Arizona Western College has provided a novel way of helping its students deal with the stressful days leading up to finals: therapy dogs. The school is following in the footsteps (paw prints?) of San Diego State University, which also had success with animal therapy.

The canines are part of the nonprofit Love on a Leash program, which usually offers services to rehab centers, nursing facilities and those confined to their homes due to health reasons. Love on a Leash’s Yuma chapter brought in dogs and their owners for two hours a day for three days.

The students were able to relax with the dogs, offering a bit of simple comfort, especially for students who couldn’t go home for the holidays.

Particularly popular? Ollie, a tiny Teacup Yorkie who’s new to the program. His owner got Ollie when his wife had been diagnosed with cancer, and the little dog proved to be a great comfort to her.

How does your school help stressed students? Tell us in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Since colds and viruses spread from person to person, college campuses – where dorms and classrooms keep everyone in close quarters – are perfect Petri dishes for germs during flu season.

But students, faculty and staff can follow these simple precautions to drastically reduce their risk for developing the flu this season. Pass along these tips:

Wash your hands – use soap and warm water and wash for at least 15 to 20 seconds (about as long as it takes to recite the alphabet). Carrying an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is another good idea.

Get a flu shot – The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting the vaccination before December so antibodies are in place before flu activity is at its peak

Use tissues, then loss ‘em – if you have a tendency of stuffing a tissue into your pocket or bag, now’s the time to break that habit

Practice cough etiquette – that means covering the nose and mouth with your upper sleeve (not your hands!) when coughing and sneezing

Eat right – plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables provide necessary vitamins (and taking a multivitamin won’t hurt either)

Rest well – seven to nine hours is ideal, but even 15-minute cat naps can keep the body from getting fatigued and more susceptible to developing a cold

Reduce stress – since stress can lower the immune system, try exercising regularly to keep tension from building

Be prepared – have an over-the-counter fever/pain reducer on hand in case you start developing cold or flu symptoms, and have cleaning products in dorms and classrooms at the ready to reduce germ spread, and

Advertise on-campus health services – make sure students and faculty know what resources are available to them.

(Via CDC, St. John’s University and Bryn Mawr Hospital)

What else can your campus do to prevent the spread of sickness? Tell us in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Suicide is the cause of more student deaths than alcohol, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia. It’s the first study since 1939 to research student mortality rates in comparison to the general population.

According to the research:

• Suicides accounted for 6.18 deaths per 100,000 students
• Alcohol was a factor in 4.86 deaths per 100,000, and
• Vehicle accidents caused the most deaths at 6.88 per 100,000 – though it should be noted that half of them were alcohol-related.

Those suicide rates have not changed from prior reports since the late 1980’s, suggesting schools should focus more attention on student services for depression and other mental illnesses, as well as alcohol education programs.

However, the findings also suggest that campuses are a comparatively safe and protective environment – when compared to the mortality rates of 18-to-24-year-olds in the general population, student death rates are significantly lower for suicide, homicide and alcohol-related deaths.

“Leading Causes of Mortality Among American College Students at Four-Year Institutions” is based on 2009-10 academic year data from 157 schools, and represents 1.36 million students ages 18-24.

In hopes of creating a more formalized tracking and reporting method, researcher and former American College Health Association head James Turner, MD has secured a grant from the Centers for Disease Control to electronically link clinical statistics from health services nationally.

What do you think of the findings? Tell us in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Increased psychological problems were noted at 91% of student bodies, says a survey of 320 U.S. college counseling centers representing 2.75 million students. Almost 11% of students sought counseling services in 2010, up by 2% since 2005.

Among the trends counselors are reporting:

• Broader issues, such as troubling news reports from multiple media, could be connected to a rise in stress and depression
• More complex issues, stemming from family members losing jobs and significant personal loss, are bringing students into counseling centers
• The campus culture at certain high-achieving schools can create a correlation between perfectionism and anxiety and depression.

But the rise in students seeking counseling may be viewed as a positive. While it could indicate that students are more stressed than in previous generations, it could also mean they’re more willing to seek help.

How does your school make students aware of its mental health services? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Columbia University tops the 2011 Sexual Health Report Card, an annual survey of 140 schools’ on-campus sexual health services by Trojan Condoms and Sperling’s BestPlaces.

