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A6   U.S. NEWS
                        Friday 5 april 2019
            Colleges’ message to ease student stress: Failure is normal




            By COLLIN BINKLEY
            AP Education Writer
            WALTHAM,  Mass.  (AP)  —
            Bentley University has plen-
            ty of success stories among
            its  faculty  and  alumni.  But
            one  recent  evening,  the
            school  invited  students  to
            hear about the failures.
            Speaking to a crowded au-
            ditorium,  one  professor  re-
            counted  the  time  he  sank
            a  $21  million  company.
            Another recalled failing her
            college  statistics  course.
            One  graduate  described
            his past struggles with drug
            addiction.  Each  story  rein-
            forced the same message:
            Even  successful  people
            sometimes fail.
            “Failure   is   normal.   It’s
            healthy. And I think people
            on this panel would argue
            it  actually  is  transforma-
            tive,”  Peter  Forkner,  direc-
            tor  of  Bentley’s  counseling
            center,  told  students.  “If
            you’re  not  failing,  it  prob-
            ably means that you’re not
            taking enough risks.”
            Bentley,  a  private  business   In this March 5, 2019 photo, panel members, from left, Angela Giordano, Natalie Baucum, Mike Duggan, Fred Ledley and school
            school  near  Boston,  joins   counselor Peter Forkner participate in an event at Bentley University, in Waltham, Mass., where professors and alumni shared some
            a  growing  number  of  U.S.   of their worst setbacks to illustrate that even successful people sometimes fail.
            colleges trying to ease stu-                                                                                                    Associated Press
            dents’  anxieties  around  with  an  array  of  programs  Cornell  College  in  Iowa  dren’s lives and shield them  youth,”  said  Laura  Horne,
            failure  and  teach  them  meant  to  boost  resilience  is  warning  professors  that  from failure — a tendency  program  director  at  Ac-
            to  cope  with  it.  On  many  and  help  students  catch  they  shouldn’t  soften  their  taken to the extreme in the  tive Minds, a college men-
            campuses,  it’s  meant  to  up on life skills.            scoring for the sake of stu-  college  admissions  bribery  tal  health  group.  “They’re
            combat  climbing  rates  of  The University of California,  dents’  emotions.  A  direc-  scandal  ,  in  which  dozens  just  responding  to  a  differ-
            stress, depression and other  Los  Angeles,  offers  “grit  tive on the issue notes that  of  parents  were  charged  ent  and  more  challeng-
            problems  that  have  been  coaching  .”  The  University  “a grade of a C or below is  last  month  with  paying  ing landscape with the re-
            blamed  on  reduced  resil-  of Minnesota recently host-  not the end of the world.”   bribes to help their children  sources we’ve given them.”
            ience or grit among young-   ed  a  “resilience  resource  “Normalize  failure.  It’s  part  get into top schools.  At Bentley, along with host-
            er generations.              fair  .”  Dozens  of  schools  of  life.  It’s  one  way  we  A 2018 survey by the Ameri-  ing  events  on  failure,  of-
            Across  the  country,  cam-  now provide “Adulting 101  learn,”  the  message  says.  can  College  Health  As-     ficials  have  launched  a
            pus  mental  health  officials  “ workshops covering topics  “Sometimes  students  need  sociation  found  that  22%  “Failure  Friday”  series  on
            report   today’s   students  from  finance  to  romance.  to  fail,  and  not  be  given  of  college  students  were  social  media  that  shares
            appear  to  have  a  harder  As part of that work, more  an undeserved grade by a  diagnosed  with  anxiety  or  a  different  story  of  failure
            time  bouncing  back  from  schools  are  also  striving  to  sympathetic  faculty  mem-  treated for it over the past  from someone on campus
            adversity.  Counseling  cen-  normalize  failure  and  cre-  ber.”                     year,  up  from  10%  a  de-  each week.
            ters have seen surging de-   ate an environment where  Others,  like  Bentley,  are  cade  before.  The  rate  for  Lea  Guldemond,  a  junior
            mand, often from students  students can take risks and  highlighting  the  failures  of  depression rose from 10% to  who  attended  the  event
            overwhelmed by everyday  learn from setbacks.             successful people. Harvard  17% in the same span, the  on  professors’  failures,  said
            stresses.  Professors  have  Stanford  University  encour-  University  has  a  website  survey found.              she welcomes the conver-
            raised   concerns    about  ages  its  students  to  cele-  sharing  rejection  letters  re-  Efforts  to  tackle  campus  sations  about  anxiety  and
            students’  fragility  when  it  brate  their  failures  through  ceived by faculty, staff and  mental health have some-  struggle.  Especially  at  a
            comes  to  receiving  bad  song, poetry and other cre-    alumni.                      times  been  met  by  sneers.  business  school,  she  said,
            grades.                      ative  outlets  at  an  annual  Experts  propose  a  variety  On  social  media,  some  students   face   constant
            “Anxiety is rising like crazy,”  event  called  “Stanford,  I  of  theories  to  explain  why  observers  mock  a  genera-  stress  to  compete  for  the
            said  Nance  Roy,  a  psy-   Screwed  Up!  “  Smith  Col-  today’s   students   might  tion of fragile “snowflakes”  best  grades,  the  best  in-
            chologist  who  works  with  lege in Massachusetts and  be  struggling.  Some  say  who  need  “safe  spaces”  ternships and the best jobs.
            colleges  through  the  Jed  the  University  of  Central  the  pressure  to  succeed  is  and “trigger warnings.” But  “We’re under a lot of pres-
            Foundation,  a  nonprofit  Arkansas have both issued  stronger than ever, making  mental  health  advocates  sure  and  I  think  we’re
            mental  health  group.  “For  students  “certificates  of  even  small  failures  seem  counter  that  today’s  stu-  stressed  all  the  time,”  said
            many  students,  it’s  the  first  failure  “  as  part  of  broad-  disastrous.  Some  say  so-  dents are grappling with a  Guldemond,  21,  of  West
            time  they’re  navigating  in-  er  programs  on  the  topic.  cial  media  floods  students  host  of  pressures  that  past  Newbury,   Massachusetts.
            dependently  away  from  Colorado  State  University  with  images  of  perfection  generations didn’t, from so-    “It’s nice to be able to talk
            home,  and  if  they  also  invites  students  to  take  a  that  make  them  feel  bad  cial media to the threat of  about  it  and  know  that
            don’t  have  basic  life  skills,  pledge to embrace failure  about their own lives. Oth-  school violence.         you’re not alone when you
            it’s sort of a perfect storm.”  and persist through it.   ers  blame  parents  who  “There’s  this  temptation  to  fail.  Everyone  deals  with
            Colleges  have  responded  When  it  comes  to  grades,  tightly  manage  their  chil-  judge  or  criticize  today’s  it.”q
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