2002-2003 Annual Report

Introduction and goals

The Carnegie Foundation has defined college health asthe caring intersection between health and education. As young adult college students are one of our nation's greatest assets, as our future leaders, professionals, parents, and consumers, optimal health is essential to their educational development and academic success (American College Health Association).

The RHS Department of Health Education (DHE) can be defined by its focus on learning, discovery and engagement. It supports the university's mission through its work of:

• Teaching courses for credit, offering training of students/faculty/staff, and supervising and mentoring of interns and volunteers
• Serving as service learning advisors, instructors, community partners and consultants to delegations in the state, country, and internationally
• Conducting and partnering in research and grants (e.g., on alcohol/tobacco social norms, student health behavior, dangerous drinking interventions, HIV prevention, training institutes)
• Collaborating with students, faculty, staff and the community in a broad range of projects to advance student and community health.

Our department mission is to discover and research ethically models of social justice and student support in order to improve student outcomes and build healthy leaders. We do this through an ecological approach of creating opportunities for learning, community service, research, collaborations (with students/faculty/staff on- and off-campus), environmental and institutional change, advocacy, public information, and staff and student development and support.

An effective college health service emphasizes certain features important to student and institutions of higher education, including a strong health education and campus outreach component (ACHA). This year DHE assessed itself against ACHA Standards for Health Promotion in Higher Education and reflected or strongly reflected almost all of the standards, reinforcing its reputation as one of the top ten health education departments in a university health service in the nation. Even the JCAHO survey report remarked on the excellence of the health education program.

This was a year of transition for DHE, reorganizing the department based on staffing changes. Two wonderful new health educators joined the department, bringing new skills and ideas, expanding our services and broadening our approach. Despite being considered a year of rebuilding, almost all of our goals were met or surpassed.

Accomplishments

Our underlying philosophy in order to maximize student health and agency is to create and support opportunities for students to experience success and leadership, as this inspires healthful coping mechanisms and health-seeking behavior. In addition, our work helps make the university and community a smaller place, one with a sense of connection and community, which also promotes health. We see ourselves as a place where students learn to be agents of change, with caring adults who value them as experts of their own life experience. This past year we conducted over 417 programs, presentations and exhibits, making over 34,535 contacts (mostly students), for 10163 contact hours (not including teaching), and sponsored over 30 exciting special events on- and off-campus. This almost doubled the number of interventions as last year, and more than doubled the number of participant contacts.

Impact of Year

This was an extraordinary year, filled with new challenges and feelings of unease and vulnerability. The war on Iraq, needing to become prepared for unknown emergencies (eg, chemical, biological, radiation, violence), noticing that students' attention was weak and unpredictable, enduring extreme weather (blizzards, rainy spring, dry summer) that cancelled scheduled events and drove students into their rooms all contributed to a feeling of great stress and anxiety.

Teaching/training/supervising/coaching/mentoring

• Continued courses and internships for academic credit - 127 students trained in 9 courses (422 academic credits earned by students, 25 academic credit class opportunities) and mentoring, more deeply infused cultural diversity issues and body image into training and interventions
• Co-taught Advanced Health Communications course related to campus drinking for15 students
• One new course recognized by academic departments ("Drugs, Culture and Society" with Urban Studies and Community Health Department)
• Piloted a new peer seminar for 7 student health advocate leaders
• Development of an environmental justice minor at Camden, infusion of health issues into the writing program
• Launched Newark SHADES troupe (N=10), infused SHADES (N=18 in New Brunswick) into orientation on all campuses
• RA, bartender training, PESQI (Peer Education on Sexuality and Queer Issues) (N=22)
• Student advocate weekend retreat again student-planned, and infused with social justice activities (N=38)
• DHE student support activities - 9/27-28 weekend retreat, 4/6 outdoor retreat, 3/13, 4/6, 5/6 student meetings (N=60)
• Launched ADAwGS training with 5 students, developed new peer program presentations

Policy Development/Advocacy

• Student advocacy interns - legislative scorecard by students, legislative dialogue on campus, press conference at Capitol 3/13 (N=100)
• Launched strategy for nicotine dependence control on campus environmentally, clinically, and educationally; reviewed nicotine campus policies and sales
• Adapted convenience store successful strategy for nutritional choices to vending machines (survey, N=249, assessed top choices, presented clear recs to authority, persuaded to make change)
• Influenced Student Affairs to infuse drug issues recommendations into Alcohol Committee
• Participated on: eating issues task force, alcohol policy committee on all three campuses (and revision of policy in athletics and residence life), LGTBQ task force, social justice committee, tobacco committee, RHS bioterrorism committee. ACHA national college health objectives task force, ACHA advocacy committee, ACHA Health Promotion Standards in Higher Education committee
• Alumna hired as chief of staff of state senate health committee chair