The rankings are based on factors such as STD and HIV testing, sexual awareness programs, availability of contraceptives and outreach programs, among others. Columbia University has topped the list two years in a row. The school earned perfect scores in multiple categories including the newly implemented “Extra Credit,” which incorporated student testimonials to gauge sentiment on campus.

The top 10 highest ranking schools are:

1. Columbia University in the City of New York
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
3. Princeton University
4. Brown University
5. Oregon State University
6. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
7. Colorado State University
8. University of Florida
9. University of Iowa
10. University of South Carolina-Columbia

Of the worst-ranking schools, several – Seton Hall University, Chicago State University, Brigham Young University and DePaul University – are repeat offenders, having been at the bottom of the rankings last year. New to the worst-list is the U.S. Air Force Academy, finishing at No. 138 after ranking 96^th in 2010.

The bottom 10:

131. Baylor University
132. St. John’s University-New York
133. New Mexico State University-Main Campus
134. Providence College
135. Troy State University-Main Campus
136. Seton Hall University
137. Chicago State University
138. U.S. Air Force Academy
139. Brigham Young University
140. DePaul University

Check out the complete list here. What sexual health services make your school stand out? Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Researchers wanted to find a way to separate students’ references to alcohol on Facbook into two categories: “rite of passage” drinking and drinking that shows an actual clinical risk of alcoholism.

So they analyzed more than 200 Facebook profiles of 18- to 20-year-old college students for pictures, status updates and comments referring to alcohol use.

The results: 58% met the clinical definition for problem drinking – posting status updates about drunk driving, blackouts, drinking alone and other at-risk behaviors.

That’s compared with 38% who only displayed alcohol in a picture or update.

Students who posted about problem drinking habits were also more than six times as likely to report an alcohol-related injury, according to the study.

However, the researchers point out that Facebook and Twitter activity don’t always indicate a drinking problem. The key is to listen to how a student talks about alcohol use. In other words, “Had a great wine night with the girls,” isn’t the red flag that “I shouldn’t have been driving, I was so wasted” is.

Most importantly, college health professionals probably shouldn’t take this to mean the first place to look for problem behavior. More traditional clues like class absences or poor grades should still be at the start of any investigation.

The full study is available via the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Should college officials pay more attention to students’ social network behavior? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Texas college freshmen must be immunized against bacterial meningitis starting in January, according to new guidelines just signed into law.

The Jamie Schanbaum & Nicolis Williams Act was authored following the death of 20-year-old Texas A&M University student Williams, who wasn’t required to get the vaccine because he didn’t live on campus.

According to law, students who don’t have verification of vaccination by the first day of the spring semester can potentially miss class. Colleges such as the University of North Texas are activating task forces to enforce the law.

The meningitis type specified in the law, Neisseria Meningitidis, has a 10-15% fatality rate, and is especially found in the 16- to 25-year-old age group. Living in crowded quarters such as dormitories or military bases can more quickly spread the disease.

How does your school deal with the potential spread of disease on campus? Share your strategies below, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

About 30% of U.S. colleges require students to have health insurance, according to the Government Accountability Office. But many students don’t know what options are available to them, for as little as $10 a month.

The three main coverage options are:

Parents’ health insurance plan. Students can stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26, according to the 2010 healthcare reform law. And a parent’s plan generally cannot exclude a student with a pre-existing health issue.

But both parents and their children should know what their policy actually covers. For instance, some providers don’t cover students who attend school out of state, or may charge higher deductibles and co-pays based on location.

School-sponsored plan. An estimated 57% of U.S. colleges offer health insurance plans to their students. These plans are generally designed to meet the needs of the campus population, including preventative health care, mental health and prescription medications.

Students should carefully compare the level of coverage their parents’ plan offers with the plan offered by the school they’re planning to attend before making a final decision.

Individual plan. Nationwide providers offer individual policies, however students should pay attention to pre-existing condition clauses, and what isn’t covered.

In some cases, what’s missing is mental health care (where rehabilitation and substance abuse are the only aspects covered).

What else should students consider when shopping around for health insurance? Chime in below, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Incoming students are about to get their first taste of close-quarters dorm living. That means they’re at risk for health hazards they might not even consider, including:

Meningitis – this serious infection can be spread through saliva (from kissing or sharing dishes). Students should get a meningitis vaccination, wash their hands frequently and wipe down countertops and other shared surfaces.

