To keep in line with the depressing topics that I have covered in recent columns, I decided that this week would be devoted to one of the results of severe depression: enforced medical leave from a university. Enforced medical leave seems to be a tactic favored by many colleges to ensure that the pressure of college, one of the largest sources of stress in the life of many 18-to-20-something-year-olds, is removed from someone undergoing extreme mental duress. In theory, this provides students who are at risk of harming themselves or others more time and space to attend therapy, address any underlying issues and come back to college a fit individual. While this time is often used in pursuit of treatment, it can be and has been used by universities to prevent students with mental or emotional issues from returning to campus.
BuzzFeed recently published an article detailing one such instance of a college preventing a student from returning to campus at Brown University. Dave originally attended Columbia University, but after testifying in a sexual assault disciplinary hearing on behalf of a friend, he decided to take a year off before enrolling in Brown University. The previous events of his collegiate career resulted in depression and anxiety on his part, which manifested itself in a post on Facebook about committing suicide. Dave was placed on medical leave by Brown and has currently appealed his case six times over the course of a year, each time failing to be reinstated as a student.
Legally, schools can only remove a student with mental health issues if they pose a threat to themselves or others that can’t be eliminated by some sort of therapy and support. Furthermore, schools have to clearly relate what criteria must be met to reapply successfully and must explain their reasoning if they reject a student. Obviously, I wouldn’t be writing about this story if Brown had either accepted Dave or explained his rejection in a clear manner.
So, the avid reader might ask, how does this relate to IU? To sum it all up: CAPS. Time and time again we as a community have seen IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services at its highs and lows. Every IUSA political campaign this year revolved around how to improve and expand CAPS. Just about anyone who knows anything about it says that we need more, and far too many people couldn’t tell you what the acronym stands for. We need more of those support structures that aid in the rehabilitation of students like Dave.
It can’t, however, just be CAPS that needs to do better; it has to be us as well. The student body needs to raise awareness of the challenges of mental illness, break what stigma remains surrounding counseling and rally to support those individuals in our community that need it most.