Academic/Research Collaborations

• Center for Communications and Health Issues (CHI) collaboration for nicotine, alcohol Interventions, created new program ("Most People" N=78)
• NCHAS administration in RC FIGS sections, LC Building Communities sections, CC Perspectives plenary, NCAS English 101, CCAS English Composition sections
• Guest speaking (biology, alcohol, sexuality, Cook Perspectives classes, nursing, business, ecology, criminal justice, women's studies, faculty meetings) on campus
• RHS as client in graduate research and evaluation course (for tobacco focus groups)
• Newark academic advising assistance and academic probation involvement
• Support of UMDNJ Human Sexuality Week with student and staff participation
• Admissions open house presence, RU academic challenge participation
• Student internships in: advocacy, mental health awareness, and health promotion
• Rutgers Acts for Peace and Justice group

Student Life Activity/Collaborations

• Strengthened presence during orientation with 61 programs and exhibits, reaching 7260 participants (3237 contact hours), along with distributing material for 12 campus partners
• Continued services of exhibits, programs, trainings, consultation, information, co-sponsoring special events
• Partnerships with sports medicine, dining services, honors colleges, counseling centers, academic departments, student life, residence life, police, student organizations, Learning Resource Centers, Dining Services, etc
• Applied alcohol task force report recommendations and initiated innovative strategies; co-chair campus committee
• Continued CHI research teamwork for RU Sure? and RU Smoking
• NCHAS presentations to deans of students staff meetings (N=57), RHS clinician in-service (N=25)
• Advised student social justice committee, LGBT section advisor, CURVES advisor, 3-staff and 4-student delegation presented at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity annual training
• Special events: 1/31 Drug Panel (100), safer spring break (800), stress-free zone (200), Voices of America (50), Body Appreciation Week (67), Sexual Responsibility Week, Faces of America (50), Great American Smokeout (25 of 80 students pledged to quit), finals fair (175), World Week (~1000), spring involvement fair (150), Great Tobacco Debate (65), Kick Ash Day (20), Alcohol Awareness Week (135, plus 500 pizza deliveries with social norm drinking messages), Depression Screening Day (10), Alcohol Screening Day (62), Poetry Jam, Nite in the Bars (150), Buzz on Cook Happy Hour (500), study abroad panel (200), Latex Luau, Vagina Monologues (500), Unity Day (50), RutgersFest (400), health fairs (100+), National Day of Silence, drunk driving checkpoint with RUPD, Coming Out Day (50), GalaFest (100), Straight But Not Narrow (200)
• PESQI training offered to 22 students and allies
• Student nutrition advocate exhibit at statewide Public Health Week keynote

Community Service/Service Learning

• Highland Park Community Teen Center senior partner, where RHS peer educators mentor high school students and teach health to middle school students)
• Staff conducted 4 CASE courses for 89 students (3560 hours of community service - more that double from last year)
• Community partner for Commission for Disabled, Abnormal Psychology student
• Students placed in such community agencies as NJ Women and AIDS Network, Chai Project, Planned Parenthood, Hyacinth Foundation, Elijah's Promise soup kitchen
• Stronger collaborations with Nicotine Dependence Clinic, stop smoking groups
• Guest lectured at other colleges (eg, UMDNJ, Kean University, Penn State University)
• Offered consultation to other colleges (eg, NYU, St. John's University)
• Facilitated client relationships with Communications, Management, Exercise Science, Cultural Anthropology departments for Highland Park.

Public Information/communication/media

• 21st Birthday Card project (6382 emailed, 3175 mailed to students for their birthday; 3088 electronically mailed follow-up, 946 responded (31% response), 21% indicating the card influenced their thinking)
• Brochures (1/3 updated, assessed liaison satisfaction), 163255 distributed
• Website improvements (complete redesign and upgrade), 35,000 monthly visits, online assessments (N=353), 589 questions answered for "ask the staff" (3476 questions received- more than double last year; 17% answered), student job applications and program requests online; weekly quizzes
• Materials created: exhibits (RHS, health promotion, DHE, drugs, nicotine, sexual health), Safer Spring Break kits, nutrition refrigerator magnets, RU Up in Smoke? kits, shower shoes for 6000 first-year students residents, 5,000 first-aid kits for orientation, First-Year Student message, tips for parents
• Nutrition Wiz upgrade for diet analysis
• The Daily Targum ad series based on popular ads and cultural figures, adapted for Newark Observer