Mononucleosis – the so-called “kissing disease” can take students out of commission for up to six weeks. To avoid it, students should avoid mouth-to-mouth contact and constantly wash hands

Cold & flu – These respiratory conditions get passed through vapor droplets and infect everything they touch, from the desktop to the remote control.

Mold – Hidden in walls and warm, wet conditions, mold can be especially dangerous for those with asthma, allergies or other respiratory issues. In addition to keeping their living quarters clean and dry, students should leave immediately if they pick up a mildew smell – it could be a sign of a dorm-wide infestation.

Bedbugs – Reported cases of these little bloodsuckers have been on the rise in recent years, and campuses are no exception. Avoiding used furniture and carefully checking luggage after traveling can help prevent infestation.

Athlete’s foot – Students should wear flip-flops in the shower to reduce the risk of catching this fungus.

Sleep deprivation – All-nighters and generally lousy sleep habits can take a serious toll on students’ health. Routine sleep patterns (and brief power-naps) and avoiding caffeine before bed can help.

Binge drinking – This is a particular problem for off-the-leash freshmen away from home for the first time. In addition to educating students about the health hazards, they should also understand how their size and weight, and the time it takes to process a drink come into play.

STDs – As many as 25% of U.S. college students are said to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease (the human papillomavirus and Chlamydia are believe to be most common). Safe sex education – and easy access to condoms – are key to reducing risk.

What other health risks should students be on the lookout for? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Did you know a typical 30-minute treadmill workout can generate enough energy to power a light bulb for 2.5 hours? Drexel University’s recreation department does – and these workouts are helping to power its facilities.

By retrofitting cardio elliptical machines in the university’s gym (with the help of the renewable energy company ReRev), exercising students supply electricity for that area. The energy can also be stored for later.

It was actually an idea brought to the department by students when the athletic department was under construction. And while it’s not saving the school anything on its electricity bill yet, there’s a plenty of potential.

Whether on rowing machines, treadmills or stationary cycles, 3,000 people exercise in Drexel’s facility – imagine if every piece of equipment were harnessed to the power grid, collecting energy.

Sound like something your campus could use? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

After citing over 300 alcohol emergencies in the last year, Boston University decided to take serious action by enrolling in a collaboration sponsored by Dartmouth College.

With schools like Stanford, Duke, Frostburg State, and the University of Wyoming participating, the project aims to reduce binge drinking among their student population.

The effort will cost $20,000 for schools to participate, and it will last three years. If schools find the project ineffective, they may request a refund.

Schools like BU who participate in the collaborative three-year project will build teams of experts to tackle the issue. These colleges will assign faculty and staff to work together and find solutions.

For instance, BU’s Task Force on Alcohol & Student Health offers:

• One-on-one counseling
• Group therapy
• An alcohol education class called CHOICES, and
• Online assessments for students like E-CHUG and BASICS, which provide feedback about their alcohol use and ways to reduce their consumption.

The school hopes this collaboration will improve the university’s practices, while allowing staff to access a wide range of experts in the field.

Teams from the fourteen universities participating will meet three times in the first year via monthly web conferences.

How does your school combat binge drinking? Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Students who experience memory blackouts while drinking (losing memory of events, but not consciousness) are more likely to suffer an injury while drunk, according to a new study collecting data from 950 U.S. and Canadian students.

Within the two-years of the study, the alcohol-related injury rate was 25.6%, with no significant difference between men and women.

More than half of the students had had at least one memory blackout in the year prior to the study – and 7% reported at least six. Blackouts were highest among ages 18-20.

And while one or two memory blackouts increased the risk of injury by 57%, those with six blackouts or more were almost three times more likely to be injured.

Shocking news – or are you just surprised the injury rates aren’t higher? Sound off in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

To handle the influx of students seeking mental health services, more and more college counseling centers are using computerized questionnaires that can help flag serious problems more quickly than traditional paper-and-pencil evaluations.

The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) is used on dozens of campuses, including Penn State University. Researchers there used national CCAPS data to generate an annual study on student mental health.

Other schools, including Indiana University, use an evaluation called the Behavioral Health Measure (BHM), a 20-question survey that asks students to rate factors including:

• “Thoughts on ending your life”
• “Powerful, intense mood swings or highs and lows,” and
• “Alcohol or drug use interfering with your performance at school or work.”

