affairs professionals and educators to expand their knowledge on how to handle a mental crisis situation before it leads to a dangerous matter.  It explains the importance of coming together to take care of the mental health concern of student and acknowledge the strategies to handle an specific situation (Stebleton, 2019).

References
Stebleton, M.J. (2019).  Building a community of care: Mental health is everyone's business. NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. https://www.naspa.org/blog/building-a-community-of-care-mental-health-is-everyone-s-business

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JCC Connexions, Vol. 5, No. 4. Nov. 2019
New Spaces & Roles for Student Affairs: An Ongoing Column of JCC Connexions

Mental health represents one of the most pressing issues facing higher education. Indeed, college student mental health has been a critical issue for higher education for over two decades. Kadison and DiGeronimo's (2004) groundbreaking book, College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do about It, served as an important alert for higher education professionals to pay greater attention to students' mental health concerns.

Unfortunately, despite over a decade of clarion calls about the need to address this challenge, students continue to experience mental health challenges and mental illness at increasingly high rates-and of increasing severity. The mental health epidemic remains a serious problem-and students, faculty, staff, and administrators are still overwhelmed. Furthermore, institutions are beginning to understand that faculty and staff may also experience mental health challenges more frequently than in the past.
Recent Statistics
Recent statistics demonstrate the severity of varied mental health concerns that affect college students. According to current data from NCHA II (spring 2019), within the past 12 months, undergraduate students in the United States responded that:

-46.2% felt so depressed it was difficult to function

-66.4% experienced overwhelming anxiety

-14.4% seriously considered suicide, up from 12.7% in the fall of 2018

-67.4% felt very lonely

Moreover, mental health issues disproportionally affect some marginalized populations such as students of color, immigrants, LGBTI students, and/or first-generation students, many who already encounter contextual and institutional barriers (e.g., racism).

Qualitative Studes

Qualitative studies that explore student mental health experiences, including the work of my own team, support the survey data that indicates this complex problem is getting worse, not better. Clear epidemiological evidence as to the cause of this epidemic remain elusive, but studies continue to indicate correlations between various, interacting sociocultural factors.

Examples include a hyper-competitive academic environment, microaggressions, socio-political divisions, and excessive social media use. Many of us who work directly with students as faculty, staff, and/or student affairs practitioners know students who cope with some of these issues. While concern for students' wellbeing is paramount, we must also consider the impacts of mental health challenges on students' academics and their learning. In the NCHA II survey, 52.7% of students reported that academics had been traumatic, or very difficult to handle.
Not Only Students
Students are not the only population within higher education who face these challenges. Evidence suggests that higher education professionals struggle with their own mental health-this overlooked area merits further attention and care. At the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, many of us were struck by the tragic news of a leader in counseling and mental health services.

Gregory Eells, director of Counseling and Psychological Service at the University of Pennsylvania, died by suicide. I did not know Dr. Eells personally; however, I am familiar with his work and leadership. Many of us were left questioning how this could happen to an expert on college student mental health and suicide. While Eells's death leaves us with more questions than answers, one thing is clear: no one is immune from the impact of mental health challenges, and we are all responsible for creating a culture of care for students, and each other.
A Community of Care
Educators and other "helpers" in higher education contexts need supporters. After Eells's death, the editorial board of Daily Pennsylvanian contributed a column that served as a reminder about taking care of fellow colleagues.Several lines struck me: "as our campus comes together to process and to grieve, we must remember that it's okay to lean on one another. We must check in with each other, especially with those whom we may often overlook: our leaders, our mentors, and our support systems." Often, we may assume that leaders and caregivers are invincible and capable of overcoming their own problems.

How can we address the growing mental health concerns of students and higher education professionals? To be honest, I am reluctant to offer a tidy list of well-acknowledged strategies (e.g., be aware of referral sources on campus). Instead, I share one institutional effort that holds potential for creating a campus community of care.
A Campus-Wide Initiative
A community of care-where individuals discuss mental health issues openly and without stigma-merits attention and further development. Senior leaders need to assume key roles. For example, I am proud to say that the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities recently installed Joan T.A. Gabel as the 17 th (and first woman) president of the university. As part of her initial priorities, Dr. Gabel aims to make mental health awareness and mental illness prevention a campus-wide initiative. To demonstrate this commitment, inauguration activities included an event titled, "Student Mental Health from the Lens of Prevention and Resilience" featuring students, faculty, and clinicians.

