Get the facts from the Health Education Program
By Brittm Davit
IX) you have
questions about
A11 TS, contracep
tion, alcohol,
weight manage
nu*nt, arul fitness, nut don t Know
where in g«> for answers’ Reliable
information is important Getting
bogus information about the number
of fat grams in .1 bran muffin might
not seem like such .1 big deal, but
with some issues getting the wrong
tacts is a matter of life or death
There are a number of myths out
there about how to take care of your
self. some of which are not only unre
liable but also dangerous l-or
instance, we all know that using a
condom unequivocally means safe
sex, right7 WRONG! While using a
condom generally means safer sex,
some type-s of condoms, such Js those
made from sheep skin, offer x irtuallv
no protection from sexually transmit
ted diseases, including tlve AH >S
virus And how- about lubricants’ It
you don't have lubricated condoms.
Vaseline will work fine, right’
Again— WRONG! While Vaseline
might appear to do the- trick, jvtrole
um-based pnxiucts like Vaseline
break down the material rru*st con
doms are made of. causing tiny boles
I invisible tc> the- eve) to develop I be
tx-st ot intentions won't protect you
when the information you have is
inaccurate
s.i where do you go to get reliable
Photo by lor Lnnnqtfoh
Suretth Nathan. Cholesterol [ducator. and Melanie Bnvoort Peer
Health Advisor, on among sovorai Health education Program staff
members available to orovldo advice and Information to students.
information? The good news is th.il
there is a program right here on cam
pus designed mi students v an talk to
other students and get accurate intor
■nation about their health-related
concerns It's called the Health
hducation Program and its office is
located on the main floor of the
Student I lealth Center at the corner
of 13th and Agate The Health
Education Program has been around
tor a decade and has evolved to help
reduce the health risks of university
students
I he I lealth I duration Program
offers a v ancle of services to students
tor I Rf-M Peer Health Adv ising is
one of the program s primate compo
nents Peer Health Advisors are stu
dents trained in health-related topics
and in educating and advising other
students about these topics Peer
Health Advisors provide individual
counseling and group presentations
on such topics as sexually transmit
ted diseases, vegetarianism, choles
terol-reduction, sexual assault,
smoking cessation, weight manage
ment, and eating disorders, to name a
lew It you are interested in talking
with a Peer Health Advisor individu
ally or in requesting a group presen
tation on a particular topic, call the
Peer Health Education Office (346
44S6) to set this up
I he Peer I lealth Advisors offer
various workshops, such as smoking
cessation, tow tat/low cost cooking,
vegetarian eating. body image, and
hikes in the local area Watch tor our
information tables presenting health
related topics in the EMU through
out the year You can also borrow a
variety of health-related books,
videos, and pamphlets at the Health
Education Office.
What are the advantages to talk
ing to another student instead of. or
in addition to, talking to a profession
al’ Talking to someone your own
age who can relate to vour experi
ences sometimes feels more comfort
able than talking to a psychologist,
doctor, or trainer. This is especially
true when talking about sensitive
issues like contraception, drug and
alcohol use, eating problems, weight
management, and so on
In addition to the Peer Health
Advisors, the I lealth Education
Program employs both a nutrition
counselor and a cholesterol-reduction
counselor to provide tree counseling
for students Free cholesterol screen
ing is offered every I uesday from
4.30 am to 11:30 am. If this is some
thing you would like to do, you need
to not eat anything from midnight
the night before until your screening
Tuesday morning You should call
the I lealth Education Office for more
information.
The Peer Health Education
Program has a lot to offer, stop by
and check it out for yourself!
