The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

Dear Full-Time MS Students,

Because your semester at the Journalism School begins before the rest of the University begins their studies, you must enroll in the early arrival plan through Aetna Student Health in order to have health insurance coverage for the month of August . See below for details. Please visit the Health Services website for information on your general coverage for the academic year.

For students arriving on campus earlier than September 1, Aetna Student Health offers an optional insurance plan. This plan is recommended to incoming students who will have no other coverage during this period. To be eligible for this plan, students must also enroll in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance plan for the benefit period of September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010.

• The cost for the early arrival plan for August 2009 is $ 206 (for coverage from 8/1-8/31/09 or $412 (for coverage from 7/1-8/31/09.)
• Enrollment is done online directly with Aetna at www.aetnastudenthealth.com /columbiadirect.html. The online site will be available on June 29, 2009.
• This plan provides access to the care provided at Health Services as well as off campus services that may be required.
• The benefits available during this period are comparable to those provided through the Basic level of the Columbia Student Insurance plan insurance plan.
• Dependents are not eligible to enroll; but may elect coverage effective on September 1, 2009.

Dear Students:

As you may know, several confirmed cases of mild swine flu have been identified in New York City.

Columbia will follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other appropriate agencies in fashioning the University’s responses to a matter of understandable public concern. Currently, there are no changes to University operations or activities based on these public health recommendations. The federal CDC has issued a recommendation to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico during this time.

The best thing everyone can do at the present time is to practice normal precautionary hygiene such as regular hand-washing. If you have flu-like symptoms, it is recommended that you stay home from work or school and avoid public activities.

Tips for Preventing the Flu:

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

2. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or the elbow of your arm when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

4. Get an influenza shot annually. The current influenza vaccine formulation is not protective against avian or swine influenza. However, a recent study suggests annual influenza immunization of the elderly has a cumulative protective effect, resulting in reduced mortality, particularly in older individuals.

5. Clean things that are touched often. Clean things that are touched often at home, work, or school like door or refrigerator handles, computer key boards / mouse, phone and water faucets.

6. Avoid close contact with others who are ill. Avoid holding, hugging or kissing anyone who has a cold or the flu.

For ongoing updates and more prevention tips, please visit:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/studentservices/preparedness/

University leadership continues to monitor the situation closely and will keep you informed of any developments that affect the CU community.

Additionally, if you are interested in monitoring updates on your own, the most recent information is available on the CDC website:

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/index.htm

Sincerely,

Samuel Seward, M.D.
Assistant Vice President
Health Services at Columbia

Members of Journalism School Community:

In 2008, following inquiries from the NYC Health Commissioner and changes to New York State law, Columbia University convened a tobacco workgroup to consider changes to the University tobacco policies. The group, made up of student and staff representative from 12 different schools and departments, has investigated best practices for tobacco policy on college campuses around the country. The workgroup has forwarded a set of recommendations, including a proposal to prohibit smoking in within the gated areas considered the core of campus. As a part of this policy consideration, we are soliciting feedback from students, faculty, and staff. We invite you to visit the following website to review the proposal (including maps and proposed designated smoking areas) and provide confidential feedback: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/studentservices/docs/smoking/index.html

In addition to providing comments via this website, you may also elect to attend one of the following four open forum feedback sessions:

· Tuesday, April 21, 2009 from 12:00 – 1:00pm in Lerner 477

· Friday, April 24, 2009 from 12:00 – 1:00pm in Lerner 568

· Wednesday, April 29, 2009 from 5:00 – 6:00pm in Lerner 569

· Thursday, April 30, 2009 from 5:00 – 6:00pm in Lerner 569

Following this feedback period, the proposal and community comments will be forwarded to University administration for consideration. A decision on the proposal is expected to be made during the summer of 2009. If you have additional questions or comments, please email Michael McNeil at mm3117@columbia.edu. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Greetings from Alice!

As Spring approaches we would like to share some information with you regarding strategies to ensure that your sleep patterns do not interfere with the ability to achieve your personal and academic goals. Developing good sleep habits will help you stay healthy and allow your body and mind to rest and recharge

Sleep:

· Promotes memory consolidation of what you study

· Affects processing speed so that you can learn faster

· Makes you feel refreshed and ready for work or exams

· Boosts immune health

· Helps maintain energy balance

· Improves athletic performance by enhancing motor skills

· Can help you to pay attention in class

· Is a cheap, easy way to look and feel better!

