University of Minnesota Vice President for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips and Senior Associate Vice President Maggie Towle shared their insights on the condition of today’s U of M student body with nearly 80 UMRA members and friends who attended the association’s last in-person luncheon forum of 2023 on November 28.

There are just over 30,000 undergraduates, one-quarter of whom are first generation college students, enrolled at the University today. Surveys show their concerns include access to healthy and reasonably priced groceries, which the University has addressed with transit passes, to help students reach grocery stores, and a food shelf. Over a third of all students, undergraduate and graduate, report some degree of food insecurity (not knowing whether they will have enough food) so, in addition to the Nutritious U Food Pantry, around 1,200 free meals are provided each week in partnership with Second Harvest Heartland. The University is working to get the minimum hourly wage for student jobs raised from the current $15 to $22 over the next few years.

Unfortunately, mental health challenges are increasing. According to data collected by a 2021 Student Health Survey, male students across the five campuses in the U of M System report experiencing 6 to 8 poor mental health days per month, and females report 9 to 12 days. In response, the President’s Initiative for Student Mental Health (PRISMH), co-chaired by Towles, is in its third year of activity. They created a digital “front door” to services on MyU, added telemental health services, and created Mental Health Advocates. Many UMRA members likely remember PAWS, the Pet Away Worry and Stress program that continues to bring pets of all types on campus for stressed students and staff.

On a more positive note, 93 percent of students said the Twin Cities is a welcoming campus, and 85 percent of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students and 89 percent of white students said they feel a sense of belonging on campus. There has been an increase in willingness to join student groups, although there has been a decrease in willingness to assume leadership roles.

Hot topics

Hot topics today include freedom of speech, and the Office for Student Affairs hosts a website with videos to help students understand their rights and limitations. 

The use of artificial intelligence is the basis for one-half of the current academic misconduct cases. (Mark your calendars and plan to attend UMRA’s April 23, 2024, forum to learn more about artificial intelligence.) 

Post-pandemic there has been an increase in disruptive and sometimes alarming behavior by students both in classrooms and in challenging professors on grades. Parents are increasing their involvement as well, sometimes beyond their roles. 

When asked about student safety on campus, Phillips said today's students are thinking about emotional safety, whereas older adults think about physical safety. 

In case you were wondering, 84 percent of classes are now in person and 10 percent are fully remote (online). The rest are a mix. Campuses are back to “normal” in some ways we remember, but students are constantly changing. "We're also looking at the growth of students NOT going to college," Phillips added.

Thanks to Calvin Phillips and Maggie Towle for filling us in on today’s students!

—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president-elect and Program Committee chair