Tag Archives: college health

Heads Up: Changes Coming to MyStudentBody!

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Hopefully, you noticed that MyStudentBody has been running faster. You have? Good, because in November we upgraded MyStudentBody’s operating platform behind the scenes. But here at MyStudentBody HQ, we’ll be rolling out some changes over the next few months in addition to some of our recent upgrades. Here’s a look at the next three big steps.

Change #1

Early next month, our welcome page will get a fresh look and links to useful articles that you can share with colleagues. Check out the snazzy previews of the new welcome page and library below.

Change #2

In February, we’ll also be unveiling a new registration process that will make users’ information more secure and help with forgotten passwords. Administrators, this is important because you’ll need to revise your instructions to students. But don’t worry, we’ll provide new samples and templates online.

Change #3

Also coming in February, MyStudentBody’s wellness information (topics like stress, sexual health, nutrition, and tobacco) will be available from the Student Center page. Here’s why: administrators spoke, we listened.

Back in September, we asked administrators who use MyStudentBody to tell us how they use the program, and how we could make it more useful to them and students. Regarding the wellness information, the biggest takeaways were:

  1. MyStudentBody’s wellness components, which aren’t part of the Essentials or Student Conduct courses, are liked, but not used extensively with students.
  2. Half of administrators found the wellness areas “very valuable,” but only 35% thought they were “very popular” with students.
  3. More than 70% agreed that, “though the wellness sites seem useful, we rarely use them.”
  4. Nearly 90% agreed that those areas “would be helpful if we used (them) more.”

In an effort to provide the comprehensive student health education we’ve always promised and provide ongoing prevention support, we asked ourselves what we could do to make the wellness information more accessible to students. Clearly, it’s important to administrators. We decided to move that wellness information to the Student Center tab of MyStudentBody because then it would be more easily seen and used as a resource by students. And 82% administrators liked that idea.

So that’s exactly what we’re doing. We expect the changes to take effect in late February, and we’ll have more information about that in January. Until then, those areas will be available as they’ve always been.

For more details about the findings from our customer survey read the Executive Summary [PDF].

Fulfilling Federal Mandates Part 2: Dominican College Uses MyStudentBody In Title IX Compliance

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In the first part of this series, we discussed the “Dear Partner” letter, which announced that campus drug abuse programs would be falling under increased scrutiny by the US Department of Education and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. We suggested ways that college and university administrators can step up the drug prevention programs on their campuses. In the second part of this series, we invite you to find out more about how MyStudentBody can help schools respond to another part of these new federal mandates, which was outlined in the recently distributed “Dear Colleague” letter.

Dominican College, in Orangeburg, NY, is a small college in the Catholic tradition serving about 1,800 students with professional programs in teacher education, athletic training, social work, business administration, and the health care professions of nursing and occupational and physical therapy. In addition to over 30 programs of study, the college also has a strong athletic program, sponsoring 12 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division II.

According to Dominican College’s Prevention and Education Coordinator, Eileen A. Piccininni, MA, LPC, CASAC, CEAP, the “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights last April means all US colleges will be looking more uniformly at how they handle sexual assault complaints. The letter, which the White House has declared a “significant guidance document”, reiterated schools’ obligation under Title IX to deal with sexual harassment as unlawful discrimination, and detailed the process by which institutions should respond to sexual assault complaints.

“The ‘Dear Colleague’ letter specifically references issues around sexual violence,” Piccininni says. “Every campus will be reviewing and improving methods for promoting healthy and safe environments through educating students about sexual violence issues.”

Dominican has used MyStudentBody for the past five years as part of its alcohol abuse prevention education, and began using the Essentials course, which covers sexual violence as well as alcohol and drug use, last year. Piccininni finds it an effective tool for Title IX training and documentation. “Proactively, we’ve assigned MyStudentBody Essentials as part of the curriculum for our year-long Freshman Seminar,” she says. “I also use it when I have students who violate the alcohol and other drug policy.”

As part of an educational sanction for students who violate the policy, Piccininni requires completion of either the Essentials Course or the Student Conduct Course. Piccininni has also assigned the sexual violence component of Essentials course to students whose relationships show warning signs of dating violence or potential abuse. “These courses help to increase the culture of respect for self and respect for others, instilling the importance of being an active bystander and of a shared responsibility for the safest and most healthy learning environment possible,” she explains.

And at Dominican, MyStudentBody isn’t just for students. “Every administrator in student services has been asked by our Dean of Students to take and pass the Essentials course,” Piccininni says. “We’ve recommended that faculty and other staff take it as well.”

Overheard On Campus: What is a vaporizer? Is using one safer than smoking tobacco or marijuana?