Results from the evaluation are divided by categories such as suicide risk, depression and anxiety, and color-coded to indicate priorities from “normal” to “severe distress.”

High-tech methods like this are actually improving communication between counselors and students, who are often more comfortable using smart phones, iPads and laptops to express topics they might not verbalize in therapy – including a lack of trust or bonding with the counselor.

Should more counseling centers use these evaluations? Sound off below, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Cal State Fullerton students kicked off its third annual Dodgeball tournament, designed to boost awareness of mental health issues and services available to students on campus.

Prompted by research indicating that suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses, and students struggle with stress, depression and other mental health issues, the Student Health and Counseling Center started the tournament/promotion to help students “dodge the stigma” that can come with seeking out help.

This year’s tournament, supported by a suicide prevention grant, featured six teams competing in the bracket, alongside shaved ice refreshments and highlights of mental health issues students face.

Over the past three years, the counseling center says, there has been a marked increase in the number of students coming in to seek aid, and credits the promotion with boosting awareness of on-campus services.

How does your school promote its mental health services? Share your examples below, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

While anxiety and stress are normal feelings, the amount of “perceived stress” felt by college students has increased over time, says the Anxiety Disorder Association of America.

Students are impacted by a variety of stressors – including academics, finances, time management and even social networking – that, if not managed, can lead to emotional health issues and an inability to adequately function in school.

Incoming freshmen can be especially hard hit, as they adjust to a new learning environment, social situations and their abilities to succeed at a college level.

Meanwhile, a study by British researchers found that participants who worked 11 hours or more a day were 66% more likely to have a heart attack than those who worked seven to eight hours a day.

While the study’s most significant to older adults, researchers also asked college students to take note. Working long hours raises levels of stress hormones. Stress – and lack of sleep – leads to fatigue, worse academic performance, depression and anxiety.

In other words: Pulling an all-night study session can be bad for a student’s health.

How does your school combat student anxiety? Share your ideas, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

A survey sent to a random sample of students at eight North Carolina schools found 40.3% said they’d smoked tobacco from a hookah (water pipe) – nearly as many as said they’d smoked a cigarette (46.6%). And 17.4% said they were current hookah-smokers. Freshman and males were among the most likely to try it out.

A likely reason: Hookah users are under the mistaken impression that it’s safer than smoking cigarettes, since the smoke from hookahs is milder and has a pleasant aroma and taste compared to cigarettes.

But as a result, users may inhale more deeply over a longer period of time – so hookah users actually take in more tobacco smoke than cigarette smokers.

Researchers says this study highlights the potential public health concern of hookah smoking among young adults, and recommend education to address the risky behavior. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers additional assistance.

Is hookah use popular at your school? Tell us in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Anxiety and stress top the list of reasons about 32% of college students seek out mental health counseling services, says a new survey from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University.

Students assigned the highest ratings to statements about social anxiety and academic distress. Similarly, while about 5% of students said the statement “I am shy around others” was extremely like them, the same portion of students said the statement “I make friends easily” was not at all like them.

The likely reason: Social interaction and relationships receive high priority for college students, especially since the cost of college puts extra pressure on students to succeed.

Other findings:

• While 70% of students reported a positive attitude about their academic abilities, 20% agreed with the statement “I am not able to concentrate as well as usual,” and 25% related to “It’s hard to stay motivated for my classes,” and
• 68% of students reported they had never received counseling for mental health issues.

How does your school provide mental health services to students in need? Share your experiences, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Incoming freshmen and transfer students at the University of California, Berkeley will have the opportunity to participate in a student project that focuses on personalized medicine.

Participating students will send in DNA samples swabbed from the insides of their cheeks. Testing will analyze students’ samples for three genes, which will gauge students’ ability to:

• metabolize folate, revealing that students may need to eat more leafy green veggies
• metabolize alcohol, indicating participants may need to reduce or quit drinking, and
• tolerate lactose, suggesting students should avoid dairy.

Having this genetic information would reveal potential health risks and help students lead healthier lifestyles, according to professor of genetics Jasper Rine.

And, living a healthy lifestyle is one of the biggest ways to reduce healthcare costs.

Participation is voluntary and confidential. Students who take part in the program will be sent two bar code stickers: one to attach to the sample and one to keep for their records.

After the testing, students will be able to review the genetic analysis of their samples on a website hosted by the university.