Did you know that Alice! now offers an assessment with personalized feedback to help you ensure that you are achieving optimal sleep? You can access the assessment online, download a free sleep-diary, and read some more ZZZ Tips on Columbia’s Sleep Website.

Helpful Resources

Alice! Health Promotion Program

Health Services at Columbia

National Sleep Foundation

Related Q&As from Go Ask Alice!

Sleepy from oversleeping

All night, done right: Getting the most out of an all-nighter

Why can’t I stay awake in class?

The downsides of sleep deprivation

Fall asleep faster

Short sleep + long naps = healthy?

Sleep well,

Alice!

Alice! Health Promotion Program

108 Wien Hall

alice@columbia.edu

Move with Alice!

It’s 2009! Capture the momentum of a new year and take time to renew your mind, body, and spirit. Plus, as a reward for your effort, you can earn great shirts, water bottles, music gift cards, and more. Beyond these great incentives and countless health benefits, physical activity can help you improve concentration, increase energy levels, and relieve stress.

http://www.health.columbia.edu/docs/services/100mc/index.html (formerly the 100 m.i.l.e. club) is an exercise motivation and tracking program that offers the University community an opportunity to learn about, design, and record personal fitness activities using an online, interactive tool. Participants set individual exercise goals and record progress on their personalized exercise journal. CU Move is free and open to all Columbia students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Progress is measured according to the number of minutes a user spends exercising. The goal is to spend at least 100 minutes per week doing physical activity.

Helpful Resources:

CU Move

Alice! Health Promotion Program

Health Services at Columbia

Dodge Fitness Center

Related Q&As from Go Ask Alice!

Is there a proper workout order routine?

No time for working out.

Is it better to be fit and fat, or unfit and thin?

Move your body in 2009 and reap the rewards! Happy New Year!

Stress Management Services available from Health Services at Columbia

Alice! Health Promotion Program

• Stressbusters are a team of students that relax Columbians by delivering free five to ten minute upper-body rubs at events and programs within the CU community. Stressbuster events may be requested online through the Health Services website. For more information, please contact Kelli Soto, Stressbusters Coordinator, at Stressbusters@columbia.edu.
• Wind Down Wednesday is a weekly Stressbuster event open to the entire Columbia community on Wednesday from 4:00-5:00pm in the first floor lounge of Wien Hall.
• Stress Management Workshops are available through the Alice! Health Promotion Program. In the workshop, students will identify personal stressors and physiological changes triggered by stress, identify and practice a variety of stress management strategies, and discuss ways to fit stress management into a demanding schedule. To request a stress management workshop or find out about Alice!’s other workshops, please visit the Alice! page on the Health Services website.
• The Alice! Stress Initiative, a new program through the Alice! Health Promotion Program gives students the opportunity to voice their thoughts about student stress. A coalition of students committed to understanding and addressing stress on campus is being formed by a community organizer who serves as a graduate student assistant at Alice! Students who are interested in being a part of this coalition may contact Meg Bradley at mab2210@columbia.edu.
• Go Ask Alice!, Columbia University’s health question and answer internet resource, contains a category related to emotional health and subcategory dedicated to addressing issues related to student stress.
• In addition to the services listed above, students may also stop by the Alice! office or make an appointment with a Health Promotion Specialist to discuss stress management. The Alice! office is located in the Health Services suite on the 1st floor of Wien Hall.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)