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Contributed by Lisa Salazar, M.P.H, A.C.E.-C.P.T., & Daniel Gittins, M.A.
Introduction by Tyler Achilles, B.A.

I haven’t heard anyone refer to a vaporizer in a long time. Maybe it’s because I’m becoming more removed from college culture as I get older, but I’m sure vaporizers are still around, especially since many states have loosened their stance on marijuana. In fact, vaporizers are probably becoming more popular because of that fact. There are risks involved with using a vaporizer, though. Check out what Lisa Salazar, director of the wellness center at Idaho State University, and Daniel Gittins, coordinator of alcohol and drug programs at Duquesne University, have to say about vaporizers below. For information on similar topics, check out the Overheard On Campus category or log in to MyStudentBody.

Male using a vaporizer

Photo credit: Gizmodo

Lisa Salazar, director of the wellness center at Idaho State University, says …

Vaporizers experienced resurgence in popularity after Johnny Depp was seen using one in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Vaporizers are instruments often used with herbal drugs like marijuana, salvia, etc., although they may also be used for other drugs including meth or crack cocaine. Vaporizers may be made from crude materials, such as light bulbs or expensive purchased models, but all have the same general function. Unlike rolling a joint, or using a pipe where herbal drugs are burned directly, a vaporizer is used to create convection heat that warms the entire substance to a temperature that releases chemicals, such as the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the plant matter forming a steam or mist. A tube or pipe is used to inhale the steam vapor and initiate the “high.”

Advocates for marijuana use claim that using a vaporizer is safer than smoking, as the vaporizer doesn’t release burned materials (carbons, tar, benzene, toluene, naftalene, etc.) into the lungs; therefore, it is less of a health hazard than smoking the herb directly. Instead, the volatile or essential oils of the plants are released with the vapor that is to be inhaled, and these are said to be more pleasing and calming to the imbiber.

From a health standpoint, however, it’s important to remember what THC actually does to the brain. Scientists know that THC has an impact on the parts of the brain that impact memory, thinking, perception, pleasure, and coordinated movement. There has been a direct correlation with marijuana and mental health issues, as well including violence, psychotic reactions, and even onsets of schizophrenia.

In addition, marijuana has been shown to impact more areas of the body than just the lungs and brain.  In fact, marijuana users have a nearly five times higher risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug and often experience elevated heart rates for up to three hours after smoking. Because the chemicals released when using a vapor are said to be less diluted, these risks could also be amplified. Regardless of what the word is on the street, vaporizers do not offer any less risk than traditional drug use methods.

Daniel Gittins, Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Programs at Duquesne University, says …

According to Got Vape?, a blog dedicated to vaporizers, a vaporizer is a product used to smoke a blend of tobacco like substances. It says that a “vaporizer works by using heat to bring the temperature of your blend to the point where it boils the active ingredient out of the blend without burning the plant material. The vapors that result are much cleaner and tastier than smoke, and more highly concentrated as well.”

There has been an increase in the visibility of these type products recently, perhaps in response to the growing number of states that are allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Additionally, the increase in vaporizer use could result from an increase in the amount of synthetic “smokeable” products marketed as well as the ongoing quest to find safer ways to smoke tobacco products. Vaporizers are marketed as a safer way to smoke tobacco and/or plant products (though there hasn’t been enough research conducted to support this claim). Proponents of this claim say that “vapors are free of tars and other unhealthy bi-products produced when blend is burned instead of being vaporized.”

There are many kinds of vaporizers. Many college students have been using them under the thought that they are smokeless and odorless (not true), and, therefore reduce the risks of getting caught smoking illegal substances, or legal ones in areas where smoking is not allowed. There are risks involved.

Bottom line: Although there are claims that using a vaporizer is safer and, in some ways, better than smoking tobacco or marijuana, there is no evidence to support this claim. There are real risks associated with using these substances.

For more tobacco-related posts, check out the Tobacco category in Health Topics or log in to MyStudentBody and navigate to the Tobacco section. You can take a self-assessment of your tobacco use and find educational materials to help you quit.

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Overheard On Campus: Why do certain types of alcohol, like whiskey or tequila, make some people act differently than when they drink beer?

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Contributed by Rebecca Smith, M.A., L.C.P.C., C.S.A.T.

