Spring Break
The Daily OrangeUniversity begins health tips e-mail series for students
By Laura Van Wert
Posted: 3/30/05, 12:49 AM EST Section: News
Last week Syracuse University Health Services launched a pilot project dedicated to educating both graduate and undergraduate students at SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry.
Orangehealth-e started e-mailing the campus community weekly "health tips" last Monday. The pilot program will continue for the rest of the semester.
Designed around the busy schedules of students, orangehealth-e brings accurate and relevant information straight to the dorm rooms and apartments of each individual, said Matthew W. Kiechle, Health Education and Wellness coordinator. The e-mails include links to Internet health sites.
"We thought that we could reach a lot of students with information that we thought would be helpful," Kiechle said. "We know how many students have access to e-mail and use the Internet as one of their main sources of information."
Kiechle and James R. Jacobs, director of Health Services, the creators and editors of orangehealth-e, said they feel communicating with the students through e-mails will help provide them not only with accurate health information, but also places on campus that provide the services to remedy ailments.
"The classic approach to college health education is to put up a table in the student center and hand out pamphlets, but that's not a practical approach," said Jacobs. "With the Web-sourced e-mails, it is much more SU friendly - much more personalized to SU."
Kiechle said the e-mails provide weekly tips, selected by the Health Services editorial board, which decides which tips seem appropriate based around the season and timeliness with regards to the school year.
Last week's first newsletter began the pilot project with a tip about student responsibilities involved with engaging in oral sex. However, not all of the matters will be controversial subjects, Kiechle said.
"Some health is boring and not all of it can be scintillating and provocative," said Jacobs. "Something interesting to one person may be boring to another, but we hope the students will find something useful from the e-mails."
Orangehealth-e started e-mailing the campus community weekly "health tips" last Monday. The pilot program will continue for the rest of the semester.
Designed around the busy schedules of students, orangehealth-e brings accurate and relevant information straight to the dorm rooms and apartments of each individual, said Matthew W. Kiechle, Health Education and Wellness coordinator. The e-mails include links to Internet health sites.
"We thought that we could reach a lot of students with information that we thought would be helpful," Kiechle said. "We know how many students have access to e-mail and use the Internet as one of their main sources of information."
Kiechle and James R. Jacobs, director of Health Services, the creators and editors of orangehealth-e, said they feel communicating with the students through e-mails will help provide them not only with accurate health information, but also places on campus that provide the services to remedy ailments.
"The classic approach to college health education is to put up a table in the student center and hand out pamphlets, but that's not a practical approach," said Jacobs. "With the Web-sourced e-mails, it is much more SU friendly - much more personalized to SU."
Kiechle said the e-mails provide weekly tips, selected by the Health Services editorial board, which decides which tips seem appropriate based around the season and timeliness with regards to the school year.
Last week's first newsletter began the pilot project with a tip about student responsibilities involved with engaging in oral sex. However, not all of the matters will be controversial subjects, Kiechle said.
"Some health is boring and not all of it can be scintillating and provocative," said Jacobs. "Something interesting to one person may be boring to another, but we hope the students will find something useful from the e-mails."
