Return of in loco parentis, cont’d: if you’re a student who gets reported for having potentially suicidal thoughts, the college administration these days may require you to take a medical leave of absence off campus until you can show you’re better. That’s not necessarily the best outcome for you, but it’s the outcome that best protects the college from future liability suits, which have been multiplying in recent years following attempted and successful student suicides. (Karen W. Arenson, “Worried Colleges Step Up Efforts Over Suicide”, New York Times, Dec. 3).
Colleges and suicide
Return of in loco parentis, cont’d: if you’re a student who gets reported for having potentially suicidal thoughts, the college administration these days may require you to take a medical leave of absence off campus until you can show you’re better. That’s not necessarily the best outcome for you, but it’s the outcome that best […]
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Academic Suicide
I think it’s reasonable for colleges to require students who make threats of suicide to seek treatment. Although I can certainly forsee a situation where a suicidal student faced with suspension would choose a Final Exit, my impression is that this s…
Adverse Effects of Lawsuits
For this post, I will leave aside for a moment the unfairness of monetary penalties for ridiculous claims or the incredible erosion of individual responsibility that is being created by jackpot litigation. In addition to these problems, runaway litigat…