The Doctor is in!
By Keith Lott - director of SHSU Student Health Center

Sick? Injured? Need to get a prescription filled?  The SHSU Health Center has you covered.  The Health Center, who recently earned accreditation from the AAAHC, provides routine health care services to students enrolled at SHSU.  Those services include diagnosis and treatment of routine illnesses and injuries, physical exams, referrals, laboratory tests, and prescription medications.  Students are not required to pay for an office visit and are charged only nominal fees for procedures, laboratory tests, and prescription medications.  The pharmacy services should be of particular interest for any student that takes medications on a regular basis due to the possible cost savings even if they have insurance.

The Health Center sees patients by appointment.  Students may make appointments by calling 294-1805 during regular business.  Appointments are typically scheduled at least a day in advance due to heavy patient volume in the fall and spring semesters.  It is important to note that EMS should be called in the case of a medical emergency.  Please contact us at 294-1805 or visit the Health Center’s website for more information.

Don't Miss Out!
By Dana Grant - Assisant Director of Residence Life

Where is your student living next year?  If they want to continue to live on-campus, they have the opportunity to renew with our department. Depending on where they want to live, your student can choose to renew on-line beginning March 19 –March 30, 2007.   If you have any questions about Housing Renewal 2007, please refer to www.shsu.edu/reslife for further details.

In the fall 2004, Sam Houston State University President, Dr. James Gaertner, organized the SH Alcohol Abuse Initiative (AAI). The focus of the AAI is twofold: to reduce underage drinking, binge drinking, and drink driving; and to coordinate alcohol education programming for students. Alcohol based educational activities are provided for students throughout the entire academic year. Each semester, the AAI sponsors Six Weeks of Alcohol Awareness Training (S.W.A.A.T.), a collection of comprehensive presentations which provides students with the self protective skills they need to make healthy decisions. The AAI coordinates an “Alcohol Awareness Week” each semester featuring interactive presentations, guest speakers, and skill building strategies designed to prevent risk taking behaviors among our college students.

Students attending SH have the opportunity to serve as alcohol awareness peer educators through the BACCHUS Peer Education National Network and to assist the AAI in the planning and implementation of prevention based alcohol awareness activities facilitated for the student population. Your Bearkat may also tell you that alcohol education information, such as recognizing and preventing alcohol poisoning, is infused within the content of several of their academic courses. This concept is known as curriculum infusion—an alcohol education enhancement technique utilized by the SH faculty and recommended by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. On September 7 -8, 2007, the AAI will host the second annual “SH Alcohol Summit” featuring prevention based workshops and interactive sessions designed to enable students with the knowledge and skills they need to make wise decisions regarding alcohol use.

Parents are urged to tell their Bearkat about the AAI, BACCHUS, and other resources available at SH to help them achieve academic success. If you would like to be involved in the AAI or would like to assist with an alcohol awareness event, please contact Rosanne Keathley, Ph.D., Coordinator of the AAI at (936) 294-1171 or visit the AAI website at www.shsu.edu/aai.