Ancrene Wiseass

A would-be medievalist holds forth on academia, teaching, gender politics, blogging, pop culture, critters, and whatever else comes her way.

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Yes, this really is yet another blog by a disillusioned grad student. I sympathize, but that's just the way it has to be. For hints as to what my bizarre alias means, click here and here and, if needed, here and here. To get a sense of what I'm up to, feel free to check out the sections called "Toward a Wiseass Creed" and "Showings: Some Introductory Wiseassery" in my main blog's left-hand sidebar. Please be aware that spamming, harassing, or otherwise obnoxious comments will be deleted and traced.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Will we learn anything from the VTech massacre?

So, the Virginia Governor's Panel has issued a report on the VTech massacre (the full AP article is here). It includes several criticisms of the university, including this one:

The report . . . concluded that while Cho had demonstrated numerous signs of mental instability, the university did not intervene effectively.

The governor's panel sharply critiqued the university's counseling center, where Cho was referred for treatment in 2005 after a stretch of bizarre behavior and concerns that he was suicidal.

The panel concluded that the counseling center failed to provide needed support and services to Cho, due to a lack of resources, misinterpretation of privacy laws and passivity.

The report also noted that records of Cho's "minimal treatment" at the counseling center are missing.

(Emphasis mine.)


This isn't the first time a college student's inability to get adequate mental health care resulted in tragedy: it's just the most obvious one.

When are campus counseling centers going to realize that potential liabilities are less important than giving clients the care they need?

And when are politicians and government officials going to realize that funding student services like mental health care is not optional?