Assessment/evaluation

• Administered NCHA survey to first-year students university-wide; 51% response rate (N=1081)
• Know It tobacco survey (N=125) and intervention site
• 26 Nutrition Wiz forms analyzed (42% less than last year from clinical referrals)
• CQI projects: preceptor follow-up for program satisfaction (100% satisfied with program request process, 93% satisfied with program confirmation process, N=16), brochure liaison follow-up, DHE student satisfaction (N=27)
• Website online assessments on depression (7% screened positive for manic depression, N=27; 66% screened likely or very likely for depression, N=145; 81% screened positive for anxiety disorder, N=67; 65% screened positive for harmful drinking or alcohol addiction, N=55; 49% screened positive for eating disorders, N=59)
• Tobacco focus groups in graduate evaluation class
• Updated RHS DHE policies and procedures
• Created relationship with Office of Institutional Research and Planning
• Student feedback in journals, meetings, on evaluations

Staff and student support/development

• Initiated new DHE student orientation sessions
• Letters of recommendation written for students and faculty, honors thesis critique
• NCORE professional development (3 staff, 4 students) on race and ethnicity, student participation at party drug conference and tobacco summit
• Student awards at graduation (Newark) and Alegria (4, New Brunswick)
• Supported 8 students to attend College of NJ Peer Institute
• DHE student online birthday greetings sent (with drinking message)
• Staff training: CDCynergy, SPSS, Safe Zone, Server ID

Other outcomes

• Six minigrants received and/or managed: Know It (alcohol), REBEL (tobacco)- $6500, Party Drugs Training/Resource Center- $15,000 (drugs) - from the NJ Higher Education Center; Lollanobooza (drug-free RAVE)- $6,000, Media PSA (drinking) - $7,500 - from the state Alcohol Beverage Commission; tobacco website survey pilot in Newark and for Engineering- $6,000 (UMDNJ); consultant to campus organ donor awareness project- $500 (SCILS); Dell computer awarded from Newark competition - RUCS
• RHS support for JCAHO survey, emergency preparedness response, executive monthly updates, strategic plan
• Students changing career direction or getting into specific graduate programs or jobs based on their work with DHE; one former advocate has been hired as a health educator at the New School
• Letters of support for graduate school admissions, references for jobs, colleagues and community grant applications (40+)
• Students find the classroom experience so extraordinary that they either return after completing the course to visit with the subsequent next class, and others still in class bring their friends
• Long lasting relationships with students and as alumni, returning to visit, keeping in contact electronically - with one another and with the Department
• RUTV, Fox Network and MTV soliciting panelists and students from DHE for several shows, Interviews with Chronicle of Higher Education, 101/5, 710 radio, Associated Press, Bergen Record, ETR for brochure insights,
• Staff member receiving "exceeds standards" rating on performance appraisal

Challenges

• Iraqi War, severe blizzards
• Devolution, budget cuts, university reorganization of leadership
• Staff reorganization (DHE, RHS, Camden student life)
• Nutritional professional staff being paid out of student wages, reducing resources
• Newark offices closed for repairs, relocating students to another building, compromising supervision, safety and security; student space overall
• Hurtado Health Center, room 231, heating and cooling inadequacy, and separate from other DHE offices and student room
• Balancing university academic grading criteria with empowerment philosophy
• Organization of the university for college-specific efforts more appropriate University-wide (eg, alcohol policies)
• Colleges being awarded competitive alcohol grants
• Higher Education Consortium poorly organized for grant administration
• Student schedules very full, with many competing needs and activities
• Nurturing clinical involvement in health education activity

Evidence of Indicators

• Academic support for new courses
• Students continuing volunteer work from CASE experiences
• Rebuilt relationships with athletics, greek affairs, orientation opportunities, other new partnerships
• Increased identification and referral of high risk students
• Students as authors (from campus newspapers to professional journals to elected officials)
• Students as planners (retreat, orientation, meetings)
• Students as leaders (creating new interventions, directing SHADES, carrying out successful advocacy projects; leadership on campus, activism, in careers and profession)
• Students recognizing evidence of indicators
• DHE increasing marketability, hiring and recruitment of students
• Academic department achieving credentialing status with DHE courses
• Working with past students as current colleagues
• Student initiation (eg, suggesting a book for class, noticing smoking increase on campus)
• Health and social justice more deeply embedded into others' work (both academic and student life
• Students and colleagues coming to us more, rather than our going to them
• Student growth and development - with skills, social justice, "isms"
• Student academic work based on DHE experiences
• Classroom experience as a model of instruction, enriching student life, with student interaction, participation and engagement
• Broad and deep relationships with campus colleagues, increased collaborative efforts
• Increased awareness of health, DHE, RHS
• Staff as mentors
• Decline in RHS insurance claims for termination of pregnancy (12% over past three years, 40% from last year) and for maternity (25% two years ago, and 42% decline last year)
• Evidence of making connections, thinking critically, and making change seen in journals, feedback and behavior
• DHE creating safe environment for honesty
• Students being awarded NCORE scholarships, academic scholarships, job offers
• NCHAS response rate and cooperation from a myriad of academic and student life departments
• CASE program asking us to consult with Moldova State University project
• Students attending programs on different city campuses

