College email is so last year?

A friend sent me this article about a prestigious college's decision to forgo new email accounts.

What do you think?

"Officials at Boston College have made what may be a momentous decision: they've stopped doling out new email accounts to incoming students. The officials realized that the students already had established digital identities by the time they entered college, so the new email addresses were just not being utilized. The college will offer forwarding services instead. Starting next year, freshman enrolled at Boston College won't be given an actual email account complete with login and inbox, just an email address."

So, is this the start of a new trend? I think so. There are a few concerns, but in time, I think this is the way colleges and universities will go. It does make me think about a young man who I knew through a previous job. He had an email address that consisted of a gang name. Let's hope that students like him find a more appropriate email address to use when they start their college career!

StudentEdge

Do you have a high schooler who is college bound? If so, ask your child's School Counselor for the school's Peterson's StudentEdge access code.

If your child's school does not have one, encourage them to get one - access codes are FREE for school administrators!

Do not pay for access! Every school should be able to acquire an access code that allows administrators and students access to this resourceful website.

What is StudentEdge? StudentEdge is an online resource that gives students the opportunity to engage in the college planning process with tools and timely advice such as entrance exam preparation, financial aid information, practice standardized tests, and many other helpful tools. The site is customized to a student's grade level so there are tons of resources depending on whether your child is a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.

Remember, there is no reason to pay for access to this site. Be in touch with your child's School Counselor today for more information about this valuable resource.

Drinking age controversy

The drinking age controversy is headline news as several leaders of higher education have joined together to support the Amethyst Initiative (please see College chiefs urge new debate on drinking age). The initiative supports an informed debate on the legal drinking age of 21-years-old. The reason for debate surrounding the drinking age is that some believe that the current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking. By lowering the drinking age to 18, some believe that young people would abuse alcohol less because it wouldn't be forbidden to drink it at 18-years-old. Research currently suggests that the highest rates of binge drinking on college campuses are found in underage students*. There are two schools of thought surrounding that fact. Some argue that lowering the drinking age will diminish those years of binge drinking. Others believe that lowering the drinking age would encourage higher rates of binge drinking amongst even younger adolescence.

There is a TON of research surrounding college and underage drinking. In fact, my graduate school tuition was paid by the university (The Ohio State University) because I worked with researchers to combat alcohol abuse on our campus. Because I was very much invested in bettering my school's alcohol culture, I was offended by a remark made by Laura Dean-Mooney, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Gordon E. Gee, the president of my alma mater, is a supporter of the Amethyst Initiative. Dean-Mooney, an opposer of the initiative, stated, "it's very clear the 21-year-old drinking age will not be enforced at those campuses." However wrong she is! OSU faculty and staff work their butts off to reduce alcohol related concerns on campus. Over the last few years, they have implemented a comprehensive prevention plan that incorporates suggestions recommended by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to reduce alcohol and other drug abuse on campus, and their efforts are working (not to mention, the plan includes enforcement of the current drinking age)! For more information on this plan and its success, please visit OSU's Student Wellness Center's website. 

I am torn on the drinking age debate, but if we are going to move forward on this issue, people need to get their facts straight! Whether or not the drinking age is the main problem, colleges and universities such as OSU are spending millions of dollars to reduce alcohol abuse on their campuses - and many of them are succeeding! Just because the president of the university encourages a discussion regarding the legal drinking age does not mean that the entire campus is going to stop enforcing the current law. That is ludicrous. And if MADD wants to maintain credibility, it is in their best interest to respect the progress being made on campuses nationwide.

*Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Mokdad A, Clark D, Serdula MK, Marks JS. Binge drinking among US adults. JAMA 2003;289(1):70–75.

Autism and College

I was so excited to see this article on CNN.com/health: Living with autism in college. As more and more young people are diagnosed with autism everyday, and as more and more people discuss the controversy surrounding the cause(s) of autism, I was delighted to read an article highlighting successful young people who happen to be dealing with autism. *Autism is a spectrum disorder, and those diagnosed with the disorder can experience a range of symptoms from mild symptoms relating to their social development to severe impairments related to speech and language.

The article not only highlights individuals with autism who are attending college, but it also features colleges and universities that are accommodating individuals with the disorder. 

This is so refreshing because as our society becomes more and more aware of diversity in terms of ethnic background, gender, sexual preference and more, I believe that it is equally important that attention is given to diversity based on ability. For decades, colleges and universities have been making accommodations for individuals with physical challenges, and it is equally necessary that they also accommodate individuals who face less visible challenges. 

Many kudos to those schools that support students who deal with this disorder, and many more kudos to those students who refuse to let this disorder hold them back from success.

*I recognize that there are many young people with autism who will never be able to attend college because of the severity of their impairments. By no means are those young people any less successful than a child who is able to attend college. God does not give us more than we can handle, and individuals living with autism accomplish little and big successes everyday.