Wednesday students and faculty attended the fall weather crowdedaround the Alumni Mall for the annual University of Memphis HealthFair that featured over 35 booths and exhibits representing healthand counseling services, campus organizations and local non-profitgroups.
"We estimate that over 1,000 students attended today; last yearwe had about 700 students," said Jacqueline DeFouw, health educatorand clinic nurse for the Health Center. "I know we had 1,000 waterbottles to give out and we'd ordered 150 pizzas. We ran out ofpizza about the last 15 minutes of the fair." Participants had toget 5 stickers from booth visits for a serving.
Students could obtain specialized information on issues such asgambling addition, alcohol and substance abuse, disabilities,contraception and STDs, asthma and meningitis, in addition to moregeneral health concerns.
"I thought it was all pretty cool. I spent a lot of time at thestudent disability booth. It was interesting to see the differentthings they have for students who are blind or have other problems.I didn't know that they do testing," said Khadijah Muhammad, apre-law freshman from Memphis.
Cryscal Chism, also a freshman that lives on campus said thatshe learned a lot of new information and was surprised that theHealth Center actually has a working clinic for students that cantreat minor emergencies.
Chism said she was glad the religious clubs like the BaptistStudent Association were there. "They let us know we could come byto hang out, study or take a nap," she said. " I'd seen thebuilding on Patterson but if they hadn't come I would never haveknown what they offer."
The center provides counseling on sexually transmittedinfections and also has an independent office of Family Planning,an adjunct of the Memphis City Health Department, that counselsstudents on birth control and can do HIV testing. A trainedmeningitis educator gives information as well. The center providesthe vaccinations for a fee.
The Fatal Vision Goggle Obstacle Course, sometimes called "beergoggles," provided a unique opportunity for students to actuallyexperience intoxication while sober. The course included trying toshoot hoops, to walk a straight line, and to write all whilewearing the goggles that simulate being intoxicated. Policeofficers from Campus Security set up the course that ended upturning away students wanting to try the different challenges. Thecycling class also drew a large group of student volunteers.
Other campus sponsors who have worked continually since May tomake the fair a success are: Student Psychological CounselingCenter, Campus Recreation and Intramural Services, Minority AffairsOffice, Human Movement Sciences and Education department, campussororities and fraternities, and Student Health Services.
For more information on the Student Health Center and theirservices, call the center at 679-2287 or Jacqueline DeFouw, healtheducator, at 6784745.