Student comments

Our goals for investing training and supervision resources in a core of student health advocates is to develop a group of engaged, motivated students able to think beyond themselves to identify and act for change on campus in order to promote student health. Examples of their experience provide evidence for this outcome:

• Our class discussions really helped me realize the various differences between people and various choices available and how to appreciate and respect them all regardless of my own opinion.
• I liked that this class was very open and controversial.
• I think that class helped me understand social justice in a new way with respect to attitudes about sexuality.
• I can honestly say that I am a different person and believe classes like this are what make a college education.
• This classtaught me about how to open up and think about myself and who I am, who I want to become, and to get there.
• For the first time, I felt Rutgers thought of me as more than a number, imagine that [21st birthday card recipient]
• I see now there is more to college than just going to class
• I have learned more in this class than all my time at Rutgers.
• I have never come back to campus to anything before.
• I realized the amount of privilege I was born with just by being a white male
• I have become much more aware of things around me
• I am more willing to listen to other people's opinions and see things from their point of view than ever before I took this class
• I am much more aware of social injustices than before
• Skinny is not always healthy.
• I will now eat more vegetables.
• I was very impressed with the layout and thoroughness of the information and links [of the website]. It was extremely easy to navigate and get to the appropriate information.

Awards

Students: Renaissance Award (Liz Roberts, Emily Carter), Heart and Soul Award (Kate Falotico), RHB Student Health Journalism Awards (Ginger Quick).

Presentations/Publications

Ji Baek - RHS presentation 4/4 on NCHAS, NCORE panel in San Francisco 6/4

Adrienne Coleman - RHS presentations 9/6 on club drugs, Middlesex County Drug Summit, NCORE panel in San Francisco 6/4

Francesca M. Maresca - NCORE panel in San Francisco 6/4

Fern Walter Goodhart -

• American College Health Association annual meeting, May 27-29, 2003, Miami, FL, "Advocacy" session, "Standards" session, "Health Education Convergence" session
• Sixth Annual Public Health Legislative Dialogue, March 13, 2003, Trenton, NJ, moderated panel of state legislators.
• National Health Education Advocacy Summit, March 8, 2003, Washington, D.C., "Advanced Advocacy."
• UMDNJ Human Sexuality Week workshop on Public Health Advocacy, January 9, 2003.
• Penn State University, November 22, 2002, Advocacy training for department students.
• American Public Health Association annual meeting, November 11, 2002, Philadelphia, PA. "Advocacy and Your Affiliate" at the Committee on Affiliates Scientific Session."

publications

• Goodhart, Fern Walter, "Binge Drinking: Not the Word of Choice," JACH, under review
• Goodhart, Fern Walter, book review Community Health Advocacy, HPP, in press.
• Goodhart, Fern Walter, reviewed manuscripts for professional journals, HPP, HEB
• NJPHA Legislative Scorecard, Health Education & Behavior. 30 (1):5-7 (Feb 2003)
• Grossman, BR, Goodhart, FW. "Assessing Student Staff Motivation and Satisfaction to Strengthen Health Education Services," JACH, 51:38-41 (July 2002)

Peggy Policastro - national ADA conference

Leadership/community service (task forces, volunteer boards, elected office, certification) -

staff sought out by other colleges for consultation and technical assistance, as well as by faculty and student life staff here at RU

Ji Baek - RHS web advisory committee, NCORE delegation, IRB certification

Adrienne Coleman - RU Alcohol Implementation Committee, Responsible Hospitality Resource Panel RU representative, NJ Higher Education Consortium, CHI, NCORE delegation member

Fern Walter Goodhart - RHS executive committee, RHS web advisory committee, RHS CQI committee, Advisory Board to the HP Community Teen Center, RU Academic Challenge proctor, Highland Park Borough Council, ACHA new advocacy committee chair, CHI.

