Texas Tech was the topic of conversation on Fox News this weekend, and the university was unfairly singled out with a serious amount of spin. 

Various websites claimed that Texas Tech's Student Counseling Center put out some suggestions on how to deal with "today's political climate" and how students are now "questioning the safety of themselves and those that they love." It was then picked up by Fox News.

All of these outlets made it sound like this was some kind of response to the current political climate. What they didn't tell you was that they were just repeating some blog's nonsense, which was pulled from the way back machine on Texas Tech's website.

Well, we went right to the source for answers.

Chris Cook, Managing Director of the Office of Communications & Marketing at Texas Tech University, said that the information being cited in these reports was on the school's website homepage...since 2014.

Cook told us that the page wasn't the result of Donald Trump becoming President of the United States, but rather the riots and social and political upheaval in Ferguson, Missouri, which followed the killing of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown by a white police officer Darren Wilson -- and the subsequent decision not to indict Wilson. Cook said that the school was receiving inquiries from students asking if there was anyone they could talk to about issues surrounding that event and others.

The specific page, which was never a school policy, has since been removed from the website altogether since the school's counselors aren't limited in what they do for students, Cook said.

"Students can come in for whatever is bothering them," Cook said. "If they feel like they need someone to talk to, it doesn't matter the issue."

Cook clarified that Texas Tech doesn't have "political strife counselors," adding that the school's counselors are there to listen to students no matter the subject.

"The student counseling center is open to students regardless of what they want to discuss," he said.

We smelled something funny in the reporting because all the links just went to a general counseling referral page at Texas Tech's website which didn't contain the language referenced by the TV reports and shared Facebook posts. We even called the Texas Tech University Student Counseling Center this morning, and the person we spoke to was not aware of this specific counseling being offered. The closest we came to finding something like it is this flyer from the school titled "Self-care in times of social unrest."

Regardless of when it came out, Texas Tech is taking a roasting, and it's ridiculous.

It is stressful out there, and students are generally in a fragile place, wondering if they're making the right life choices. Counseling for ANY reason should be encouraged. Instead, words like "pussification" and "snowflakes" and suggestions like "grow the hell up" are the top comments on these fake news blogs.

I find this amazing because the consensus out there, especially regarding stopping violence, is that we need better mental health programs. Why anyone would discourage this rests in their own ignorance and insecurities.

Texas Tech should be applauded for always being proactive and helping its students get a good start on life. The school's counseling services are not mandatory are for folks who ask for help. Untreated mental health problems, no matter the cause, can lead to some really ugly situations for individuals and all of those around them.

Making fun of someone with mental health issues is worse than making fun of someone with a broken leg. Broken legs heal; mental health issues get worse.

I suggest the critics grow the hell up and everyone should check their sources before dragging someone's name through the mud.

The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and aren't representative of Townsquare Media, its affiliates or advertisers. 

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