During the months since the tragic events at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, offices within Student Affairs have been busy addressing concerns individually and in systematic ways. A Crisis Prevention/Intervention Committee was established last Fall to assist students by directing those at risk to professional services available on campus.

Assailants at both Virginia Tech and NIU were identified as mentally ill or having serious mental health problems. Purdue University Calumet joined numerous colleges and universities across the country to assist students with mental health and mental illness for the purpose of providing services for retention and success. A brochure entitled, Recognizing Students in Distress was distributed to members of the faculty and staff last Fall and an expanded booklet entitled Tips for Recognizing and Responding to Students in Crisis was created and distributed in the spring.

Representatives from local colleges and universities as well as high schools, middle schools and numerous social services agencies attended a symposium on June 24 entitled Understanding the Special Needs of Students: At Risk, In-Crisis and Disabled. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Nicolette Paplaczyk, Student Services Chair for the Oak Park and River Forest High School; Ms. Jennifer Harte, a practicing school psychologist for the Chicago Public Schools; Ms. Karen Orr, a member of the Indiana State Bar Association; and, from Purdue University Calumet, Dr. Leslie Rittenmeyer, Dr. Kenneth Jackson, Dr. Maureen Panares, and Ms. Sarah Howard.

The symposium focused on the documentation gap that exists between high school and college regarding student mental health. While The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guides public and secondary education, it does not apply in higher education. Colleges have no legal responsibility to identify students with disabilities or involve parents in decision making. In higher education, the relevant ADA law is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in admission to college and participation in college activities.

While offices, departments and schools throughout Purdue University Calumet work diligently to assist students by providing a wide range of services that enables them to remain in college and perform at their optimal level, greater collaboration is needed among educators at all levels to bridge the gap that currently exists between high schools and colleges and universities.