Francesca M. Maresca - CURVES student organization advisor, student social justice committee advisor, RHS Continuing Education, RU LGB Task Force, RU Eating Issues Task Force, ACHA Healthy Campus 2010 Task Force, Social Justice Committee/NCORE delegation

Polly Mclaughlin - RU Alcohol Implementation Committee, CHI

Peggy Policastro - RU Eating Issues Task Force

Robert Russo - Camden Crisis Committee, Alcohol Policy Committee, Orientation Committee

Jane Malyska - RHS cont education meetings attended

Focus for 2003-04

In an effort to strengthen students' academic performance, leadership ability and connection to the university, a comprehensive approach is planned to:

• Expand academic learning and service opportunities for students related to health, cultural competence and social justice.
• Integrate health information strategies more deeply into electronic and print media used by student priority populations.
• Increase opportunities for skill development, support and discovery related to improved health outcomes so that students can create and lead health-promoting efforts.
• Expand environmental strategies for improved health choices and health-promoting campus policies.
• Strengthen student skills and efficacy in safer sexual expression in order to reduce unintended pregnancy and spread of STIs.
• Change campus perceived behavioral norms that increase the likelihood of dangerous drinking.
• Reduce tobacco access and nicotine addiction on campus.

Specific approaches for the academic year will include:

Teaching/training/supervising/mentoring/coaching

• Revise teaching strategies for overlapping concurrent sessions and cross training in order to make stronger ties across courses and student training, increase student retention and student opportunities, and more deeply infuse social justice and advocacy pedagogy.
• Pilot new course, "Drugs, Culture and Society" as a venue for student training on alcohol, nicotine and other drugs, and continue foundation courses on health, social justice and sexual health advocacy.
• Maintain DHE student connections and trainings to enhance collaboration, creativity and effectiveness.

Policy Development/Advocacy

• Participate, and where appropriate, lead university-wide and state coalitions and efforts related to improved health and academic outcomes (eg, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, eating issues, LGTBQ).
• Host a network of elected officials to mutual support and student opportunity.

Academic/Research Collaborations

• Challenge misperception of smoking prevalence on campus through a social norms campaign.
• Continue collaboration with CHI and devise a new measure of dangerous drinking.
• Explore mutual benefit of academic advising at Douglass College.

Student Life Activity/Collaborations

• Maintain and strengthen partnerships on campus and in the community for collaboration, service learning, policy development, social justice, advocacy and student leadership (eg, with CASE, athletics, fraternity/sorority affairs, orientation directors, Asian community, student organizations, PESQI, undergraduate and graduate colleges' student affairs).
• Pilot new interventions to meet student life needs (eg, coordinated response to alcohol emergencies).

Service Learning

• Continue as senior partner with Highland Park Community Teen Center, continue offering classes as CASE for community service, continue as CASE community partner, seek out additional course client relationships for Highland Park

Public Information/Communication/Media

• Create strategic plan and enhance existing health information activity (brochures, exhibits, website, newspaper ads, broadcast emails, orientation messages).
• Expand health information efforts to improve student awareness on high need areas (eg, existence of health insurance and campus pharmacy, emergency contraception, benefits of gynecological exam, helmet use, health topics of OTC drugs and performance enhancers, male sexuality, STI facts, healthy sexuality).
• Pilot new channels of message delivery, such as video public service announcements (eg, on emergency preparedness, orientation to RHS), the first-year student birthday card, and giveaways (e.g., first aid kits).

Assessment/Evaluation

• Further analyze qualitatively and publicize NCHAS data to identify priority populations and issues for follow-up and intervention.
• Pilot new interventions based on data and priority populations (eg, mental health and depression).
• Conduct photovoice assessment project department-wide.
• Conduct CQI projects of: vending machine improvements, program request process, "RU Up in Smoke" kits, first-year student postcard project.
• Assess utilization of website by page visits, saturation of media strategies

Research/Grants

• Coordinate three alcohol/drug minigrants, by piloting a non-alcoholic/non-drug campus RAVE, creating a party drug resource center with campus and community trainings, and creating public service announcements on college drinking.
• Continue CHI research collaboration in alcohol, nicotine and other drugs; manage minigrants on drinking and party drugs.

Student and Staff support/development

• Encourage student and staff conference presentations, publications, and state and national leadership.
• Identify areas for needed professional development and in-service opportunities to meet those needs.
• Assure DHE programs meets standards of health promotion in higher education.
• Strengthen relationships with RHS staff; recognize and document evidence of indicators; update DHE policies, procedures and student infrastructure; strengthen skills in cultural competence and ethics.