OCR::/Vol_114/WLURG39_RTP_20101011/WLURG39_RTP_20101011_001.2.txt Generals exterminate Wasps The football team wins the homecoming game over Emory & Henry, 45 - 24. SPORTS / page 6 WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY THE RING-TUM PHI. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010 BLYITHE STUDENTS AND FOR THE STUDENTS SINCE 1897 VOLUME CXIV, depression ‘L Healthy minds New student organizatition promotes mental health By Colleen Moore STAFF WRITER Catching a cold is almost inevitable in the fall or winter, but most people know exactly how to treat such a common illness. And yet, when it comes to mental illness, few students know how to address the related complications. Fear of the words “depressed” or “bulimic” of- ten prevents the education that will help a friend, teammate or classmate suffering from a diagnosable disease. Active Minds, a new organization at Wash- ington and Lee, works to bring awareness to mental health issues on campus and to lessen the stigma as- sociated with them. Active Minds was initiated last winter under the direction of Dr. Christy Barongan, a clinical psy- chologist in the W&L counseling center. Barongan said she organized this student-led organization in an effort to dispel myths surrounding Inental health. Barongan said she hopes that ending the stigma attached to mental illness will help students open their eyes to prevalent issues on campus. Acitve Minds President Lauren Ashley Tipton, is ajunior pre-med student who plans to dedicate her life to helping people affected by mental health is- sues. “People absolutely fascinate me, and I honestly love, love, love to help them through listening and just being a person they can count on to respect them unconditionally,” Tipton said. Tipton said she wants to provide the resources necessary to help both students who are struggling, as well as educate others to recognize a situation as serious as a mental illness. Active Minds will orga- nize and sponsor mental-health related panels and speakers. Members of the organization will also encour- age balancing the programs with small gestures to spread happiness. , Students who want to get involved in Active Minds can contact Tipton or pick up an application at one of their programs. In the stats... How do students feel? 64% felt emotionally ’ exhausted 38% felt so depressed _ that it was difficult to function 10% been diagnosed with \ Source: The American College Health Association National college 1 Health Assessment, Spring zooo -A 15% of women 17 to 24 have eating disorders ‘ - to 40% of female college students have eating disorders - 91% of _female college students have attempted to control their weight through dieting _ ‘ . ‘Source: Massachusetts Eating- Disorders Association I , National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) I . .0 M" mg flu outbreaks Health Center oflers vaccines to fight both swine flu and normal strains By Samuel Smith STAFF WRITER After multiple years of “swine flu” paranoia, the Health Center is going above and beyond to prevent another mass outbreak of swine flu on campus. Every Wednesday from Oct. 6 to Oct. 27, the Health Center is offer- ing weekly “vaccine clinics.” The vaccine itself is available at anytime during the day, and no appointment is required. ' Although the vaccine is not re- quired of Health Center employees nor work-study students, many of those students and nurses have al- ready taken precautions and have been inoculated. The 2009 HINI virus, or “swine flu," was a new and more powerful strain of the seasonal influenza virus. In response to HINI, the Depart- ment of Health and Human Services ‘issued a “nationwide public health emergency declaration” on its web- site on April 26, 2009. At first, only a few international travelers were stricken by the new virus, but con- tainment efforts failed. The virus spread until the World Health Orga- nization (WHO) declared it a “global pandemic.” The American media showed con- stant coverage of the virus from the first confirmed cases both worldwide and nationwide, to the first American fatalities, to the closure of schools, to the around-the-clock efforts of the US. Government to find a vaccine. American schools were particu- larly hard hit by the swine flu, and Washington and Lee University was no exception. W&L had almost a dozen confirmed cases last spring. According to an article in the W&L archives, in May 2009 the “Virginia Department of Health had confirmed ll cases of the HINI influenza among patients” in the Health Center. Nurses likened the amount of sickness to just another busy flu sea- son, and apart from the ferocity of the HINI virus, didn’t see too much different in it than the seasonal flu. First-year Allison Swagler chose to get the flu vaccine because she doesn’t want to “get sick.” The swine flu outbreak didn’t really influence her decision because she “always gets [the flu]”. On the other hand, first-year Eric Notari chose to opt out of the flu vac- cine this year. “I never get flu shots. I’ll take my chances with getting the flu. I haven’t had it yet, so I’m not going to change it up this year,” said Notari. Student athletes succeed Two alumnae spoke about the lessons they learned as athletes at Washington and Lee By Eleanor Kennedy NEWS EDITOR ‘ Playing a sport in college teaches skills which give student athletes an advantage in post-graduate life, ac- cording to two recent Washington and Lee alumnae. Dr. Kelley Zagol, ’05, and Emily Wolfing Heinauer, ’05, both former W&L student athletes, delivered this message as part of a panel discus- sion focusing on women at W&L on Thursday, Oct. 7. The discussion is one offive events to be held this year in a series titled “Leadership, Gender and Community at Washington and Lee.” Around 40 people, mostly student athletes, attended Zagol and Heinau- er’s discussion. The pair talked about the lessons they learned from being athletes while maintaining a rigorous academic schedule. “To be a student athlete, you have to do both,” said Zagol. Zagol, a former soccer player, is currently enrolled in a residency pro- gram at the University of Virginia. She said that her time at W&L taught her that if she worked hard, she could accomplish anything, a lesson she has carried into her professional life. Heinauer, who works for a de- fense contractor, said that her W&L experience gave her the confidence she needs in her job, especially be- cause she is the only person under the age of 30 there and often the only woman in the room. “Sports give you that confidence to stand up and say, ‘I have something to bring to the table,’” Heinauer said. , After talking about their experi- ences both at W&L and after col- lege, Heinauer and Zagol fielded questions from the audience. In an- swer to questions about how they got the jobs they have now, the young women talked about the importance of finding ajob that you enjoy doing rather than focusing on having ev- erything planned out right away. “After college life isn’t linear anymore,” said Zagol. “If you hate yourjob, do something else.” Heinauer said she found her cur- rentjob through Colonnade Connec- tions. Like many seniors, Heinauer was not sure what she wanted to do after college, but she was able to find a great job thanks to the university’s support system. ' “You don’t' have to know what you want to do -forever,” Heinauer said. “But there are people at your fingertips who are willing to help you.” Heinauer said that her varied ex- periences at W&L gave her the edge over other ‘applicants when looking for a job. She said the opportunity to play sports, succeed as a student, and participate in other activities like Greek life makes W&L graduates unique. “Not only are you smart enough to do whatever you want to do. . .but you also have all these other things going for you that other people don’t,” said Heinauer. Both young women had nothing but praise for the education and ex- perience they received at W&L. “You are a better professional because you went to W&L,” said Zagol. NUMBER 5 OCR::/Vol_114/WLURG39_RTP_20101011/WLURG39_RTP_20101011_002.2.txt W6$lrHN