Admissions safety concerns highlighted at U.S. colleges

Increased debate about privacy laws has prevented college admissions officers from seeking information on applicants with mental illnesses, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune about heightened campus security measures.

In addition, there is uncertainty regarding how schools can detect warning signs in individuals. While some schools welcome open discussion on mental illnesses, others say increased examination will lead to more secrecy.

Dan Saracino, admissions director at the University of Notre Dame, wishes there was more trust among students, high schools and colleges.

“But this is a very litigious era we’re in, and counselors hold back,” Saracino said.

Dr. Peter DeMaria Jr., a psychiatrist at Temple University, opposes releasing mental illness histories and instead supports closely monitoring students once they are enrolled.

At Temple University, a care team of staff members from security, counseling and academia meet weekly to ensure information is exchanged between departments.

Canadian university cited for religious discrimination

An investigation conducted by a human rights commission in Ontario has found York University’s practice of canceling classes on Jewish holidays discriminates against students of other religions.

Investigator Kim Hanson concluded that the practice infringes the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s protection against discrimination based on religion, according to The Toronto Star, a daily newspaper in Canada.

The University began canceling classes for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 34 years ago due to the belief that many professors and students would miss classes anyway.

However, a recent report by professor Thomas Klassen, who believes the practice to be unfair, illustrated a diverse campus in which Jewish students are estimated to make up just 5.8 percent of the student population.

David Noble, a history professor at York and a non-observant Jew, also believes the practice to be unfair because it cancels classes to honor one religion but not others.

“This is fantastic,” Noble said in an interview with The Toronto Star. “It’s just too bad it took four years to have a third party confirm that this is an illegal practice.”

York University has stated that students from any religion can request to be excused from classes for a religious holiday.

Thousands of newspapers go missing in North Dakota

It was reported to police that 4,500 of copies of The Spectrum, the North Dakota State University (NDSU) student newspaper, were missing.

The editor of The Spectrum, Stephen Baird, said in an interview with The Bismarck Tribune that he was unsure if the newspapers were stolen after distribution last Thursday. He does not believe readers would have taken them all in one night.

College newspapers often are stolen during the time of student elections, specifically when there is a candidate endorsement, said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Arlington, Va.

The stolen issue of The Spectrum’s front page profiled four candidates running for NDSU student government.

However, student body president candidate Joe Heilman doubted this was the motive behind the stolen newspapers as the article did not favor a specific candidate.

“We’ve been handling the whole race pretty well,” he said.

Taking newspapers is a crime even if they are free, according to the North Dakota Newspaper Association.

[Reach columnist Kim Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]