Tag Archives: students

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].

Overheard On Campus: What Alcohol-Free Activities Can College Students Do on Halloween?

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Contributed by Melissa Kelley, MS, CHES

Kudos to you for deciding to avoid a booze-infused Halloween this year. There are many ways to make a sober Halloween a fun one.

Scare Some Kids

Since Halloween is pretty popular for kids, consider contacting a local organization that works with youth to help plan a haunted house or Halloween party that’s safe, fun, and of course, alcohol-free. Most organizations look for volunteers that can dress up, help with activities, and make the event fun for kids.

Scare Some Friends

If you’re looking for something to do with your own friends, plan a costume contest or Halloween fashion show. You can also contact your Student Activities Office about doing a haunted event on campus. Consider turning your residence hall into a haunted hall!  It might be fun for students to ‘trick-or-treat’ in your dorm and go door-to-door, just like when you were kids. It’s easy and pretty inexpensive to decorate.  You can even make it a contest, where the best decorated floor wins a pizza party or ice cream social, etc. Throw in a strobe light or black light for effect and you have instant Halloween! You also can’t go wrong with a scary movie fright fest, either at the theater or in your dorm room. You never know, you might just start a new sober Halloween trend on campus!

Social Intelligence: Returning home from college for the summer

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Contributed by Amanda Anastasio, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Now that you have fully adjusted to the increased freedom, friend time, fast food, work and responsibility at college, you face another big change – returning home for the summer! Your attitude about change impacts the way you perceive your situation, and in turn, how you manage it. So keep a positive mind set, you can handle this!

While some may have great relationships with parents and family back at home, others may be dreading the inevitable clash that occurs when you have different expectations than your parents about how the summer will go.

Mother and daughter washing dishes together

Photo credit: © Leah Warkentin/Design Pics/Corbis

Tips for livin’ at home

  • If you are going to be living at home, you have to contribute.  During the school year you cleaned up your dorm room, and did your laundry, right? (Well let’s hope you did for your roommate’s sake….) So you should continue to take this initiative while at home. In fact, do more than what is expected of you; your parents will recognize your contribution and appreciate your effort, which will help grow the relationship and send a message of independence.
  • Get a job. Lying on the couch will get old, and you will be bored out of your mind. Filling your time with a job, and getting paid is a great way to experience the working world, make new friends, and again, show your parents that you are stepping up and being an adult. The sooner they see you as an adult, the faster they will treat you as one.
  • Talk with your parents up front about curfew, friends, romantic partners coming to visit – or anything you think might cause tension. Ask them what they want or need in order to come to a compromise. Try to see their point of view; if you hear them out, chances are they will be more willing to hear you out.

In addition to your parent dilemma, you made a whole new group of friends while at college, who, for the most part, are now absent for the summer months. How do you keep up these important relationships while managing old high school friends?

Maintaining and sustaining lasting and healthy relationships

Studies have shown that supportive friends allow us to live longer and better lives. You may feel you have changed since going to college, and some of your old friends feel distant. Recognize and accept if there are some people with whom you now have evolving interests from or life goals. An important aspect of maturing is choosing your own circle of friends, people who support you and make you feel good about yourself.

  • For the ladies: There is an added benefit for you! Researchers suspect that women respond and alleviate stress differently from men because of the hormone oxytocin that is releasedand the fact that estrogen works to enhance it. This encourages women to “tend and befriend” instead of the expected “fight or flight” as suggested by previous research. Biologically, women who focus on friendships and taking care of each other can better control their stress levels and stay calmer during hard times.

    Girl talking on a cell phone, smiling

    Photo credit: Richard X. Thripp

With all these health benefits, you can’t afford not to keep your friends close!

Best ways to stay connected to your friends over the summer

  • Call them. A quick chat is more personal than a text message. I know it’s easier to text but when you make time to actually pick up a phone you send a message that this person is important to you and you want to stay a part of their life. Let your buds know they are worth the time and effort!
  • Send pictures, private jokes, videos, articles, and anything that shows them you know who they are and think of them often. This can help keep you reminded of why you enjoy each other and keep the relationship fresh.
  • Plan visits. The best way to keep relationships healthy and strong is regular contact, over the phone and face time! Meet somewhere halfway between the two of you, or if they are just too far, set up a Skype account to make sure you see their mug a few times over the summer!

How do you manage parents and keep up with friends during the summer? Write a comment below.

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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!