On the site, students will be able to get optional genetic readings, ask questions, listen to lectures and participate in panel discussions.

Do you think personalized medicine is the way to reduce healthcare costs? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Campus officials in California are going green to save money — and student services. That’s the gist of the College Sustainability Report Card 2001.

Four California universities earned an “A” or an “A-” for their efforts to go green, including:

• Pomona College
• the California Institute of Technology
• the University of California-Davis, and
• the University of California-San Diego.

Greenreportcard.org is the only independent study of sustainability on college campuses.

Reporting on 322 universities, the study found more and more colleges are incorporating energy-efficient improvements — rather than cutting student services — to save money.

Schools made improvements in the following programs by

• showing a commitment to carbon emissions reductions, 64% — up from 23% in 2006
• growing campus farms or gardens, 70% — up from 9% in 2006
• using trayless dining, 75% — up from 0% in 2006, and
• creating a sustainability committee, 95% — up from 40% in 2006.

What else does your school in its green efforts? Share your strategies in the comments box below.

Unbelievable but true: Rather than downing alcohol the old-fashioned way, now students pour shots of vodka straight into their eyes.

The goal: to get drunk faster.

YouTube has hundreds of videos showing college students “eyeballing” their vodka. Take a look:

• Vodka eyeball shot
• Zander eyeballing vodka lol
• Vodka eyeball Paul style
• Jared eyeballing vodka second view

Students claim they “experience an instant high” and get more intoxicated than they could by drinking vodka.

The philosophy:  Eyes absorb alcohol faster, so by eyeballing instead of drinking, students can get drunk faster.

Have students been eyeballing vodka on campus at your school?  Share your tips to stop this trend in the comments box below.

Mesa State College in Colorado has instituted a blanket ban on marijuana use in dorms – whether it’s medically prescribed or not. The school maintains it’s against campus policy to smoke or store marijuana, even if used for medical purposes.

It’s a proactive step: Mesa County ranks 10^th-largest in the number of medical marijuana cardholders in the state, and such requests have been seen at other colleges.

The University of Colorado at Boulder, for instance, saw a handful of requests at midyear, from students living on-campus who wanted their housing deposits returned to live in a more pot-welcoming area.

So far, no MSC students have asked to be released from the rule requiring freshmen and sophomores to live on-campus so they can use a medical marijuana card off-campus.

Currently, medical marijuana isn’t addressed separately in the student housing guide, but the school will remedy that by the fall semester.

Does your school have a medical marijuana policy? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Tobacco.

Even universities in Kentucky, the nation’s largest producer of burley tobacco, are banning tobacco use on campus.

The University of Kentucky (UK) has implemented a tobacco ban that includes chew, pipes, cigars, snuff and cigarettes. What’s more, the new tobacco-free policy includes outdoor areas as well as interior buildings on campus.

Following UK’s lead, the University of Louisville has started restricting locations where students, staff and visitors can use tobacco on campus. The goal: to have a tobacco-free campus in one year.

In addition, Pikeville College has announced its campus will be completely tobacco-free by the fall semester.

University officials say they understand that tobacco’s an addiction, and many schools will provide nicotine-replacement products to helps staff and students kick the habit.

Where does your school stand on the tobacco issue? Let us know in the comments section below.

• 20 years ago, slightly more than half of counseling directors throughout the country saw students with serious psychological problems
• This year, 93.4% saw students with major problems, such as clinical depression, bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts.

What’s causing the increase in serious issues?

Ben Locke, executive director at Penn State’s Center for the Study of Collegiate Mental Health, explains it this way: “Students have been in a more competitive academic environment from a much earlier age. And that has transitioned into college, where students are coming through feeling overwhelmed from the get-go.”

Is that the root cause — or is something else going on? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Source: The Detroit Free Press

Yet still more allow students to smoke, even though the smoking rates among college students are extremely high at 30%.

Three states — Illinois, New Jersey and Wisconsin — have passed laws making residence halls and dorms 100% smoke free.

One of the most recent states to jump on the nonsmoking bandwagon is Florida.

Just this month, Florida Atlantic University began limiting smoking to specific spots on campus. The school hopes to become completely smoke-free in a year, according to the South Florida SunSentinel.com

Also in Florida, smoking will be restricted at Broward College and Palm Beach Community College. While the University of Miami’s medical campus will see an end of smoking come March.