International student advisors offer support for culture shock
By Nkk Jacob
When I came across from
Fngland last September, I was
tilled with optimism for what
would surely tv the best year ol
my life I was not prepared for
the harsh re.nny 01 cutting my ties « iim my
friends back m I ondon and winding up in a place
where people communicated in a totally different
wav trom w'hat 1 was used to I telt misunder
stood, lonely and uncared tor In short, I was
c\|X' ri enc i ng cu 11u re-shoek
All foreign students go through this experience
on arriving in a new and strange environment
I he experience is a challenging exciting and dis
turbing one We are forced to examine and relate
to a culture which has varying degrees of differ
ence from our own whilst having to sjx-ak a for
eign language (or something which seems like a
foreign language, even though you're using the
same words) in order to communicate Many for
eign students u-el unable to communicate their
most subtle teelings to others in the English Ian
guage ami find their host countries bewildering
there arc (our international student advisors at
the Office of International I ducation and
l'xchange (which is at Oregon Hall, on 1.1th and
Agate) who are available to talk to anyone about
their experiences and problems 1 spoke to Canny
Stark w ho is one of (Item She said that culture
shock manifests itself in many different ways
Students feel lonely and inadequate when con
fronted with an entirely new education system
t hey may find it haul to read, write and concen
trate or feel sick, experience insomnia and stop
eating properly Canny and (lie other internation
al student advisors are there to provide strategies
to deal with problems in order to achieve short
term goals and a feeling of success in managing
and coping with bew ildering changes She sees
her role as providing non-judgemental support for
students experiencing many different kinds of dif
ticulties in a new and strange environment
A pilot program is also being run by
International Peer Assistants to further luck up
the advisors this year Its purpose- is to help stu
dents adjust more fully to the University of
Oregon during their important tirst year These
assistants have boon Ira mod to provide the infor
mation and support new students nevd to negoti
ate ttieir way through American academia They
have broad experiences and represent the differ
ent continents, so in most case’s students will find
someone who can speak their language 1 hey
have office hours Monday through Friday 12
noon-2pm
The Counseling Center is to be found opposite
Oregon 1 (all and is part of the Student 1 iealth
Center Two international groups run out of the
center; the Asian American support group and
I he Students of Color support group, but any
international students are welcome 1 here are
counsellors of different races, and nationalities.,
there are two African-American counselors, one
German and one Japanese* counsellor for instance.
They will discuss problems and goals with you,
ranging from lack of close friendship to lack ot
soctal life and difficult cultural differences
Culture-shock and loneliness are normal expe*
riences which you can do something about
Foreign stude-nts suffering from culture-shock
should empower themselves, by using the kinds of
resources I have referred to above
Look into Books m
I h«-*‘ jixl many other arc available to be chi\ ked out at the
Health [-duration Room across from the pharmacy in the Student
I lealth Center
• I lx* I la/ards oi tk-ini: Male Surs n inu Ik Mvlh
ot Masculine Privilege —
by Herb Goldberg, I’h t)
• I Never Called It Raw
by Robin Wars haw
• IhvNrw Aiiman I&l „ ., „ „ „
by William Connor. M D and Sonja Connor, M S, h D
• When Food Move [ vok'rii^ the Relationship
Between hood and Intimacy
bv Genee Roth *_
• The Eight-Week Cholc-tcrvl lure jj
bv Robert E Kowalski 9
• Body Lou
In Rita Freedman
• I he College Student's Health Guide
bv Sandra Smith and Chnstopher Smith
Pharmacy saves students money
Many students are unaware that they have access to the Student 1 lealth
Center Pharmacy, and this is costing them money. Because the pharmacy is
part of the Student Health Center, it often has much lower prices than other
pharmacies. According to I leather Wilson, a pharmacist at the Student I lealth
Center Pharmacy, the Pharmacy can help students save money on both pre
scription and over-the-counter medications
In a sense, every student has already paid a substantial fee for the use of the
pharmacy Because the pharmacy is a part of the Student Health Center, its
budget comes out of the $00 00 per student per term student fee which funds
the Health Center However, even though the pharmacy is an integral part of
the Student Health Center, students can have prescriptions filled from outside
sources.
The pharmacy offers birth control products (pills are $7/cycle), diabetic sup
plies ($8 80 for human insulin), cold and flu supplies (generic Sudafed $3 per
100, cough syrup at about $2 per bottle), pain medication (Tylenol at $2 per 50,
Ibupmfen at $4 per 100), and much more
Although it appears small, it is a full service pharmacy. "If we don't have it,
we can probably order it, said Wilson But the most important reason stu
dents should use the pharmacy, said Wilson, is the fnendly and informative
staff. "We want people to know what they're doing," said Wilson.
The Pharmacy is inside the Student Health Center, close to the main
entrance across from Oregon Hall. It is open Mondays. Wednesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm. On Tuesdays it opens an hour
later and its hours are from y:00 am to 5:30 pm On Saturday the pharmacy is
open from S:00 am to noon. 1 heir phone number is 340-4-15-1.