Condoms, lube, pregnancy tests, Plan B, HPV shots, doctors' visits, safe alcohol consumption and sexual health information. UB offers all these things for protection and knowledge about a college student's health at little to no cost.
UB's Wellness Education Services and SBI Health Education give students a way to take control of their health and health education through its programs and services that offer healthy lifestyles and options for healthful living.
Sherri Darrow, director of Wellness Education Services, wants to help students make smarter decisions about healthy living in college.
"We'd like people to have a good experience on the campus, building healthy habits, healthy friendships, balancing where they want to be in a career for their life with how they're taking care of themselves and their friends and communities," Darrow said. "That includes eating well, sleeping well and if you use alcohol, using it smarter rather than dumber."
Darrow thinks the stereotypes of college students are not the same as the actual realities on college campuses. She said one of the myths about college campuses is they're like the movie Animal House. Darrow said, in reality, 70 percent of college students are not drinking in excess - approximately 30 percent are drinking in excess and 25 percent of college students do not consume alcohol at all. Darrow said she wants to teach the 30 percent how to drink healthfully.
She encourages students to be responsible and to always know what they are drinking. She said students should always keep track of how much alcohol they consume and always keep track of their drinks.
"I think what's important about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, is that our goal is what we call harm reduction," Darrow said. "We'd like everybody to leave college smarter than they came in."
Darrow said there is a relationship between heavy drinking and the risk of being a victim of sexual assault. She said many schools do not include a sexual assault prevention program. UB provides this program in a section of the AlcoholEdu course. Darrow said Wellness Education Services hold workshops on campus like "How to Help a Sexual Assault Survivor," which is a way to let people know about the resources on campus.
Susan Snyder, director of Health Services at the Student Health and Wellness Center, encourages students to learn their options and their status by checking for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Snyder is proud of the testing and sexual health options for students that are offered at little to no cost. She said STI testing increases around the time of spring break.
"We strongly recommend that people know their status and that includes their status with Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HIV and the wide range of STIs," Snyder said. "What we typically do is recommend students call us and make an appointment."
Not all STIs have noticeable symptoms, so Snyder recommends a yearly test for every sexually active student.
Snyder is proud to offer students the option to take advantage of things like the HPV shot and said, under school-issued insurance, students can get the shot for free. If a student has insurance from another provider and that insurance isn't accepted, the student can pay for a shot at the lower cost provided by the Health Center. Snyder said four or five years ago, the Wellness Center pushed for a more comprehensive STI test.
"In terms of the STI screening, we're busy," Snyder said. "It's a good thing for students to try to stay healthy and prevent those things. If it's not prevented, if they test positive [for an STI], we make sure that they get the treatment that they need and then we do a follow-up test to make sure that the treatment actually worked. It's fairly comprehensive for the student to come here for the STI screening. I think it's part of the healthy relationship to make sure that you know what your status is and what your partner's status is."
Jane Fischer, director of SBI Health Education, said Sub-Board, Inc., offers a more relatable experience for students and their health questions by using students themselves as peer counselors in its programs. SBI offers free pregnancy testing, condoms and lube to students. Counselors teach students about safe sex and STI prevention and try to teach people healthier ways of living.
"If a student [educator] goes through the residence halls at night and does a program and they're talking about sexual positions or sexual health, or asking 'is this normal that my body does this,' it's a lot less awkward to be talking to a student educator rather than someone who may be their parents' age," Fischer said. "The students can be more relatable. We work with Wellness all the time, but we're different. We offer different perspectives. It's nice that there's a rich variety of resources."
SBI Health Education is located at 414 Michael Hall on South Campus. Wellness Education Services is located at 114 Student Union and Wellness Health Services is located in Michael Hall. Fischer encourages students to come use the services offered at UB.
"We're right here on campus," Fischer said. "If you've got a question, you can call us, email us or come to one of our sessions or check on our website. That's what we're here for."
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