The initiative at the University of Minnesota-Twin serves as one example. It represents a start to an ongoing conversation, but not the end. More discussions need to occur regularly across college campuses if we are to stem the rising rates of mental health challenges, mental illness, and suicide.
Everybody's Business
Keeling (2014) discussed creating an ethic of care for students, and we need to extend that ethic of care and culture to the larger university and college-wide communities. Mental health needs to become everybody's business; only then will we see significant positive shifts.
Michael Stebleton References
Acknowledgement: The author would like to thank colleague Lisa Kaler for her thoughtful contributions to this column.

American College Health Association (2019). American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Undergraduate Student Executive Summary Spring 2019. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association.

Kadison, R., & DiGeronimo, T.F. (2004). College of the overwhelmed: The campus mental health crisis and what to do about it. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Keeling, R. P. (2014). An ethic of care in higher education: Well-being and learning. Journal of College and Character, 15(3), 141-148. http://doi.org/10.1515/jcc-2014-0018

The Daily Pennsylvanian Editorial Board (2019, September 11). In the wake of Gregory Eells' tragic death, remember helpers need help too. The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved from: https://www.thedp.com/article/2019/09/mental-illness-gregory-eells-cornell-anxiety-depression-upenn-philadelphia

Click on the icon belo w to see more articles in

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Building a Community of Care: Mental Health Is Everyone's Business

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JCC Connexions, Vol. 5, No. 4. Nov. 2019 Mental health represents one of the most pressing issues facing higher education. Indeed, college student mental health has been a critical issue for higher education for over two decades.

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4.  Mental Health Needs Rise With Pandemic

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4.  Mental Health Needs Rise With Pandemic

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During this pandemic students are suffering with mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression.

Students have been uncertain about their college education and post college careers.

Their panic is if the campuses will remain open as COVID-19 infections spread and if administrators will send students back home.

The existing problem is the understaffing  of mental health support systems, and students are leaving without the help they need.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the number of 18-to-24-years old had seriously considered suicide and the percentage of positive depression and anxiety are higher rates than in previous years.

In addition, college staff members who manage health services must now balance servicing students' mental health needs with an unprecedented level of monitoring their physical health, through COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and related care (Anderson, 2020).

References
Anderson, G. (2020). Mental health needs rise with pandemic. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/09/11/students-great-need-mental-health-support-during-pandemic

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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While the country continues to battle the coronavirus, college health professionals are also monitoring a growing crisis among young adults struggling with mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, anxiety and depression related to the pandemic.

Several recent surveys of students suggest their mental well-being has been devastated by the pandemic's social and economic consequences, as well as the continued uncertainty about their college education and postcollege careers. Still reeling from the emergency closures of campuses across the country during the spring semester and the sudden shifts to online instruction, students are now worried about the fall semester and whether campuses that reopened for in-person instruction can remain open as COVID-19 infections spread among students and panicked college administrators quickly shift gears and send students who'd recently arrived back home.

Kelly Davis, director of peer advocacy supports and services for Mental Health America, or MHA, said she anticipates an influx of students who have not previously sought mental health support from their colleges will be requesting resources this fall. She's worried many counseling centers are unprepared.

"Around October, there tends to be a dip in mental health, and that's in students who are on campus and not during a pandemic," said Davis, who leads MHA's Collegiate Mental Health Innovation Council. "That's going to be a really intense time ... I think we're going to run into a larger version of the same problem we've seen on campus -- people are struggling, we tell them to reach out for help, but we didn't build the help."

Existing and prevalent problems in colleges mental health support systems, such as long wait times and understaffing, could be exacerbated by increased demand and leave students without the help they need, she said. Colleges may be forced to improve access to these resources on the fly, but Davis believes the widespread shift to remote learning by colleges this spring proved that "when schools are pushed, they can act​."

