Health Services supplies spring breakers with tips for safe trips

03/12/09 - Flamingos and hula girls mounted on walls, palm trees and pulsating music emanating from the DJ filled the lower level of the University of Rhode Island's Memorial Union at yesterday's "Spring Break Beach Party."The URI Health Services event promoted ways to remain safe while on Spring Break.

"You guys can grab a fish and learn about [sexually transmitted diseases]," Erica Hobson, a third-year pharmacy student said to student onlookers at her informational booth.

"You're supposed to pick one and see which STD you get when you 'hook up,'" Rebecca Melesciuc, also a third-year pharmacy major, said.

For the past two to three weeks, Hobson and Melescuic worked together to research Trichomoniasis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and genital crabs.

"We're hoping to get people to think about safety before their Spring Break," Melesciuc said. "Hopefully, they'll make good decisions."

As students in URI associate professor Brett Feret's service learning class, Hobson and Melescuic teamed up with Nurse Laurie Johnson from URI Health Education to do this project. This is the second group project students of Feret's class have worked on. The Campaign for Real Bodies was the first project the students directed.

Sophomore Kristen D'Entremonte, representing the Future Health Professionals club, set up a device so students could view facial skin damage caused by UV ray exposure from the sun.

Students wanting to view their own facial sun damage were instructed to duck under a covered machine and peer into a mirror. Inside, a light allowed students to view the concentrations of skin damage invisible to the naked eye.

Erica Manganelli, a sophomore majoring in international business and Spanish, decided to take a look in the mirror.

"I have so much skin damage!" Manganelli said. "I've always worn SPF 50."

She was so shocked at the damage below the surface of her face that she decided to double check and ducked back down behind the covered machine.

"The good news is my teeth are really white," Manganelli joked. "The bad news - I have really bad skin damage."

D'Entremonte said she hoped the event would make students think twice about self-tanning and not using protection outside in the sun.

Some students, however, said they would not change their self-tanning routine.

Sophomore Tayla Sawtelle, a business major, said she wasn't worried about her skin because she wears SPF 15 sunscreen and has never done fake tanning, or "fake and bake."

Aside from the machine, Health Services also displayed posters with tips for a safe Spring Break, including "Always have a designated driver if you plan to drink," "Never leave your drink unattended," "Keep well-hydrated" and "Always use a buddy system in crowded and quiet areas."

Susan Ash, a dietician at Health Services, made sure students passing by her table received free mini hand sanitizer and entered a free food giveaway contest.

"Tuna fish, peanut butter and canned fruit, all the essentials," are just a few of the foods travelers should bring with them to save money, Ash said.

A food and beverage safety brochure was available at Ash's table. It suggests to avoid food sold by street vendors, eat hot foods rather than raw or cold foods, eat only fully cooked fruits and vegetables, and avoid using ice in areas where tap water is known to be unsanitary, omitting frozen drinks in those areas from students' diets.

Also important to note is any water marked "non-potable," meaning people should not drink it. It is important for students to only drink carbonated, boiled or bottled water from containers they have opened in a lot of Spring Break locations.

"I hope students are looking at this as a sort of mini-class about safety before they go on Spring Break," URI campus police officer Mark Chearino said.

While on Spring Break, it is common for students to become easily dehydrated or develop diarrhea due to heat exhaustion, according to the brochure. The brochure also states students should avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages when dehydrated and drink fluids such as Gatorade, juice or water instead.

Ash also provided students with informational brochures on how to stay active and safe while skiing, snowboarding, surfing and swimming. It also addressed how to care for strains or sprains and how to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

A missing person's poster of Natalee Holloway and a copy of the $1 million reward flyer from Saturday, June 4, 2005 faced students entering the event. A second poster was propped up to the left of it, covered with the dates and names of people who have disappeared from cruise ships during recent Spring Break trips.

According to that poster, 24 people were recorded as disappearing from cruise ships between 2003 to March of 2006. There were also 78 reports of sexual assault on cruise ships between 2003 to 2005.

"You have to use caution wherever you go," Chearino said. "I'm not saying Mexico's not safe, but students should be careful about their business, from taking a taxi cab to using an [ATM]. I want everyone to come back safe and go back to their academic studies and campus life."

Peer advocates at the Women's Center were also at the beach party to let students know they are available if they have to deal with a traumatic situation during Spring Break.

"If someone had something happen to them over Spring Break, we want them to know that they can come to us at the Women's Center for help or advice," senior Erica Courtmanche said.

Courtmanche and one of her friends handed out educational pamphlets informing students about sexual assault, sexual harassment, date rape, stalking and drugs.