National Alcohol Screening Day

Utah State University is participating in National Alcohol Screening Day. USU Student Health Services is encouraging students to discover their own personal drinking levels.

This event will be held Thursday, April 4 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom. The USU Health and Wellness Center, and Reach Peers will provide resources for students to gain awareness of their personal behaviors, and the risks that might follow from their actions. The information will cover topics about college drinking, binge drinking, and proper guidelines of alcohol use. Students who attend this event will be able to fill out surveys about their alcohol use. Then they can meet with counselors in order to determine whether they are a high or low risk drinker. All of the meetings and questionnaires will be private and kept confidential. Attendees can also watch the movie Treasures Lost: Making the Risks Real. Additional resources will be available at booths provided by the USU Health and Wellness Center, and Counseling Center.

Whether you drink or not, this is a beneficial event for all who attend! If you abstain from alcohol consumption, this is a great opportunity to use the information for friends or family who participate in risky drinking behaviors. The process to encourage responsible drinking behaviors includes education, enforcement, and policy development. Individually, these three aspects cannot accomplish the goal alone, but together they make for proper alcohol use. This event is open to students, faculty, and the community! Be sure to participate in a screening, discover personal drinking levels, and learn the risks of drinking behaviors.

See you there Aggies!

Kick Butts!

Utah State University Student Health Services invites you to Kick Butt! March 20th is National Kick Butts Day, and USU Student Health Services and the Bear River Health Department are teaming up to encourage USU Students to quit smoking. An event will be held for National Kick Butts Day Thursday March 21, 2013 in the Merrill-Cazier Library from 10 a.m.-2p.m. The booth will be located in the library entryway so students can gain awareness about the dangers of smoking. Students can also pick up informational pamphlets, quit kits, and have their questions answered by an expert.

National Kick Butts Day is a day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco at more than 1,000 events across the United States and around the world. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. 1 in 5 Americans use tobacco, killing more than 400,000 people annually. Tobacco kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. Tobacco also costs the U.S. more than $96 billion in health care expenditures and $97 billion in lost productivity each year. Is smoking really worth the risk?

11.8% of adults in Utah are regular tobacco users, and 1,100 Utah adults die each year from tobacco. Annual health care costs in Utah directly caused by smoking is $345 million. Smoking also causes $294 million of productivity losses in Utah. The tobacco industry spends $8.5 billion on their marketing expenditures each year. They spend $34 million of that budget for marketing just within Utah. Studies show kids are twice as sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults. Therefore, kids are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure. One-third of underage experimentation with smoking is attributable to tobacco company advertising.

USU Students Kick Butts!

Spring Break Safety

It's finally here! The week we've been waiting for all year, SPRING BREAK! It's time for a much needed week long break from the stresses of school, and if you are lucky, catch some sun!

Whether you are staying on campus, working, visiting family and friends, or traveling the world it's important to be safe. Spring break is a time to let loose, but we encourage you to do so responsibly. Do not drive long distances if you are sleep deprived, or distracted. This could lead to a potential accident since your brain is probably more focused on the fun times ahead. Remember not to speed while driving to avoid tickets. Police officers know when spring break is, and they are looking for college kids speeding off to their vacation spot. If you are going to a warm, sunny destination pack plenty of sunscreen. It is important to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun, especially since we are not used to exposing skin during the long Logan winter months. It is easy to forget, but drink plenty of water during the day to avoid dehydration. If you consume alcohol do so responsibly, and only if your 21 or over. Underage drinkers risk harmful consequences to their health, and getting in trouble with the law. It is important to always be fully aware of your surroundings, especially if you are traveling to a location you are unfamiliar with. Use the buddy system when exploring. Do not let anyone in your group leave with a stranger, or be pressured into uncomfortable situations. Also, bring plenty of protection if you are planning on being sexually active during break.

These simple safety tips will ensure you have a fun, and stress free break! See ya after spring break Aggies!

Be Kind to Yourself

The Sororities at Utah State University; Alpha Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, and Theta Nu Xi are promoting having a positive body image on campus this week. Today's media gives women a false perception about what beautiful is, or looks like. Women find themselves under a great deal of pressure to look like models or actresses, or else they believe they are not beautiful. The sororities are promoting positive image with a week of events themed "Be Kind to Yourself." The goal is to make the women on our campus aware of their natural beauty, and be proud of who they are.

Does this look beautiful to you?

The sorority women are promoting awareness about the subject by passing out purple bows in the TSC for women to wear. By wearing a purple bow in your hair everyday this week you are showing support for the subject, and showing you love yourself. Stop by the TSC and grab your purple bow today!

Today there is a display in the TSC International Lounge promoting positive body image. You can learn more about the facts, and perceptions people have about body image. You can also take a pledge to end fat talk. Wednesday, March 6, 2013 there will be a body image panel for students to ask questions relating to the subject to a panel of experts. The panel will be held in the TSC Auditorium at 11:45 a.m.

Aggie ladies can also stop by the Kappa Delta or Alpha Chi Omega sorority house anytime to take an empowering photo with a sign explaining who they really are.

Remember, the women who are confident in themselves are the most beautiful! Love your body, it's the only one you'll ever have!