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month about the pandemic's effect on mental health identified that a disproportionate number of 18- to 24-year-olds -- about one-quarter of those surveyed -- had "seriously considered suicide" in the last 30 days. A separate study by the Student Experience in the Research University found that students are screening positive for depression and anxiety at higher rates than in previous years. Despite these data, students have said the pandemic has made it harder to access mental health care.

Another report from Chegg.org, the research and advocacy arm of the student services company of the same name, and four youth mental health advocacy and suicide prevention organizations released on Sept. 10 found that 58 percent of college students surveyed said they were "moderately," "very" or "extremely" worried about their own mental health. Forty-six percent said they feel anxious specifically about returning to a physical campus during the fall semester, said the report.

New restrictions by colleges on students' social interactions and shared physical spaces, and the ability to freely interact without a nagging anxiety about potential exposure to the coronavirus, can affect students in unique ways, said Asia Wong, student health services and counseling director at Loyola University New Orleans. Students may feel isolated or lonely because they can't have visitors in their residence halls. Relationships between roommates can be complicated by students attending unsafe gatherings and putting one another at risk. Some students may be struggling with the loss of a parent or other relative to COVID-19 and may be away from their support networks, Wong said.

Braden Renke, a junior at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania and creator of a mental health advocacy group on campus, The Pizza Project, has anxiety disorder and said in an email that the various "unknown" factors about the pandemic have been particularly difficult for her. Limited access to campus in the spring and social distancing have made it harder for her organization to share information about available support services and gather students to discuss mental health over pizza, which are the main objectives of the group, Renke wrote. The students she has connected with say their mental health has "plummeted," she wrote.

"The workload has tremendously increased and at a school like F&M where academic rigor is a major value, students feel extra pressure to perform in extremely unknown circumstances," wrote Renke, who is a former member of the MHA collegiate mental health council. "Many students are at home in unstable environments, are struggling with financial hardships, and are struggling with the lack of a 'normal' routine."

College staff members who manage health services must now balance servicing students' mental health needs with an unprecedented level of monitoring their physical health, through COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and related care. Wong said nearly her entire focus since students returned to campus for the start of classes on Aug. 24 has been on students' physical health. Meanwhile, mental health counseling has remained "on the margins," she said.

"I used to say that as director of counseling and student health that health takes up 25 percent of my time and counseling took up about 75 percent of my time," Wong said. "Now student health takes up about 110 percent of my time."

Janis Whitlock, director of the Cornell University Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery and senior adviser to the Jed Foundation, said the sense of "possibility" that drives young people through their early life is diminished by being physically isolated. JED, a youth mental health advocacy and suicide-prevention organization, leads a campus program that has worked with more than 300 colleges and universities in the United States to improve mental health resources.

"For young adults, so much that's pulling them into the world is possibility," Whitlock said. "The future is uncertain for all sorts of reasons. They don't know that things will go back to normal ... As someone who's had a lot of life, I'm not going to be impacted in the way that they will be."

Even as some mental health reports signal troubling trends among college students, other experts believe the problem may not be as bad it seems.

Harry Rockland-Miller, a clinical psychologist who directed the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for more than 20 years, noted that a Sept. 8 post from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University, or CCMH, contradicts other findings and states that students' levels of stress are similar to what they were in 2019, despite the pandemic.

The post said that the reports about "worsening college student mental health may be more complex" than they are made out to be.

The CCMH, which collects national data directly from students who seek help at college counseling centers, reported that the average levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and other forms of stress among students seeking help during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years were "very similar," the post said. The center's post analyzed data through May of both years.

"While it has been commonly suggested that student mental health distress worsened dramatically following the COVID-19 response in March 2020, CCMH data shows that the distress of students seeking services was generally similar to the same time periods the year prior, with only slight increases in Academic and Family Distress," the post said.

