Issues and Answers College Student Mental Health: Information and Suggestions for Academic Advising REC018CD Legal Issues in Academic Advising REC019CD  Legal Implications of Academic Advising REC044CD Ethical Decision Making in Academic Advising REC047CD

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College Student Mental Health: Information and Suggestions for Academic Advising
WEBCAST presented November 6, 2007 (81 minutes - Slidecast format - ISBN No. 978-1-935140-50-4)

Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, NACADA listservs were abuzz with discussions on how educational institutions respond to students showing signs of emotional distress. NACADA members emailed the Executive Office asking for resource material related to mental health issues and academic advising. As a result, the NACADA Webinar Advisory Board placed this topic at the top of its list for the 2007-08 Webinar season. .

In this slidecast (voice-over-PowerPoint) presentation, Dan Wilcox (Assistant Director, Counseling Services, Kansas State University), Ruth Harper (Professor of Counseling and Human Resource Development, South Dakota State University), and Jeffrey Herman (Counselor, Lehigh Carbon Community College) discuss:

• the "Report to the President" which summarizes what has so far been learned from the incident at Virginia Tech
• how to recognize a student in emotional distress
• ways to respond to a student in crisis
• the importance of making an appropriate referral
• methods to increase awareness among students regarding services available to them

One participant group reported: We used the Webinar as a discussion point for our office; we discussed what our office does and should do in these times.  Another said: Recognize, respond, refer, these three words summarize what we need to prepare for and get more training so staff can respond efficiently and in a timely manner

Others found especially helpful:

• The concrete, action-oriented advice and good reference information

• How to ID students in need & steps to remedy, how to support students in distress, reasons for increase in students with mental health problems, good ideas about referrals and how to approach students, need to develop own crisis plan
• Explanation on why we have more students who suffer from mental health and the increase of students that we are faced with with mental problems
• Steps to helping a student get to the Counseling Center
• Guidelines for approaching students and how to prepare students for what to expect
• Suggestions on what to say and how to approach students having difficulties
• Examples of how advisers could identify and help problem students; rates of drug use; reasons for increased # students with problems; importance and need for advisers to help, but within boundaries - need to consult others
• Checklist for institutions regarding communication silos and roadblocks, warning signs, boundaries/preserving the advising relationship, when to refer

Presentation Handout

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Legal Issues in Academic Advising
WEBCAST presented October 5, 2007 (80 minutes - Slidecast format - ISBN No. 978-1-935140-49-8)

Academic advisors often find themselves dealing with rules and regulations imposed by government bodies (i.e. courts, legislative bodies) outside the educational institution. To say that these are serious matters is at best an understatement. In this slidecast (voice-over-PowerPoint) presentation, Steve Robinson (University Registrar, University of Maryland, Baltimore County)  discusses basic information on legal issues pertinent to the delivery of academic advising which can assist advisors in gaining a general understanding of day to day legal issues, including Confidentiality and FERPA, the Law of Agency, Due Process, and relevant court cases.  [Please note: examples presented and cases cited are based in United States law and practice.]

Viewers of this broadcast will:

• become familiar with the context of certain legal concepts with which advisors regularly interact
• learn about the complexities of of FERPA
• gain understanding of certain day to day tasks in advising students that may have legal implications

Viewers said:

• The topic was covered in a manner that would be good review for those familiar and concrete direction for those new to advising. The rules were stated and nuances explored. I will be purchasing the CD to use in small groups.
• Newer court cases and changes in the law from the past ten or twelve years were a surprising revelation; my FERPA training needed updating and I wasn't aware that it did until this session.
• It provided a good review of history of FERPA and changes in interpretation over time. Had good tips for handling daily situations. We invited our Registrar to attend and had a good discussion afterwards about our campus.
• The discussion concerning due process and private institutions was helpful. I also had not considered issues concerning letters of recommendation. Great information.
• The information about FERPA was excellent and the information on some of the law cases.
• The review of Due Process was good and the court cases very interesting.

Presentation Handout

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Recording on CD: REC019CD

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Legal Implications of Academic Advising
WEBINAR presented March 6, 2012 (60 minutes - Videocast format - ISBN No. 978-1-935140-90-0)

