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Advice from the newspaper staff about information they wish they had known earlier.
ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY // THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 • VOL. 94 NO. 01
Health & Wellness Center finds new home, better accessibility HANNAH BUTLER
Staff Writer
GRAPHIC BY AMBER QUAID AND THE SMITHSONIAN
For years, the Health and Wellness Center has occupied the first floor of Dean Hall; recently, the center has found a new home in Doc Bryan. The center has seen continuous traffic in recent years, making it difficult to stay in Dean. Rebecca Gray, Director of Health Services, states that Doc Bryan is “much more accessible for students.” The center’s move allows for it to give students more handson care. More space permits the center to bring in more providers and counselors to see more students. The Health and Wellness Center has not removed any of the care that was provided in Dean. The center is only hoping to move forward with the move to Doc Bryan. Adding staff is one of the first steps the center is taking to improve. With providers being added, the center can now run tests and write prescriptions. Right now, the center holds two nurse practitioners and two registered nurses. However, by the beginning of next year, Gray hopes that there will be another nurse practitioner added to the team in order to fit students’ needs. Nurse practitioners are different from registered nurses in that they can write prescriptions, which will help with growing and expanding the center. Currently, Health and Wellness offers services for acute conditions, which are conditions such as strep throat, flu, sinus infection and burns. Lab services are also provided in the center. According to Gray, these services include pap smears, blood work, and pelvic exams. The center encourages those with chronic or long-term illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, or dehydration to see their primary medical care physician. Along with minor illnesses and lab services, the center also deals with students who are struggling with depression and anx-
Fees: ENA.COM
Use what you pay for AMBER QUAID
Editor-in- chief
Every student on campus pays fees when they pay for their classes and the fees can be confusing. Let me break it down for you in two ways: first, I will explain each fee, and second, I will show what it costs for an undergrad degree (this is 120 hours on average according to government guidelines). “All fees were [Arkansas Tech University] board approved and all students get charged these fees whether they are on campus or online,” Colleen Bennett, project/program specialist for the Student Accounts Office, said. HANNAH BUTLER/THE ARKA TECH All items listed are “free” Cori Poore, a RN with Health and Wellness, adds information to a student's health because the student has alrecord. Students can visit the Health and Wellness Center between the hours of 8-5 p.m. ready paid for them when on Monday through Friday. they paid for classes. iety. In addition to mental health counseling, Health and Wellness offers nutrition counseling. Nutrition counseling is for students who are interested in personal dietary needs and what needs to be improved within their diet. Students are allowed ten sessions of personal counseling for an hour each academic year. The Health and Wellness Center has also created a team of Student Wellness Advisors. This team hopes to recognize monthly
needs, serve students and reach out to the Student Government Association. The main goal of this team is to better fit students’ needs and help figure out what the center can do to adapt to students. Students can visit the Health and Wellness Center between the hours of 8-5:00 Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made by going online at atu.edu or contacting the Health and Wellness office at 479-968-0329.
Bona Dea trails The last sighting was April 2017, with the gator measuring in at around 5.5 feet long. American Alligators reside in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps There hasn't been an unprovoked attack on a human in 20 years. Small pets, on the other hand, should probably be left at home.
and marshes from North Carolina to Texas
SOURCES: http://onlyinark.com/homegrown/alligators-arkansas/
http://www.thv11.com/news/local/ark-man-gets-up-close-and-personal-with-alligator
HEALTH AND W E L L N E S S FEE ($6.00 PER CREDIT HOUR)-
This covers treatment for minor illness, health education, health promotion, health maintenance, health history and physical assessment, first aid, which includes bandages and crutches, clinical laboratory procedures, women’s health services (which are on the second Tuesday and fourth Wednesday of every month from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm) and prescriptions. This also covers 10 free visits to see a counselor per academic year. This does not include the gym, as that is a separate $25 fee that has to be paid each semester. The Health and Wellness center is supported 100 percent by this fee, no additional income is given to this department. [Undergrad degree= $720]
(FEES page 3)
Hurricanes hit hard but Tech students hit back harder BRIANNA DAVIS
Staff Writer
Arkansas Tech is home to students from different backgrounds and from different places, but when disasters strike, Tech students come together to help out our neighbors. On August 25, Hurricane Harvey hit the United States. This was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005. Harvey lasted until September 2, and on September 10, Hurricane Irma hit Florida leaving yet another destructive path. But Tech students are coming through to help. The International and Multicultural Student Ser-
vices Office along with other organizations have already hosted donation and collection tables for the hurricane relief. “It is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanity, Because We Can, Department of Diversity, Inclusion, Red Cross Student Association and the Student Government Association,” Judy Crouch, the admissions officer of international and multicultural student services, said. “All proceeds from our fundraiser will go to the Texas Diaper Bank.” Students still have opportunities to help whether by donating money, donating supplies or going down to the places that have been hit by these storms.
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“I would send students to a volunteer VOAD partners, which is volunteer organizations active in disaster such as Catholic charities, Baptist relief, Red Cross, Salvation Army,” Dr. Sandy Smith, head of the emergency management department, said. “I would send them to get in touch with someone who already has all the paper work that’s needed to actually provide relief in those areas.” Grant McMurry, a member of the Van Buren County Rescue Squad, is trained in water rescue and began to make his way with other volunteers from the Department of Emergency Management toward Houston. The Arkansas rescue groups took 30 boats to the scene, ac-
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cording to McMurry. “A lot of the classes I have taken at Arkansas Tech, especially the emergency management ones, have been really helpful in preparing me to assist at times like these,” said McMurry, who has a paramedic/emergency medical services academic credential from ATU and is currently working towards his Bachelor of Science degree. “The emergency management program encourages students to reach out at times like this.” Natural disasters happen around the world and the United States is not the only one who has been affected by the recent hurricanes. Any money, supplies, or blood donations can help make a difference to all those affected.
MARIA SANCHEZ/SUBMITTED Maria Sanchez, left, marketing and management major, and Megan Bell, right, communication and broadcast journalism major, help the tennis team load a moving truck at one of the Hurrican Harvey Relief drop-off points.
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