The 4th Annual Student Health Fair gets under way today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Alumni Mall in the big top tent.
The fair has almost doubled in size this year, going from 32 to 60 exhibitors, Jacqueline DeFouw, health educator, said.
DeFouw promised "plenty of pizza and cold drinks" to all participants. All of the vendors will have different stickers they will hand out, and five stickers can be turned in for food and drinks.
There will be door prizes from Wild Oats Market, Wyndham Hotels, Outdoors Inc. and many others.
This year's vendors vary widely, from the American Cancer Society to the Gambling Addiction Center.
Officer Joe Sorensen promised the return of the fatal vision goggles obstacle course and sobriety test. Participants have to wear goggles that, according to Sorensen, "make you feel like you've been drinking too much" while navigating various obstacles.
"We are trying to take care of students by teaching them what it's like when they drink too much and what happens to them when the police catch them driving drunk," Sorensen said.
Karima Robinson, a senior with a double major in childcare administration and early childhood development, predicts this year's fair will be a success.
"The fair will be a lot better because it is better organized, and there were more organizations from on and off campus involved," Robinson said. "[I like] the fact that it is fun and incorporates so many people from campus with people outside campus."
The topics covered in the fair's booths range from STDs, sponsored by the health promotion department, to asthma education, sponsored by the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.
Some of the other sponsors include Lifeblood, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee.
"This year will be much more interactive because we want students to learn about the information while they participate in the activities," DeFouw said.
Attendees can also look forward to seeing Mr. Butts, a giant cigarette butt that educates people about smoking cessation that is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Preventive Medicine Department.
Also, the Up Til' Dawn booth will be set up to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"It's all for the kids,"said Greg Allen, an executive board member.