What are your school’s smoking policies? Let us know in the comments section below.

Frightening news, considering a national study says 20% of women will either be raped or become the victim of an attempted rape before they graduate — yet more than 95% won’t report it to campus officials.

According to Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice: “Student victims face a depressing litany of barriers that often either assure their silence or leave them feeling victimized a second time.” (Click here to view the full report.)

The barriers include “secret disciplinary proceedings, closed-mouthed school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations,” writes Kristen Lombardi, a CPI reporter.

“At times, school policies and practices can lead students to drop complaints, or submit to gag orders — a practice deemed illegal,” she continues.

The problem stems from a variety of sources: Lack of knowledge about the definition of “rape,” poorly trained staff on the college level, and shrinking budgets that make it difficult to maintain programs that would potentially assist victims.

What’s the answer? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

In efforts to thwart some rogue attempts to drag out the swine flu season, school officials at the University of Florida recently announced students who do not turn in work or attend classes because of swine flu will be required to provide medical documentation.

During the pandemic’s peak, university officials urged instructors to work with students, advising students to stay home if they were sick.

Now, as the downward trend continues, the school’s policy has been updated in consideration for upcoming final exams. Students who are healthy need to attend classes and take exams in order to wrap up the semester.

Are instructors at your school dealing with healthy students using swine flu as an excuse?

Until last week, freshmen entering Lincoln University in Pennsylvania were weighed and measured by campus health administrators.

Those found to be obese – determined by a body-mass index (BMI) of more than 30 – had to enroll in a fitness class in order to graduate.

But when 80 seniors received e-mails this fall informing them they hadn’t completed a graduation requirement – namely, the fitness class – controversy erupted. The overweight students complained they were not being treated equally.

So the faculty voted last week to eliminate the requirement. Now, the “Fitness for Life” course will be recommended to certain students after they complete a freshmen-wellness course taken by the entire student body.

The school originally required the fitness course for overweight students because of the high rates of obesity and diabetes among African Americans. Lincoln University is an historically black school.

The requirement took effect in 2006 – and this year’s seniors would have been the first group needing the course as a graduation requirement.

Not surprisingly, student reaction to the course requirement had been less than positive.

Tiana Y. Lawson wrote a column in the school newspaper voicing her opinion: “I didn’t come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range. I came here to get an education which, as a three-time honor student, is something I have been doing quite well …”

Do universities have the right to regulate the weight of their students?  Let us know in the comments section below.

At least one group of students is saying, “No!”

At Boston University, more than 75 students recently joined a Facebook group called “Say NO to Quarantining in BU residence halls with communal bathrooms.”

“If there are better places to quarantine someone, why were they put here, when we could all get infected on a healthy floor?” asked Becca Wilkinson, a sophomore and the creator of the group.

When Wilkinson and several other students complained about a student moving into an empty room on their floor, they were told by the residence hall director it’s OK to share a bathroom with someone showing flu-like symptoms.

According to The Daily Free Press, Wilkinson and the other residents were told to use another bathroom if the situation concerned them.

Colin Riley, a college spokesman, said students in isolation are given specific guidelines, such as wearing a mask whenever they leave their room.

At last count, 97% of nearly 300 colleges surveyed by the American College Health Association have reported new cases of flu-like illness on their campuses. Even areas where the flu was thought to have subsided – the Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast – are seeing an increase in the number of sick students.

Are the BU students overreacting? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Michelle’s Law is named for Michelle Morse, who continued taking a full course load after being diagnosed with cancer so that she would not lose her health insurance coverage under her parents’ plan. Morse died in 2005, six months after completing her studies.

The law bars group health plans from quickly terminating the health coverage of college students who are covered as dependents under a group health plan and need to take a leave of absence due to a serious medical condition.

Group plans must continue to provide coverage for a year after the leave begins, unless coverage would otherwise terminate under the terms of the plan.

Morse’s home state of New Hampshire passed its version of the law in 2006. The federal law is effective for plan years beginning on or after October 9, 2009.

Have a comment on this story? Please share it below.

Showerheads are dark, warm and wet – the perfect host for breeding bacteria.

When bacteria are trapped in showerheads, a substance called biofilm accumulates,  according to a new study conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

But exactly what is biofilm? And more importantly, what steps can school officials take to protect student athletes?

