From Counseling and Disability Services to International and LGBTQ+ Support, Resources Available
Image by Courtesy
04/28/2020
By Katharine Webster
Duy 鈥淛eremy鈥� Cung is in limbo.
The senior mechanical engineering major is about to graduate 鈥� and he had planned to return home to Vietnam to interview for jobs.
But now he鈥檚 waiting, along with more than 1,000 other Vietnamese students in the U.S., for his country鈥檚 embassy to put him on a flight home. Once he gets there, he will have to stay in a quarantine center for two weeks 鈥� but right now, all of the centers are full, so the embassy is delaying departures.
Meanwhile, Cung鈥檚 student visa is set to expire 60 days after Commencement, and there鈥檚 no clear process in place to extend it.
鈥淭he inability to plan anything far ahead is my No. 1 concern. I had plans for if I could find a job right away and plans for what to do if I couldn鈥檛 find a job right away. Now I don鈥檛 even know when I can sublet my apartment and ship some of my things home,鈥� he says.
鈥淚f I come home, I鈥檒l be considered contagious 鈥� but I don鈥檛 care. If I have to shelter at home, I鈥檇 rather be with my parents and near my girlfriend.鈥�
International students are among those facing additional difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic. Others include students with mental health diagnoses and concerns, students with disabilities and LGBTQ+ students, staff and students say.
International Students
The top concerns for international students are whether they can return home this summer 鈥� and, if they can, whether they will be able to return to campus in the fall, says Cung, who serves as a student ambassador with the international student support program in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Students from some countries must renew their student visas every year, and they usually do that when they鈥檙e home for the summer 鈥� but now, visa services at U.S. embassies and consulates have been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, he says.
鈥淚nternational students almost always go home during the summer, and now they don鈥檛 know where they鈥檙e going to be,鈥� Cung says. 鈥淎lso, most have family who are small business owners, and they have been affected, so some of them are struggling to pay the international tuition fee.鈥�
Although the international student ambassadors aren鈥檛 being paid right now, they鈥檙e still checking in voluntarily with the first-year international students they鈥檙e mentoring through the Pair-Up Program. They鈥檙e also helping to plan a virtual orientation for new international students, says Allyson Lynch, the assistant director of Multicultural Affairs who oversees support programs for international students.
The ambassadors also meet once a week virtually with Lynch to suggest topics for weekly webinars held jointly by Lynch and staff from the International Students & Scholars Office, which helps with visa, housing and employment questions.
鈥淲e care about our students passionately and deeply and ethically 鈥� and we do what needs to be done to make sure that they鈥檙e taken care of.鈥� -Deborah Edelman-Blank
Students with Disabilities
For many students with cognitive disabilities like ADHD or autism spectrum disorder, the transition to online learning was especially challenging, says Disability Services Director Jody Goldstein.
Students with autism spectrum disorder thrive on predictable routines 鈥� and suddenly, all of their syllabi changed as faculty adapted assignments, labs and midterms for online learning, she says.
Students with ADHD have trouble getting organized and getting started on tasks, so figuring out how to navigate the online learning platform Blackboard and how to manage their time was overwhelming for some, she says. And for those who have no dedicated study space at home, distractions abound.
鈥淥n average, it takes 23 minutes if you鈥檙e interrupted to get back to your task, so imagine if you have an executive function disorder,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n our weekly meetings, we鈥檙e working with them on planning, going through all of their syllabi and plotting out what they need to get done today, this week and this semester.鈥�
Goldstein says that Disability Services is continuing its weekly, one-on-one meetings with students via telephone and videoconferencing. Staff are also serving new students seeking accommodations for their disabilities, such as more time to complete assignments and take tests.
Nearly 100 students had asked for disability-based accommodations before the academic year began, but never submitted the required paperwork confirming their diagnoses, Goldstein says. Now those students, along with others referred to Disability Services by faculty and staff since the transition to online learning, are being offered provisional accommodations for the remainder of this semester without the paperwork, she says.
Despite an increase in cases, Disability Services is moving forward with as much regular programming as possible, Goldstein says, including working with Career Services and a nonprofit, Campus to Careers, to help graduating students apply for job openings at companies including Raytheon, Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all essential businesses that are doing virtual interviews and hiring right now,鈥� Goldstein says.
Students with Mental Health Concerns
Many students with anxiety and depression are also feeling overwhelmed right now, says Counseling Services Director Deborah Edelman-Blank. Counseling Services staff moved quickly to get trained in providing short-term therapy online via Skype for Business videoconferencing or phone calls.
While COVID-19 itself isn鈥檛 leading to a flood of calls to Counseling Services, it鈥檚 鈥渁nother thing on the pile鈥� for students who are already struggling, she says. Having to return home mid-semester was upsetting for many of them because they come from backgrounds that include a history of trauma and other stressors.
Still, she says, 51视频 students are resilient.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any doubts about UML students getting through this. We鈥檙e just glad to have another vehicle to help them, now that we can offer teletherapy,鈥� Edelman-Blank says.
Teletherapy began on April 14. Students who were already getting counseling when in-person services were suspended were either referred to longer-term teletherapy at community agencies or offered self-help resources, depending upon their needs, Edelman-Blank says.
Counseling Services staff also continued to check in by phone with high-risk students, she says.
鈥淥ne of our core values is that we do things the right way, and students come first, so we do not do anything to jeopardize our students鈥� safety,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e care about our students passionately and deeply and ethically 鈥� and we do what needs to be done to make sure that they鈥檙e taken care of.鈥�
Similarly, Health Services staff will transition from phone consultations about COVID-19 and other health concerns to full telehealth visits, starting next week. No copays are required for students to use Wellness Center health or counseling services, says Paulette Renault-Caragianes, associate dean of student affairs for health and wellness.
Meantime, Melissa Wall, program director for student mental health and wellness, is working with Jessie Santer in Student Activities & Leadership to help prevent already anxious students from spiraling into crisis.
Together, they are sharing research-based mental health strategies through UMatter2UML on , and the web. They鈥檙e also asking students, faculty and staff to make videos showing how they鈥檙e coping and to reinforce the message that 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in this together.鈥�
LGBTQ+ Students
LGBTQ+ students are another group that can feel isolated at home, says Amy Liss, senior associate director of Multicultural Affairs and head of the LGBTQ+ Center, which opened in January on the third floor of University Crossing.
Image by K. Webster
鈥淗aving a space to connect, where you can meet up with other people, you feel less alone,鈥� says Gabriella Ferrantino, a first-year history major with a work-study job in the center.
Unfortunately, students don鈥檛 always feel the same level of support at home, she says.
鈥淔or a lot of people, going home is like going back in the closet,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ometimes they鈥檙e afraid their parents will kick them out of the house or won鈥檛 pay for their college anymore.鈥�
While the grand opening celebration has been postponed, Liss and the center鈥檚 student staff are continuing to support LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff virtually. Liss is holding open office hours, online ally trainings for faculty and staff, and Zoom workshops on how to better support LGBTQ+ students.
Ferrantino and fellow work-study student Yonalis Rosario Perez, a psychology major, are offering and how to feel more comfortable at home, too.
Rosario Perez says the , a campus club, is hosting open meetings every Thursday on the online gaming platform Discord. Rosario Perez is trying to get the word out about the meetings to students who are feeling isolated.
鈥淭hat was the Pride Alliance鈥檚 idea, but it was amazing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so great to help them. Even though I don鈥檛 personally know them, I know I鈥檓 helping somebody.鈥�
