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.’

This week’s tip is about nutrition, which Kiechle said seems relevant as the weather begins to change and some students may want to lose weight or remedy neglected nutrition from the winter. During finals, orangehealth-e’s tips will provide information about dealing with stress and anxiety.

The tips come from important health issues that the American College Health Association calls the ten leading health indicators, Kiechle said. These indicators are those found most often on college campuses around the country.

Representatives with the ACHA said health indicators include physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use, substance abuse, mental health, injury and violence, environmental quality, immunization, access to health care and responsible sexual behavior.

‘For a pilot project, the feedback is positive or constructive,’ said Jacobs. ‘Because of this feedback, we’re making adjustments where we see fit.’

Kiechle and Jacobs designed the e-mails to be convenient and informative, but students’ responses to the e-mails range widely. On each of the weekly orangehealth-e tips, there is a link at the bottom which allows the student to give Kiechle, Jacobs and the editorial board feedback.

Kiechle said the written feedback he has seen has been positive and he is planning for the project to continue for future semesters.

‘I think it’s a good idea,’ said Lisa Mara, an undecided freshman in The College of Arts and Sciences. ‘But I think most students will find it worthless and people are going to start getting annoyed.’

Like Mara, some students are choosing to delete the e-mails before they read the content. Others said they find that mass e-mails are unimportant and waste the students’ valuable time.

‘When I hear something is a mass e-mail, I tend not to read it,’ said Anthony White, a freshman aerospace major.

However, Kiechle and Jacobs remain optimistic about their project.

‘It’s the students’ right to delete it,’ said Jacobs in response. ‘As it gets known, I hope they’ll take a peek at it.’

Published on March 29, 2005 at 12:00 pm