The Chronicle

Issue date: 7/25/07 Section: Gothica
Last update: 9/15/07 at 3:53 PM EST

Media Credit: Andrew Harkins ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW HARKINS

"What Killed the Duke Co-ed?" So screamed the newspaper headline following the unexpected death of junior Chris Sanders in his dorm room April 3.

We may never have all the answers in that case, and it may be nobody's business. But the question strikes at the heart of what is suddenly one of the hottest topics in higher education today.

As the Virginia Tech tragedy proved, there is still the potential for serious lapses in the mental health treatment systems available on college campuses. Many media outlets and experts have speculated that more proactive information sharing by Tech administrators could have averted the tragedy or at least flagged the shooter as a potential risk.

The issue has grabbed the attention of officials far beyond the collegiate community. In a report to President George W. Bush by three members of his cabinet following the shootings, the federal government made it clear that changes must be made in the way schools approach mental health emergencies.

Duke officials say they have safeguards in place to prevent anything so severe from happening on our campus. Still, if Sanders' death has taught us anything, it's that tragedy can strike even the most picture-perfect lives.

University statistics back up the notion that mental health is a rising concern on campus. Last year, more than one in 10 undergraduates visited Counseling and Psychological Services, up 24 percent from 2000-01.

Ten percent of those have expressed suicidal thoughts, according to CAPS Director Kathy Hollingsworth. Add up the numbers, and you'll find that one percent of undergraduates have at least considered killing themselves.

That's not some hypothetical theory from some study performed halfway across the country. These are raw numbers, the bitter truth.

"These aren't things that we talk about very widely," Hollingsworth says. "The stereotype is that as your IQ goes up and you become more gifted, somehow you don't have mental health issues."

CAPS has a well-publicized wait to see its therapists that can be up to 2 1/2 weeks at certain points of the year-though Hollingsworth says emergency consultations can be arranged within minutes.

In Sanders' case, the University won't talk specifics, citing family wishes. Hollingsworth declined to comment on whether he visited CAPS at any point. But Bob Thompson, dean of Trinity College and a former child psychologist, says containing the fallout was a top concern in the weeks afterward.

Continued...

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