The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 1 - 62

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provide effective help instead of visiting a campus-based health center, which may not be open
when the injury occurs (e.g., late at night or on
weekends). Likewise, a friend or roommate may
be more comfortable going to an RA if a peer
conﬁdes in them about concussion symptoms.

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Individuals who work in campus recreation facilities also have a unique opportunity
to interact daily with students. Many college
students participate in intramural sports, exercise classes, or weight-lifting routines, activities that may result in a head injury. These
students are supervised by campus recreation
employees who may witness the injury and
subsequently serve as ﬁrst responders. While
campus recreation employees typically receive
emergency response training, including ﬁrstaid/CPR training (Schneider, Stier, Kampf,
Haines, & Gaskins, 2008), many employees
lack the ability to recognize the signs and
symptoms of a concussion, particularly when
they did not witness the injury.

occurred and thus return to classes

are often unaware or unwilling to
admit that an injury of note has
and sports prematurely, without
seeking appropriate help.

Campus-wide Programs

has research addressed educating the individuals entrusted with their care (Kennedy et al.,
2008; Sady, Vaughan, & Gioia, 2011). Campuses should consider the impact of traumatic
brain injuries, including concussions, in the
"university enterprise risk management programs" (United Educators, 2014, p. 9). Legal
scholars would argue that colleges and universities assess their risk based upon legal precedent, although this precedent may not provide
speciﬁc guidance for education or prevention
work. However, institutions should examine
their duty to students (Gehring, 2000). This
is not unlike a college or university's duty to
provide health-related training within the
campus community related to alcohol use
and abuse. As public knowledge of the impact
of concussions grows, the institutional duty
may also grow. Most importantly, institutions
should be the most knowledgeable about the
impact of concussions on student learning.

Despite the fact that college students comprise
one of the highest risk groups for concussions,
little research has focused on concussion
training programs geared toward college-age
students who are not athletes or soldiers, nor

Thus, there is a clear need for structured
programs designed to facilitate concussion
awareness and improve concussion management strategies in college and university settings (Sady et al., 2011). If these programs

For all of these reasons, training should
involve the campus staff employees who have
the most direct contact with college students:
residence life personnel and part- and full-time
employees in campus recreation departments.
Students who have sustained a concussion
may ﬁrst approach a trusted RA, intramural
sports ofﬁcial, or an athletic trainer to discuss
their symptoms, rather than thinking they
need to visit a campus-based health center.

with self-advocacy, college students

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 1