But Wong said students now seeking help at the counseling center at Loyola have not had appointments before, indicating an increase in students that were not previously experiencing mental health problems. The center is continuing to conduct virtual counseling throughout the fall semester, and in the two weeks since classes started, 6 percent of the university's student body has had an appointment with the center's staff, which Wong called "significant."

The center had a 10 percent increase in appointments and 5 percent increase in students who had not previously gone to the center during the spring semester compared to the previous year. The center also did not have the drop-off in appointments that typically occurs during the summer, when students leave the campus, Wong said. Like most campuses, Loyola quickly pivoted in the spring to teletherapy and also connected students to a licensed therapist via phone or videoconferencing, which the center already had set up, she said.

Rockland-Miller said the realities of the pandemic have given rise to more teletherapy options at colleges. In March, some colleges did not yet have the technology or state licensing to be able to seamlessly continue counseling students and had to start from scratch. Now, some are relying entirely on teletherapy if academic instruction is online or in-person counseling is deemed unsafe.

The virtual options are ideal for the mix of in-person, online and hybrid academic instruction modalities colleges adopted for the fall semester, Rockland-Miller said. Students at a given campus could be living in a residence hall or miles away in their hometown and still get mental health support from the college or be connected to a counselor or psychiatrist. This requires "flexibility" and "nimbleness" by college officials to provide a wide variety of options that cross state lines, Rockland-Miller said.

"There's so many times when the student is remote and not local," he said. "There was some utilization of teletherapy options as part of the spectrum of care, but there's full-on engagement now, in a way that I don't think anyone anticipated."

Wong said some first-year students at Loyola who were getting mental health treatment while in their hometowns have continued that treatment via teletherapy with their care providers back home rather than transitioning to an on-campus provider. This can be helpful for both the student, who can remain in the care of a trusted therapist, and the university, which does not have to take on an additional student patient, she said.

"We're seeing more people who are brand-new to therapy rather than people transitioning to care," Wong said. "Of course it is helpful ... to not have to stop abruptly and start with a new therapist while social distancing in the middle of a pandemic. That's helpful for them and us."

While COVID-19 may make it harder for students to access the mental health resources they need, one potential bright spot is that the pandemic has reduced the stigma of needing and getting mental health support. Whitlock, director of the Cornell research program, said in some ways there is now a "lower bar for seeking help" because of how much mental health is now talked about and new services are offered. Davis, of Mental Health America, said the pandemic has been a "reckoning" for mental health discussions.

"The hopeful piece for me is it seems like we're at an inflection point," Davis said. "All of a sudden, it's OK to talk about mental health."

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Students in great need of mental health support during pandemic

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A mountain of troubling data about rising mental health problems has health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling students and the ability of colleges to provide it.

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5. Guns on Campus: An Unfolding Public Health Crisis

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5. Guns on Campus: An Unfolding Public Health Crisis

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In American society weapons are worrisomely easy to obtain.  A student traveled to a campus planning to commit harm by buying a weapon at one of the Walmart stores.  Only those that are found to make such purchases are mentally ill, who are found a threat to themselves or others.

These threats to campus safety are the hazards posed by the dangerous combination of young people with suicidal ideations and access to firearms.

The National College Health Assessment reported that a percentage of students who experience the following felt so depressed; felt overwhelming anxiety; and seriously considered suicide.

Students often under severe stress increases the chances that a student will make an impulsive, and possibly life-ending choice.

Student affair professionals and educators need to better engage with students about the critical importance of timely communications about possible threats, including gun violence, students possibly at the edge of causing self-harm, or other instances that could turn deadly (Lambert,2018).

References
Lambert, L. (2018). Guns on campus: An unfolding public health crisis. Higher Education Today. https://www.higheredtoday.org/2018/03/21/guns-campus-unfolding-public-health-crisis/

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President Emeritus Leo Lambert of Elon University (NC) says it will take courage, moral leadership, and political will to solve the crisis of gun violence at colleges and universities and K-12 schools.
Several years ago, our campus avoided a potential disaster involving an armed individual intent on causing serious harm. Especially in light of the horrific murders of 17 high school students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, lessons from our campus experience may be instructive for campus safety officials, administrators, and policy makers.