Academic advising, particularly with the advent of NACADA in 1977, has assumed an increasingly significant role in higher education in terms of retention, graduation and transfer rates (Tricoli, 2009).  Whatever method of advising is employed by the institution of higher education, the goal remains essentially the same:  to provide a structured relationship wherein students can satisfy all academic requisites, maintain the necessary cumulative average, fulfill athletic and scholarship requirements, properly prepare for graduate school mandates, and graduate in a timely fashion.  At the same time, many in the academy express concern regarding the legal implications of erroneous guidance given a student which hampers his or her ability to comply with these objectives.  Unquestionably, education at every level operates within an increasingly complex arena of national and local regulations.  References in the literature describe a posture of increasing consumerism adopted by college and university students coupled withan evolving legal responsibility on the part of the advisor (Makar, 2002). Yet an examination of case law in the university context suggests that the traditional deference exhibited by courts with respect to the academic decision making of colleges and universities endures.  Research indicates that despite the employment of a variety of theories upon which students sue advisors, including educational malpractice, breach of a fiduciary relationship, estoppel, and breach of contract, generally the academic advisor and his or her institution will not be deemed liable for errors in advice tendered, barring gross negligence, fraudulent conduct, or arbitrary and capricious behavior. So what do academic advisors and advising administrators need to know to protect themselves, their institutions, and their advisees?

In this videocast presentation, Audrey Wolfson Latourette, J.D. joins NACADA Past President Thomas Grites to discuss the potential legal implications of academic advising.  They review the posture of the courts with respect to intervention in both the public and private college and university context, share an analysis of a variety of legal theories employed by students to enforce statements issued by academic advisors or other representatives of the university, and share strategies to limit individuals’ and institutions’ potential liabilities.

Participants said:

• As Director of Advising at a multi-campus District, we had advisors from 3 campuses in attendance. The response to the educational quality of the webinar was very impressive. They felt Dr. Latourette was a very good facilitator and knew her subject matter very well. We had a very good conversation after the webinar regarding information learned from the webinar. It was very informative.
• WOW...What a great presenter! She made a complicated and potentially convoluted subject matter very interesting and engaging.
• This speaker was the best ever. Very good case studies and explanations for the topic.
• Ms. Latourette was amazing with precise information and a wonderful analytical mind. I loved her sense of humor...great speaker!
• There was a lot of information presented but I appreciated that it was in layman's terms rather than legalese and all very easy to understand.
• Her closing remarks were very helpful to our office. We'll work on clearly setting forth the ultimate responsibility of the student, and we'll make it a point to document our interactions with our students in a more thorough manner.
• I greatly appreciate the expertise of the presenter and her ability to cite actually cases and lay out the details that explained why the case was won or loss.
• It piqued my interest to look into my own institution to make sure advisors understand their level of authority, and to review the language in our documents.
• The entire presentation was full of helpful and relevant information. The speaker was very articulate. She explained each legal term very clearly and gave great examples.

Presentation Handout

Follow-Up Q&A

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Recording on CD: REC044CD

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Ethical Decision Making in Academic Advising

WEBINAR presented April 26, 2012 (49 minutes - Videocast format - ISBN No. 978-1-935140-93-1)

Academic advisors are often faced with ethical decisions that require sound decision-making and accurate resolutions. Ethics involves decision-making based on maximizing good and minimizing harm wherever possible (Denise & Peterfreund, 1992; Durkheim, 1993; Frank, 2000). This train of thought is common place so when ethical decisions involve what is morally right and wrong, the course of action is relatively clear. However, ethical conflicts often involve right versus right options that are more complex. In these cases, decisions are not as obvious, but can and should be decided on the basic principles of right action.  

In this videocast presentation, NACADA Board of Directors member Joanne Damminger (Salem Community College) brings her highly acclaimed NACADA Summer Institute topical session to the AdvisorConnect venue to discuss general ethical principles that advisors and advising administrators will want to consider in providing appropriate assistance to all students and professional development for advisors. Advisor development related to ethical decisions is critical to effective advising practice, and advisors need to be skilled in resolving ethical dilemmas that arise when all principles of right action cannot be followed at the same time. NACADA's Core Values and the Council for the Advancement of Standards guidelines, which are reviewed in the presentation, are helpful in resolving such dilemmas as they relate directly to general ethical principles.   Joanne also defines and clarifies language associated with ethical issues and dilemmas and shares examples of dilemmas and their potential resolutions.

Participants said:

• Ethical decisions happen every day in advising - most just naturally as part of the day. The webinar reminded us of what to do when it doesn't come naturally for some reason (e.g., particularly difficult case, colleague, etc.).
• Examples offered that rang true to our experiences and helped us to think about situations we all face almost daily on ethical decisions. Very practical!
• I always expect to learn good things and look forward to the webinars. This one actually exceeded my expectations!
• This was excellent and my group had a good 20-minute discussion afterwards.

Others found particularly helpful:

• Learning the 5 tenants of Ethical Ideals
• Good concrete information and examples were provided.
• The examples were good, and I the "ethical pitfalls" are a great reminder of how easy it is to slip up.
• The different ways to think about decision making in complicated scenarios.
• The webinar offered an opportunity for the staff to get together to discuss our campus culture and policy, etc.

 Presentation Handout

To Purchase on-line using a credit card:

Recording on CD: REC047CD

Member Price: $125
Nonmember Price: $250

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