My alma mater Smith is failing its students. The college is not alone. Here’s why: The Smith president sent an email describing with pride their culture of care in reopening. It basically described detailed approaches to physical safety with a couple other things tossed in including reference to race initiatives. Where oh where was any reference to psychological wellbeing of students and trauma they have experienced of late? Shouldn’t they include trauma responsiveness in any proposal related to care? Are Smithies immune somehow from trauma? Where is the effort to add mental health professionals to handle primary, secondary and vicarious trauma? Staff and faculty training? A culture of care cannot ignore mental health. Smith and other institutions are failing to understand how returning to campus will feel amidst a pandemic, racial tension, economic uncertainty, confusion and strife, political division, familial dysfunction (latter happens in elites too). Smith has, yet again, missed the boat. It’s a boat that’s not hard to see. Yipes.
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