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Show A4 NEW? Shifting perspectives Students discuss graffiti, nursing and brain trauma By Natalie Sullivan Assistant Life Editor @nhillsullivan This month's annual Writing for Social Change conference split its many sessions into mini presentations by engaged students. One such session, Shifting Perspectives, brought in three students: an experienced troubled youth worker, a nurse and a brain trauma survivor, all who had witnessed personally related social problems within in the community. The first presentation, by Mark Peterson focused on graffiti as "social pollution." Where his eighth grade teacher taught him that pollution is a resource in the wrong place, he likened art to a resource that when found decorating private and public property is in the wrong place. In his research he found that last year Provo spent $5,417 on materials for youth workers from the juvenile court to clean up graffiti. This figure does not, however, include the cost of police time. "Graffiti is not the problem but the symptom of a deeper problem: that there is a whole section of our community that does not feel as though they belong." Peterson proposed a solution of a Street Art Workshop where funds could be reconstituted to provide youth a way to continue to express themselves through art. Attendance to these workshops could either be court-ordered for those youth with convictions for graffiti, or voluntary and would be available for all 66 Graffiti is not the problem but the symptom of a deeper problem: that there is a whole section of our community that does not feel as though they belong. MARK PETERSON Student presenter youth from the ages of 13-17. In later revisions of his proposal, Peterson considered that this program could better be implemented through supervision of the school system instead of by using police supervision. Next, Shaun P. Narzyniski a UVU pre-law student and nurse at Utah Valley Regional Hospital presented "Burnout Syndrome: Are you the cause?" His talk related his difficulties as a nurse to the dilemmas of the larger-scale healthcare system. One day when Narzynisk attended his father at the emergency room, he saw that consequences of overburdened nurses lead to overcrowded room of patients, including his father, waiting for hours without care. He saw this as a need and decided to become a nurse. However, he soon realized that, just as the nurses he met were only one person, he too was just another nurse in an inefficient system. Of all nurses that enter the healthcare system, Narzynisk was shocked to find that more than half leave within the first few years. Narzynisk attributed this to "burnout syndrome" where the nurse becomes apathetic in their care of patients. Narynisk described a situation where he would be on his way to get a glass of water for one patient, but then be needed immediately to perform CPR. Upon his return he would be chastised for not getting the glass of water fast enough. Narynisk's proposal was that until the healthcare system goes under mass reform, nurses could be better retained by showing patience and compassion for the work that they do. Lastly, Shannon Blackham presented a PowerPoint on surviving brain trauma. In her presentation, Blackham gave an overview of the prevalence of brain trauma injuries which annually total more than breast caner and aids patients combined. Blackham pointed out that more money is allocated to these causes because members of the community have shown they care about those particular causes. When Blackham, a straight A student was riding a motorcycle without a helmet, she was thrown from the bike, breaking her skull in several places. With so many people affected by brain injury, Blackham has worked to make bumper stickers to raise awareness about wearing a helmet. She also urged people to be more compassionate towards those with traumatic brain injuries, some of which are not always evident from the outside. NOVEMBER 25, 2013 HEALTH from Al Because there is no national standard for information that has to be offered by student health centers, the quality and quantity of information relies on the initiative from the faculty, students and administration. "We have students and faculty who are sensitive to the sexual health resources that we currently offer. In the community there is controversy over the abstinence-only mentality that dominates our region, so we have to find the right balance to accommodate the information that students need," said Sarah Graves, Wellness Program Coordinator. Utah students in particular have differing spectrums of knowledge regarding sexual health due to legislation control on what can be taught in school systems. According to the Utah Department of Health, the age group of 15-24 comprises 70 percent of all Chlamydia infections in some areas. "We are looking to expand the resources that we offer, we just need to assess what information our students need. In Spring 2014 we will be participating in the National College Health Survey, which should help us determine what new information needs to be available," said Graves. UVU Student Health Services currently offers on-site STD testing, free condoms upon request, and brochures and pamphlets regarding sexual health. They also hold a health fair once per semester in cooperation with Students For Choice, a club that advocates UVU's Student Health Services offers free condoms upon request. for sexual health awareness. "What our research shows is that the schools near the top have made a decision to provide as much information as possible, and the ones at the bottom think it's a matter of privacy. The purpose of this survey isn't necessarily to rank colleges, it's to get the information out there and see how it's used," Sperling said. Sperling's BestPlaces has made a competition for sexual health resources offered on campus in an effort to celebrate positive sexual health practices. Although Utah Valley colleges are finishing last in the rankings, UVU's student health center will continue working to accommodate student privacy as well as increasing the availability of sexual health information. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA FOX//UVU REVIEW I save lives, you can too! Donate blood-plasma. GRIFOLS Biomat USA 349 East University Pkwy Orem, UT 84058 A (801) 235-9800 Social Security card, photo ID, and proof of address are required. To find out how your donation saves lives visit our website: www.BiomatUSA.Grifols.com 114, You can earn up to $220 in one month! -ON |