Different types of alcohol have different amounts of alcohol content by volume. What does that mean? Well, if a bottle of tequila is labeled as 80 proof, then it means it contains 40% alcohol and 60% other ingredients. Tequila and most other hard liquors, like whiskey, rum or vodka are usually 40-50% alcohol by volume, or 80-100 proof. Unlike liquor, most servings of beer are going to be 4-6% alcohol. Many times people who drink hard liquor will add more than a standard shot to their drink (sometimes equaling 2 or 3 shots!) because they are not aware of the proper amount. Adding 2 or 3 shots to one 12-ounce drink is the equivalent of drinking 2 or 3 whole beers.Bartender pouring shots, college students looking on

Most people are going to get drunk faster when they consume hard liquor because they don’t have to consume as much liquid to get a high volume of alcohol. Alcohol shuts down the judgment and coordination center of the brain. This is why most people act differently while drinking hard liquor as compared to just drinking beer. The amount of water in beer slows down the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream, so a person has to drink several beers to feel the same effect of having one glass of hard liquor, which will be absorbed more quickly.

Be safe and smart while drinking. Most people can only consume one beer, one glass of wine, or one shot of hard liquor per hour before going over the legal limit of a .08 blood alcohol level (alcohol tolerance and weight will affect this number, but in general this is a good rule to follow). If you drink more than one drink in an hour, your body won’t be able metabolize the alcohol, and your blood alcohol levels will go up. This will definitely affect the way you are behaving toward and around others.

Bottom line: Alcohol is alcohol, but pay attention to how much you’re drinking, especially if it’s hard liquor. Click here for more Overheard On Campus posts.

Any other advice to add? Have a story to share? Write a comment below!

Body Sense: You (don’t) snooze, you lose!

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Contributed by C. Claire Armagnac, B.A.

A recent article in Inside Higher Ed titled “Turn Your Zzz’s Into A’s” got me thinking about how sleep affects the daily lives of college students. Many Americans, especially college students, do not get enough sleep due to stress and busy schedules, but sleep problems are an international phenomenon. For example, a 2002 study involving 10 countries showed that 32% of the study participants in Belgium, and 16% of the participants in Germany, reported that they frequently do not sleep well. In the U.S., things aren’t much better, with a 2009 poll by the National Sleep Foundation showing that Americans average 6.7 hours of sleep per night on weeknights, and data from the past 10 years show that the number of people who average less than 6 hours of sleep per night is steadily increasing. The primary reasons for decreased sleep levels are stress, general anxiety, and devices like smart phones and iPads that allow us to be connected and active at all hours of the day.Student catching some Z's

For college students, stress and distractions are compounded by term papers, exams, and dorm living. Many dorms have “quiet hours” to allow students to study and sleep, but in the dorms at my school the hours were rarely observed, and students were resigned to studying in 24-hour computer labs and lounges. The fact that computer labs and other venues were open 24/7 often made me feel as though I should have been working or socializing 24/7, which is very risky. Some students brag about the amount of sleep they don’t get, claiming to have aced an exam or partied all night on 2 or 3 hours of sleep. These students may appear to have superhuman energy abilities, but the truth is that long-term sleep deprivation is dangerous to everyone’s health.

Sleep deprivation impacts many areas of our daily lives, including our ability to drive. A study conducted in 2000 showed that driving after staying awake for 17 to 19 hours can be as dangerous as driving with a 0.05 BAC (blood alcohol content) level. Sleep deprivation can also lead us to consume unhealthy amounts of caffeine, which leads to dehydration. Plus, sleep deprivation can also change the way we eat, which can lead to obesity because our bodies crave high-energy foods that are easy to digest (such as refined flour and simple carbohydrates that give us a short boost of energy but leave us hungry again in a short amount of time) when we are tired. Exercise plans are often abandoned when students don’t have enough time to sleep. A lack of exercise combined with lack of sleep and a poor diet leads to a lifestyle that isn’t safe or sustainable over a long period of time.

The good news is that it’s never too late to improve your sleep habits, and summer may be the perfect time to do so. Living away from school may provide a quieter environment that is more conducive to sleep, and the absence of homework and tests leads to lower stress levels for many students as well. Summer is often less regimented than school, but for better health it is still important to set a regular bedtime, perhaps by telling yourself that you will go to bed after a favorite show every night or that you will always go to bed 2 hours after getting home from work.

Summer is also a great time to renew your dedication to an exercise program or to go to a local gym and try a fitness class that you did not have time for during school. The price of a gym membership varies by region, but in my town the YMCA offers summer memberships for young adults that cost about $20 per month and include unlimited fitness classes. Summer’s warmer weather also makes it easier to exercise outdoors and play games, such as volleyball and baseball with friends or with a town league. And, with all the extra sleep you’ll be getting, you’ll actually have the energy to do so!

Everyone is busy and stress has become the norm in many of our lives, but I can tell you from personal experience that allocating at least 7 hours per night for sleep has improved my health as well as my mood. Science and common sense both suggest getting more sleep, so please try to do it if you can. Good luck, and happy sleeping!

Questions? Comments? I welcome your feedback at carmagna@stetson.edu!