Biofilm is the coat of slime made up of potentially disease-causing bacteria, such as mycobacterium avium and L. pneumophila.

Levels of these bacteria are more than 100 times higher in shower water (due to biofilm build up) than in pre-shower water, according to recent research by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

And when showerhead faucets are turned on, the biofilm is sprayed onto bodies.

The good news: Most bacteria will not hurt us. Students who have weakened immune systems are most susceptible to lung infections caused by biofilm.

The research concluded that cleanliness is the most important step to reducing biofilm health risks. Two inexpensive ways:

• clean showerheads regularly with steel brushes and cleaning solvents, and
• replace showerheads at least once a year.

Do you find this news surprising? Let us know in the comments section below.

Studies suggest college students with ADHD are more likely to have academic difficulties, suffer from psychological problems and have lower grades than students without the disorder.

But the good news is that school officials can help students make necessary adjustments, in order to be successful on campus, even when students don’t have family — the most common support system — close at hand.

Here are three ways schools can help ADHD students stay on track:

1. Offer support services. Since support makes all the difference, be ready to step in and fill support roles that family members previously fulfilled. Does your office of disability services offer note-taking help or extra time with tutors for students with ADHD? How about time-management lessons? Extra help in these areas can be the difference in success and failure for students with ADHD.
2. Medication. Most doctors prescribe ADHD medication with a high school day in mind, but an academic day in the life of college students doesn’t end at dinner time. Students often have early morning classes and late-night study sessions. One solution may be to adjust medication levels to match the longer academic schedules. Advise students to discuss schedule changes with their doctors.
3. Plan for refills. It’s unlikely that college students will be able to return home for regular visits to get medication refills. Encourage students to ask their family physicians for a referral to a doctor located near campus. Doing so will make getting medication refills more convenient for students.

What does your school do to help students with ADHD? Share your ideas in the comments section below.

Case in point: In 2004, all-American, 18-year-old Gordie Bailey died due to a non-violent, alcohol-related hazing incident at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He had only been on campus for three weeks.

In his honor, his parents founded The Gordie Foundation to raise awareness about the dangers of hazing and overindulging in alcohol.

This week, Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, was one of 137 campuses that participated in the second annual National GORDIEday — which celebrates the lives of Gordie Bailey and other students who have died from alcohol-related incidents. The Foundation also produced the film “HAZE” which puts a face on the dangers of hazing and unhealthy drinking habits.

Hartwick’s director of athletics Debbie Warren reported participation in GORDIEday:

• helped create responsible student behavior
• generated open dialogue about hazing, and
• emphasized actions to take when friends drink too much.

Focusing on educating students to make responsible decisions, The Gordie Foundation provides free educational materials for participating schools to distribute to students.

Did your school participate in National GORDIEday? If so, tell us about it in the comments section below.

Data from the American College Health Association (ACHA) suggest that influenza-like symptoms have already hit students at nearly three-fourths of colleges and universities. Most of the flu virus now making its way through college campuses is swine flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ACHA has invited colleges and universities to voluntarily submit data regarding new cases of influenza-like illnesses. Their case counts and rates represent only those schools that choose to report.

Of the numbers reported to the ACHA, Washington had been hit harder than any other state as of September 4, with a rate of almost 367 cases per 10,000 students. Georgia was second in incidence rate, at nearly 126 cases per 10,000 students.

The good news: In the vast majority of cases, students have not become sick enough to require hospitalization.

For the most up-to-date data from the ACHA, click here.

What is your school doing to prevent a swine flu outbreak? Tell us in the comments section below.

The H1N1 vaccine will become available in mid-October, and college-age students now can be among the first to get it, thanks to a recent decision by the Centers for Disease Control to raise the cutoff age from 18 to 24.

But will the vaccine be enough to contain outbreaks of the flu? Of course, there’s no guarantee.

And if students do come down with swine flu, here are some steps schools are taking:

• At Harvard, administrators already are looking for places to keep sick students away from the rest of the population. They’re more than doubling the number of infirmary beds and finding additional beds in the nearby area. Also, the school is getting plenty of Purell dispensers.
• At the University of Virginia, extra beds aren’t an option – there’s no room. So students will head back to their residence halls after being given masks and told to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.
• Skidmore College will devote one of its dorms to keeping sick students isolated.

Is your school taking any steps to prepare for an outbreak of swine flu? Let us know in the comments section below.