?>?> 2012 March

College Mental Health Expert to Discuss Relationship Violence on College Campuses

March 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dr. Lee Keyes, Executive Director of the University of Alabama Counseling Center, will discuss signs of college relationship abuse, possible triggers, and resources for students to get help

Front of The Rotunda, University of Virginia

The recent conviction of George Huguely V, a former University of Virginia star lacrosse player, in the beating death of his ex girlfriend Yeardley Love, a student athlete at the University of Virginia, has turned the spotlight on relationship violence on college campuses across the country. Tomorrow evening, Dr. Lee Keyes, the Executive Director of the University of Alabama Counseling Center, will discuss with Twitter attendees relationship violence on college campuses, the possible triggers  and warning signs, and resources for students to get help at 9 p.m. ET.

During #CollegeChat, Dr. Keyes will discuss with attendees:

  • Should the trial and verdict of George Huguely V serve as a wake-up call that relationship violence happens on all colleges
  • How wide spread is relationship violence in college?
  • What are the symptoms of relationship violence?
  • What are possible triggers? Do drug use, alcohol abuse, stress and depression play a role?
  • Should outsiders intervene if they believe a student is in a violent relationship?
  • How should they intervene?
  • What kinds of resources are available for students to get help?

Lee N. Keyes, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Keyes has been employed by The University of Alabama since 1991.  Dr. Keyes has interests in the administration of college mental health services, late adolescent and adult general psychotherapy, stress and adjustment of college students, anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention and reduction.  He is also involved in providing outreach services regarding the emotional health of college students, and consultation services for those who are concerned about the well-being of college students and the development of college mental health services.

Dr. Keyes has served as an Annual Review Officer and currently as Vice Chair for the IACS Board of Accreditation, and as a member of the IACS Board of Directors.  He is a member of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors and the Association for Psychological Science.  He served as Secretary of the Alabama Psychological Association from 2004 to 2007, and as President of the Association for 2009-2010.  He has published and presented conference programs with both regional and national professional organizations, and teaches in the Department of Psychology at The University of Alabama.  He also has experience operating a private practice and consulting with a psychiatric inpatient facility in Northport, Alabama.  In 2009, Dr. Keyes was recognized with the John L. Baier Award for exceptional leadership and service in the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Alabama.

About #CollegeChat

#CollegeChat is a live bi-monthly conversation intended for teens, college students, parents, and higher education experts on Twitter. #CollegeChat takes place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET. Questions for each #CollegeChat edition can be sent to Theresa Smith, the moderator of #CollegeChat via http://Twitter.com/collegechat , by entering questions online on the CollegeChat Facebook page at http://ht.ly/1XIqV , or by email. More detailed information about signing up for Twitter and participating in #Collegechat can be found at http://pathwaypr.com/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat .

Filed Under: CollegeChat Tagged With: , , , ,

The Power of Twitter for Universities

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today’s post is from Sarah Fudin who  currently works in community relations for the University of Southern California’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, which provides aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a teaching degree and teacher certification online.  Outside of work Sarah enjoys running, reading and Pinkberry frozen yogurt.

As Twitter has grown rapidly in global popularity, it has also become an integral part of how universities build their brand and form a community with students, alumni and the public. If your university does not yet use Twitter, breaking into this revolutionary area of public relations will be fun and exciting. If you already represent your university using Twitter, you may find some illuminating tips here about to how to better engage your community.

What is Twitter For?
It sounds silly, but one of the major obstacles facing new Twitter users is understanding exactly what this social network does best. Twitter is not designed for distributing marketing, advertising or news media to a silent audience; websites, newsletters, print and television media already give you plenty of outlets for that purpose. Twitter is unique in the way it allows you to engage a large community in dynamic, fast-paced and surprisingly personal conversations. That means listening to and responding to individuals, as well as tweeting links and comments of interest to your university’s community.

Listen In
Twitter is all about conversations, and that means listening as well as tweeting. While many Twitter users have the impulse to only follow those users whose tweets they really want to read, this is not a good strategy for building community engagement. Instead, follow everyone who follows you. This will let them know you are interested in what your followers have to say, and it will also allow your followers to respond to your tweets with direct messages. In addition to reading and responding to the tweets of others in your community, it is a good idea to frequently search for your university’s name in the Twitterverse to see what other users are saying.

Diversify
One account named after your university can provide a central hub for engaging broadly with your community, but it is also a good idea to have separate accounts for various academic departments, athletic teams, the alumni network, university news and so on. Giving users options about which particular aspects of university life they want to follow will result in a higher level of engagement overall. Once you have created the accounts, make sure that you use each one for a distinct, clearly defined purpose. For instance @UNC_Basketball posts score reports and highlights from critical moments from the school’s basketball games, while @MBAatUNC posts links of particular interest to students in UNC’s online MBA program.

Get Personal
While online communication can sometimes feel distant and impersonal, the voices that get the most attention on Twitter are undeniably human. Write as an individual as well as a professional representative of your university. Strive to show the community that you listen to them, and that you recognize and respond to the tweets of individuals. The University of Southern California’s Master of Arts in Teaching feed, @USCTeacher, constantly poses questions about teacher education, links to student blogs and articles, and promptly replies to comments. These kinds of personal touches harness the power of Twitter in a way that traditional media never allowed.

Do Not Overtweet
Twitter has a strict limit of 140 characters per Tweet and imposing this unique constraint on users has made it one of the most popular social networks in the world. In keeping with this spirit of brevity, it is wise to limit your daily tweets as well. Consistent thoughtful use of the network will bring rewards. Tweet too often and you risk cluttering up your followers’ home feeds. As a rule of thumb, three to five tweets a day is a sufficient level of activity to gradually build community engagement.

Sources:
http://doteduguru.com/id4800-university-twitter-accounts-spring-cleaning.html
http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/10-twitter-tips-higher-education
http://patrickpowers.net/2010/10/ten-university-twitter-accounts-worth-learning-from/
http://doteduguru.com/id2251-twitter-potential-universities.html
http://velositor.com/2012/02/17/brief-us-twitter-study-online-mobile-and-demographic-findings/

Filed Under: Education, social media Tagged With: ,