As our students were returning following a holiday weekend, the 911 dispatch received a telephone call from parents hundreds of miles removed from us. These parents expressed concern that their child-a student at another institution-might be dangerous to self or others and heading in our direction; their child's ex-significant other was a first-year student on our campus. These parents also had the presence of mind to call and warn the Elon student, who independently informed the university police department. And these timely warnings saved the day. The student had made several stops on the trek to our campus to purchase weapons, ammunition, and other materials.

We were very, very lucky. The parents showed great responsibility in alerting all affected parties of a potential threat to the safety of their child and the university. Our student also took the matter seriously by notifying university police. Campus police officers performed with a high degree of professionalism, both while the incident was playing out (the armed visitor was intercepted and arrested immediately upon arrival on campus) and afterwards, communicating closely with the district attorney to ensure campus safety would remain a high priority as the case proceeded through the criminal justice and hospital systems.

As president at the time of this incident, I have often felt haunted by how closely our community came to tragedy that weekend. And as hardly a month goes by without reading about another school or campus shooting in our nation, I have some reflections on the subject of guns on college campuses.

In general, and with very few exceptions, such as the sport of rifle, weapons and college students on a residential campus make a toxic combination. Some will disagree, but to me, this is only common sense. Every college president I know can tell tragic stories involving intoxicated late-adolescents who uttered words such as, "Wouldn't it be funny if...?" and then faced sometimes life-altering consequences after acting on some very bad impulses. Adding firearms to this environment is lethal.

In American society today, weapons are worrisomely easy to obtain. The student who travelled to our campus planning to commit harm bought a weapon at one Walmart on one side of town and, shortly thereafter, ammunition at a second Walmart on the other side of town. These sales were perfectly legal. Only those "adjudicated mentally ill," (being found a threat to themselves or others) are barred from making such purchases, as we later learned from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We urgently need a screening process for the purchase of firearms that is at least as rigorous as obtaining a driver's license, if public health is to be protected. And kudos to business leaders like Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Edward Stack, whose stores will no longer sell guns to people under 21 years of age or sell assault rifles or high-capacity magazines. Moral leadership like Mr. Stack's sets a hopeful example.

Also a threat to campus safety are the hazards posed by the dangerous combination of young people with suicidal ideations and access to firearms. The mental health crisis on American college campuses is well documented. The National College Health Assessment reported data in 2017 on the percentage of students who experienced the following within the past 12 months: felt so depressed it was difficult to function (39.1 percent); felt overwhelming anxiety (60.8 percent); and seriously considered suicide (10.3 percent). Suicide is the second most frequent cause of death of college students, and firearms are the most common means of committing suicide in this age group.

For students experiencing suicidal ideation, easy access to firearms flies in the face of common sense. Our campus, like colleges and universities across the country, has dealt with the tragedy of student suicide. In my view, access to guns on college campuses, where students are living in close quarters and often under severe stress, only increases the chances that a student will make an impulsive, irreversible, and possibly life-ending choice.

College leaders also need to better engage with parents and the public at large about the critical importance of timely communications about possible threats, including gun violence, students possibly at the edge of causing self-harm, or other instances that could turn deadly. Information and timely warnings are our best allies, as our experience has taught us. Troubled young people require intervention and support; to isolate them without assistance is dangerous to them and the campus community.

In North Carolina, weapons are banned on all educational property except for handguns locked in vehicles by conceal carry permit holders. But in just one small city in our state, more than 200 guns have been stolen from automobiles-many unlocked-since 2014.

Fortunately in our state, private colleges and universities may assert their private property rights by clearly designating their campuses as weapons-free zones, with the exception of certified law enforcement officers. Private college presidents must be vigilant in protecting that right to protect the health and safety of their campuses.

Another area requiring courageous leadership in the public square is to fund research related to gun death prevention through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the CDC has not funded research into the prevention of gun violence for two decades, since the Dickey Amendment was passed in 1997, which states, "None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control." The chilling result has been that research funding on gun death prevention at the federal level is practically non-existent.

