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Standing up against racists: Outrage is growing over racism caught on film at the University of Florida. In celebration of Halloween, people drag out every tired, racist costume in the books.

A fraternity party at the University of Florida was themed “rock stars and rappers” (because isn’t that the most original party you’ve ever heard of?), and some students came in blackface. They took it a step further though, and also covered their bodies with black paint, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The university’s chapter of the NAACP posted a photo from the party on its Facebook page, captioned: “Students at UF had a party last night, and guess who they came dressed as? Whose party this is is not the issue but the fact that this is seen as acceptable is where the problem lies!”

Besides the obvious lesson — don’t dress up as an entire race of people — the moral of this story is don’t go to parties with stupid themes.

Young People Voting: Engagement among young voters is up. According to a poll released Tuesday by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, 67 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds plan to vote next week.

Support for President Barack Obama is also up — 52 percent of young voters plan to vote for the incumbent, compared to 35 percent for former Massachusetts govenor, Mitt Romney, and 4 percent for a third-party candidate.

College students formed the base of Obama’s support in the 2008 elections, and their engagement could be critical to Obama’s re-election.

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Collegiate mental health services: Mental health services offered by colleges don’t appear to support students well enough.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness surveyed 765 college students diagnosed with a mental health condition to gauge how colleges were meeting students’ mental health needs, based on those students’ perceptions.

Students are seeking collegiate mental health services in huge numbers and reporting serious problems like depression — one of the most common mental illnesses among students — and anxiety.

But according to the survey, more than 62 percent of students with mental health problems who withdrew from college did so because of those problems. The survey’s respondents, though, offered solutions.

To raise awareness about mental health, colleges should train faculty and staff, surveyed students said. They also suggested sponsoring student organizations and providing peer support and mentoring.

Communication between students and faculty: Student-faculty communication could use some work, according to a new study. Students wouldn’t consider college instructors so politically biased if students were more ready to initiate a discussion when confronting opposing viewpoints.

The study, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, says students who are more inclined to verbally attack people with different opinions are also more likely to think their instructors are biased.

On the other hand, students who enjoy well-reasoned debate are less likely to react to instructors whom they believe to be biased by withdrawing from discussions.

In other words, if you don’t like what you’re hearing, speak up.