The AUCCCD community all held our breath yesterday as we anxiously awaited the verdict of the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Before we could exhale, we were all reminded of the institutional and systemic racial trauma that the Black and Brown community have experienced in our country due to the glaring failures in our justice system. When the verdict was announced, we were able to breathe easier for a mere moment before that trauma came rushing back while Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, just yesterday, Ma'Khia Bryant and countless others have gone without justice. This was an example of one police officer being held accountable for the unlawful and egregious use of force and we maintain hope that this is a sign of change to come. We as an organization, as well as individuals within AUCCCD, recognize that there is still much work to be done before we and our Black and Brown friends and family can feel safe and secure. We cannot allow this symbolic verdict to create complacency in our continued fight for equality, justice and human rights.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 3,700 hate crimes against Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people have been reported in the United States, according to Stop AAPI Hate. In the last few weeks alone, there has been a series of incidents targeting senior citizens in California, some of which resulted in fatalities, random attacks on Asian residents in New York City, and the most recent shootings that occurred in Atlanta, GA, resulting in the deaths of eight people, six of whom were identified as Asian women.

The Association for University and College Counseling Center directors (AUCCCD) strongly condemns the unlawful and unwarranted attacks in Washington, DC, brought upon by a lengthy campaign of manipulation and misinformation. While AUCCCD firmly supports the fundamental first amendment right of the people to peaceably assemble, the desecration of our Capitol, threat to our dedicated political leaders, violence, and misguided anger aimed at a fair election process unwinds the fabric of our Democracy. AUCCCD always opposes violence, obstruction of freedom and the creation of unnecessary fear and anxiety.

The Association for University and College Counseling Directors (AUCCCD) condemns the racial violence continuing to claim the lives of unarmed persons who identify as Black or African-American. This shameful 400-year history of discrimination, degradation and death must stop -- and it will require the commitment of each of us.

AUCCCD Statement on Re-opening Campuses May 2020.pdf

Steps to mitigate and slow the spread of COVID-19 have been in effect since March of this year. As states start to slowly re-open businesses and workplaces including colleges and universities, the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) strongly advocates for a public health-informed approach to re-commencing in-person mental health services.

AUCCCD endorses AUCCCO's Impact Statement on COVID-19 | March 2020

As President of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), I am writing to you today in light of how the current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the ability of colleges and universities to serve the mental health needs of college students. In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, many colleges have moved to distance learning as an avenue for students to continue their academic studies. However, this move means that many college counseling centers will utilize telemental health services in order to provide much needed psychological care to already vulnerable students who are likely experiencing increased anxiety and social isolation. This includes students who live in another state rather than where their college is located. In most states, mental health professionals are prohibited from practicing across state lines.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued new “conscience protections” for health care providers, insurers and employers who refuse to provide, participate in, pay for, or refer patients for abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide and advance directives. The rule expands on the powers of HHS’s Office for Civil Rights to enforce these protections for providers even for counseling and the provision of referral information. The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) stands with many professional organizations in opposing the expansion of these conscience protections. We have grave concerns about how these “protections” will negatively impact college students’ ability to get accurate information about and access to essential services. We are especially concerned about the impact on low-income and minority women, and the access to needed care and information for other populations, specifically lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and individuals living with HIV and AIDS.

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) strongly supports the “Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety Act of 2018” (H.R. Bill 6664). As a leading voice for college student mental health, and the largest organization of campus mental health leaders in the country, AUCCCD is actively involved in efforts to reduce the risk of violence to self and others.

The Clery Act requires all institutions of higher education to collect crime reports from a variety of individuals and organizations that Clery considers to be Campus Security Authorities (CSAs). In its 2016 Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, the U.S. Department of Education identified two types of individuals working in specific roles who are not CSAs under the Clery Act: Pastoral counselors and Professional Counselors (this includes counselors-intraining working under the license of a professional counselor). Furthermore, directors of campus counseling centers were classified as people who generally meet the criteria for being campus security authorities (CSAs).

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), a professional association for the higher education leaders for college student mental health representing over 800 institutions in the United States and internationally, seeks to advance the cause of collegiate mental health through innovation, education, and advocacy. As an organization committed to inclusive excellence and the promotion of social justice, AUCCCD strongly speaks out against racism, discrimination, oppression, and violence in its many forms. On Friday, August 11, 2017, and Saturday, August 12, 2017, several White supremacist hate groups gathered on the campus of the University of Virginia and elsewhere in Charlottesville, purportedly to protest the removal of a Confederate general’s statue. The weekend was marked with violent clashes between various hate groups and anti-racism groups, leading to property destruction and the needless death of a young woman who was there to protest against racism and bear witness. Several other people were injured, some seriously. Two law enforcement officers who were there to keep the peace also lost their lives when their helicopter crashed.

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) joins with the world in expressing our grief and sorrow to those family members, friends and loved ones who were impacted by the tragic violence that occurred in Orlando, Florida. We extend our support to those who continue to be healing from this senseless violence. Of particular note, are the members of the LGBTQ community and the impact this tragedy is having on them. As a professional association AUCCCD is committed to inclusive excellence and the affirmation of all individual’s sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. We recognize how this tragedy can effect a person’s sense of safety in the world and know that counseling centers are ready to support students impacted by this violence everywhere. We are also aware that individuals with a similar background to the perpetrator’s identity can be unfairly victimized in the aftermath of such a tragedy. These individuals will certainly be supported by counseling centers as needed.

Much of the empirical research on the topic of violent video games indicates that such activities increase aggressive thoughts and behaviors and increase angry feelings. Anecdotal data about many of the school shooters indicate preoccupation with violence. The tragedies at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Northern Illinois University are among the most horrible violent acts on campus in American history. As an organization of professionals based in campus mental health settings we feel compelled to decry the development and marketing of video games that present such video activities as "fun". We urge the businesses and individuals involved with these types of video games to stop their development and/or production. It is disconcerting that the development of such video games would even be considered. It is disrespectful to survivors, and inconsiderate to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have been killed or injured in school shootings. It would be ill advised and regrettable to market such games given the potential harm they could cause.