The epidemic of mass shootings in the United States has changed the landscape of American higher education. Since the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007, where a gunman killed 32 people and himself, most schools have installed sirens and early alert systems. Administrators conduct "live shooter on campus" simulations on a regular basis. Students, faculty, and staff participate in online training on how to react if one hears gunshots. Faculty are calling for stronger classroom doors. Institutions have organized services after Sandy Hook, Pulse nightclub, Parkland, and so many more, causing these observances to sometimes feel numbingly routine.

But students should not have to live like this. Neither should those of us who work on college campuses and in schools across the nation. Colleges and universities and schools should be about learning, full stop-not live shooter drills. We are in the midst of a public health crisis in education and it will take courage, moral leadership, and the political will of the American people to solve it.

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Guns on Campus: An Unfolding Public Health Crisis - Higher Education Today

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President Emeritus Leo Lambert of Elon University (NC) says it will take courage, moral leadership, and political will to solve the crisis of gun violence at colleges and universities and K-12 schools. Several years ago, our campus avoided a potential disaster involving an armed individual intent on causing serious harm.

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6.  1868-- Constitutional Law: The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

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6.  1868-- Constitutional Law: The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

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This law states that all citizens deserve the right to have equal protection under the laws of the United States.

It allowed students with disabilities to have the equal protection grounds to attend any public school and will not be excluded because of their disabilities.

Allows any individual to bring a lawsuit if their equal rights have been violated, but they must provide any proof that the federal government or a stage government discriminated against their disabilities.

In addition, there should not be any discrimination against individuals with mental health issues, and mentally ill can be forced, against their will, to receive treatment from a professional therapist (U.S Const. amend. XIV).

References
U.S. Const. amend. XIV.  Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv#:~:text=No%20state%20shall%20make%20or,equal%20protection%20of%20the%20laws.

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7. 1974-- Administrative Law: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

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7. 1974-- Administrative Law: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

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Is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.  It gives the parents the certain rights to their children’s educations records during their K to 12 educational years.

After the child reaches the age of 18 or attends beyond high school level the rights are transferred to the student.

However, school officials may access FERPA-protected education records if they have a legitimate educational interest. These individuals include teachers, counselors, school administrators and other school staff.

Students medical record information becomes subject to FERPA if it is used for purposes other than treatment such as disability accommodations.

FERPA does authorize school officials to disclose information in case of emergency situations where the health and/or safety of the student is at risk.  Relevant information can be released to law enforcement, public health, and medical officials (34 CFR § 99).

References
Family Educational and Privacy Rights, 34 CFR § 99. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/part-99

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8. 2011--Statutory Law: Americans with Disabilities Act: Title III

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8. 2011--Statutory Law: Americans with Disabilities Act: Title III

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It prohibits the discrimination on the basis of disabilities in places of public accommodations, commercial facilities, and private entities that offer certain examination and courses related to education and occupational certification.

Direct threat of a risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by a modifications of policies, practices or procedures.

If the individual poses a threat to the health or safety of others then a public accommodation must make  an individualized assessment based on reasonable judgement that relates to their current medical knowledge (42 U.S. Code § 12182).

References
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S. Code § 12182. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/12182

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9.  2016-- Statutory Law: Carrying of Handguns by License Holders on Certain Campuses

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9.  2016-- Statutory Law: Carrying of Handguns by License Holders on Certain Campuses

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Carrying of handguns by license holders it is allowed in campuses of certain institutions of higher education.  However, an institution of higher education may establish their own rules.

The college or university can establish reasonable rules and regulations after consulting with students, staff, and faculty concerning safety considerations.

The President of the university is not allowed to enact rules and regulations that prohibit license holders from carrying handguns in the campus (Texas Govt. Code § 411.2031).

Reference

Texas Govt. Code § 411.2031. Retrieved from https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.411.htm.

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10. 2019-- Administrative Law: The Campus Anti-Violence Policy

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10. 2019-- Administrative Law: The Campus Anti-Violence Policy

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It protects people and property, reduce fear and stress, maintain the campus and classroom as productive and safe environments.

