Yale University students and alumni are taking legal action against the school through a class action lawsuit, saying it doesn’t have sufficient mental health services or accommodations.
They also allege a practice of pressuring students to withdraw from school if they are in a mental health crisis. Alicia Abramson is a named student in the suit.
“Yale’s services just weren't, weren't quite enough for what I needed. I was only getting 30-minute sessions. And they weren't very regular. So, it just wasn't, wasn't quite enough to help me fast enough,” Abramson said.
She voluntarily withdrew from the school to get help back home without dealing with academics. She says the university seemed to make it difficult to return.
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“I had to get a lot of letters of rec, I had to write a personal statement and do interviews. And it was just this very long and arduous process,” she said.
And she had to take two courses at another four-year university while getting treatment.
Her experience is not unique. Alumni and current students who say they went through similar situations formed the group Eli’s for Rachael after a student died by suicide last year.
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“We didn't know that there was such a large group out there. You know, we had all felt very alone at the time, so it was empowering,” said Alicia Floyd, a Yale alumna and member of Eli’s for Rachael.
The group has also joined the lawsuit with Abramson, and they’re not out for financial relief.
“I don't think involving money had occurred to any of us, you know,” Floyd said. “We want policy change. We want things to be better for current students than they have been in the past.”
They filed the class action suit saying the university is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Debora Dorfman, executive director of Disability Rights Connecticut, is their attorney.
“One of the things that we're looking for is the establishment of a process that would take into account individual needs,” Dorfman said.
She says that is for students on campus who may need certain accommodations, like reduced workloads. And for students who left for treatment and are trying to return.
“There's like an interactive process to come to an agreement about what would be an appropriate accommodation for the student, and certainly not subjecting everybody to these, you know, what really are pretty harsh policies,” Dorfman said.
In a statement, Yale University officials said:
“Yale's faculty, staff, and leaders care deeply about our students. We recognize how distressing and difficult it is for the student and their loves ones when a student is facing mental health challenges. When we make decisions and set policies, our primary focus is on students' safety and health, especially when they are most vulnerable.
We believe in creating and sustaining strong and sensible support structures for our students, and in many cases, the safest plan includes the student's parents and family. We have taken steps in recent years to simplify the return to Yale for students on medical withdrawals and to provide additional support for students.
We are also working to increase resources to help students. The university is confident that our policies comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Nonetheless, we have been working on policy changes that are responsive to students' emotional and financial wellbeing.”
For those who filed the lawsuit, they want to make sure those resources encourage students to seek help and not feel ashamed to do it.
“I think there needs to be a lot more substantial change before we can start treating mental health with care and support here,” Abramson said.
