<p>I heard once that Swarthmore expels or suspends students who refuse to do anything about treating their depression. Does anyone know where I can find this information?</p>
<p>Hey! I’m a current Swattie, and I think I have a couple things I can add here. </p>
<p>1) I haven’t personally had any friends that have been forced by the school to take leave for depression. I have, however, had a couple that elected to take a semester leave. For one, this decision was made after many meetings with Deans and counselors, for another, it was a decision made mostly on their own. But, it is my understanding that for both of them, the decision was ultimately theirs.</p>
<p>2) Here is a link to the section in this year’s student handbook where Swat outlines its policies regarding involuntary withdrawals for health reasons: [Academic</a> Policies :: Student Handbook :: Swarthmore College](<a href=“Academic Policies :: Student Handbook :: Swarthmore College”>Academic Policies :: Student Handbook :: Swarthmore College)</p>
<p>The “tl;dr” is that the school will never force a student to withdraw solely for personal health reasons. It is only if the school perceives the student’s health to be posing a direct threat to the well-being of his/her peers that it will launch a process to evaluate the student’s capacity to be a successful member of the Swat community. The Handbook link above under the “Involuntary Withdrawals for Health Reasons” heading outlines the process in detail.</p>
<p>3) Last Spring, The Phoenix, Swat’s weekly newspaper, ran a series on students coping with depression while at Swarthmore. Some students have had positive interactions with Deans and counselors on campus, while others may have not had the most positive interactions, but there is also a lot in motion this year to better equip administrators to support students on the entire spectrum of mental health and wellbeing. Certainly none of the student testimonials indicate that anyone was suspended or expelled.</p>
<p>Thanks! This was very helpful. :)</p>