Establish a consistent process for responding to and managing incidents of violence or behavior of concern at the University of Houston Downtown.

The UHD Police Department must be contacted if in doubt of any threats or is face in a dangerous situation (University of Houston Downtown Handbook, 2020).

References
University of Houston Downtown. (2020). Campus Anti-Violence Policy. Retrieved from https://www.uhd.edu/administration/employment-services-operations/resources/Documents/PS02A29.pdf

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The competency area that relates to mental health in college campuses is the law, policy and governance (LPG).  It offers student affairs professionals and educators strategies to support mental health needs of college students.  The campuses need to have a good structure of documented policies and procedures with legal and ethical standards that allows to understand how to handle each mental health case (ACPA & NASPA, 2015).

References
ACPA, & NASPA. (2015). Professional competency areas for student affairs educators. https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_.pdf

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12. Comparison of Two Approaches to Prevention of Mental Health Problems in College Students: Enhancing Coping and Executive Function Skills

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12. Comparison of Two Approaches to Prevention of Mental Health Problems in College Students: Enhancing Coping and Executive Function Skills

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In this article explains the understanding of the associations among stress, coping, executive function and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD in young adults.  The importance of finding supports of intervention as opportunities to decrease stress and anxiety, and improve the functioning of college students.  In addition, college students should have the right no matter of what kind of mental health problem they have been diagnosed to continue their education and the college staff must be trained to understand and assist each individual according to their mental disability (Bettis et al.,2017).

References
Bettis, A. H., Coiro, M.J., England, J., Murphy, L.K., Zelkowitz, R.L., Dejardins, L., Eskridge, R. , Ader, L.H., Yarboi, J., Pardo, D., & Compas, B.E. (2017). Comparison of two approaches to prevention of mental health problems in college students: Enhacing coping and executive function skills. Journal of American College Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1312411

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College mental health issues are expanding in all campuses around the country, therefore  special attention should be given to the ethical issues involved in the delivery of mental heath services.

Student affairs and educators must understand the ethical and legal standards and apply them to the college policies for the mentally ill to deliver the appropriate health services such as confidentiality guidelines, parents notification guidelines if needed, and provider-patient relationships (Guina, 2012).

Student affairs professionals and educators should be trained to identify any behavioral concerns to refer the individual to the appropriate services.  In addition, if they feel that the student behavior is disrupting the classroom or  the campus, then the professionals should be trained on how to approach the student or to contact the Police Department.

One of the most common responses to campus violence at both the state and university levels has been related to people with mental illness.  Creating threat assessment teams that take action in approaching, preventing and assess behavioral threats in college campuses (Weldon, 2009).

Although mental illness is not always violent, it is an increased of risk of suicide which accounts of firearms related fatalities.  Shootings in school have been related to people wanting to suicide themselves but decide to take the lives of others before taking theirs.  Therefore, it is important to be aware of the gun policies in schools and to know who to report to if seen at areas that is not allowed.

Students with mental health issues are allowed to receive academic accommodations and reasonable modifications in school policies.  Mental disability students cannot be discriminated based on their health issue for example, forcing a student to leave the classroom or campus because he or she is not able to meet the basic academic requirements.  Student affairs and educators should be aware of the accommodations before dropping the student from their courses or suspending for not able to meet the requirements.

Students  should not be disciplined for seeking help or because of behavior that is due to their illness.  However, if the student is disciplined for something that it was caused by the illness, the school must provide some type of hearing and/or appeal process (Bazelon, 2008).

References
Bazelon, D.L. (2008). Campus mental health know your rights. Center for Mental Health Law. http://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/YourMind-YourRights.pdf
Guina, J. (2012). Ethical issues and the delivery of mental health services to college students. Harvard Health Policy Review, 13 , 7-10.
Weldon, T. (2009). Campus violence and mental health: Protecting students and students' rights a delicate issue. The Council of State Governments. https://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/content/campus-violence-and-mental-health-protecting-students-and-students-rights-delicate-issue