• Individual consultations with CPS counselors: Students struggling to keep up with assignments or to strike a reasonable work-life balance are welcome to consult individually at CPS. All CPS counselors are well versed in helping students negotiate academic stress. In addition, there are staff with specific expertise in this area: Dr. Yaniv Phillips specializes in helping students overcome procrastination, and Dr. Calvin Chin and Dr. Victoria Grosso help students more rationally manage their time.
• Workshops and support groups: More information about these and other groups, are available via the CPS website. Note that, in general, students should contact the group facilitator in advance of the first meeting to express their interest.
• Overcoming Procrastination Workshop: Students interested in participating in a workshop designed to help overcome procrastination may contact Dr. Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu. The workshop will meet from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. on four consecutive Mondays, beginning October 20.
• Tolerating Stress: A Skill Building Group to ManageOverwhelming Emotions, Tolerate Distress, Improve Relationships and Increase Self-Care. Victoria Grosso, Ph.D. (vg2107@columbia.edu) and Patricia Swander, LCSW (pas 2002 @columbia.edu) host this support group Wednesdays, 5:30-7:00 pm. Start date TBA.
• Mindfulness Group: Mindfulness is an increasingly popular means of stress reduction, by cultivating greater awareness of unconscious thoughts and feelings that undermine physical and psychological well being. Facilitated by Addette Williams, Ph.D., alw65@columbia.edu. Day and time TBA.

Other Support Groups of potential interest:

• Adult Children of Alcoholics Support Group
• Bereavement Support Group
• Gay Men’s Group
• Group for Graduate International Students (This group will begin on October 17, 2008 Lerner Hall, 8th Floor; No initial interview needed.)
• Students with Chronic Medical Illness
• Women of Color Support Group

When the situation is serious:
Students in severe distress–and administrators and faculty trying to support them–should be aware that we always have clinicians available to help, 24/7/365. During normal business hours, and 10-4 on Saturdays, we have staff on-campus. After-hours, students can reach our nurse triage service by dialing 4-9797.

Work Block Group Available

Location: Counseling and Psychological Services: Lerner Hall 8th Floor

Day and Time: Monday 1-3PM

For 6 sessions: February 25, March 3,10,24, 31 and April 7

To register or for more information contact Dr. William Sommer at 212 854
2878 or email wgs2@columbia.edu

Join the Office of Disability Services for a Coffee Break and Conversation

Feb 7: Disclosure: The Dos and Don’ts of Disclosing
Feb 28: Getting the most out of classroom lectures
Mar 7: Test-taking strategies Part I: Studying for essay exams
Mar 21: Test-taking strategies Part II: Studying for multiple choice exams
Mar 28: Procrastination: Breaking the vicious cycle

WEDNESDAYS, 3-4 PM

LERNER 502

A student recently asked about what kind of psychological counseling services are available for students. The place to turn for answers is CPS - Counseling and Psychological Services, a division of Health Services:
http://www.health.columbia.edu/cps/index.html.

“CPS offers free psychological counseling to all undergraduate and graduate students who have paid the Health Service fee. Emergency consultations and crisis intervention are provided to students in acute distress, and psychopharmacological consultations are available as needed. To facilitate a free and open discussion of sensitive matters, CPS adheres to strict standards of confidentiality.”

How to Make an Appointment: Students who are interested in meeting with a counselor should call our appointment line at (212) 854-2878. In an effort to enhance services, we now provide telephone appointments with CPS counselors, usually within one business day of your initial call to CPS. After this initial phone appointment, you will be scheduled for a regular in person appointment according to the urgency of your needs. Of course, in the event of an acute psychiatric emergency, students may come directly to CPS without an appointment for assistance any time we are open.

For urgent medical consultation after hours, you may contact the Clinician-on-call at 212-854-9797. In the event of psychiatric emergency, you may also contact your nearest emergency room. The psychiatric emergency room nearest the Morningside Heights campus is the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center Psychiatric Emergency Room at 113th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, (212) 523-3347.

If you have any disability that may interfere with your school work, you must register with the Columbia Office of Disability Services. This confidential registration is critical in case something comes up later on during your academic life at the School.

http://www.health.columbia.edu/ods/

The starting point for all health services at Columbia is, well, Health Services, at http://www.health.columbia.edu

“Health Services at Columbia is about your well-being: helping you cope with colds and immunizations or managing stress and eating well - and also providing you with information and services so that you can take charge of your own health care needs, make healthy choices, learn some new skills, and focus on your academic, extracurricular, and personal goals while you are a student.”

Some useful contact information from that site is below. Familiarize yourself with the site so you will know where to turn if you ever have an emergency or even a routine healthcare need. Incidentally, the person in charge of Health Services, assistant vice president Margot Amgott, was the J-school’s admin dean for many years, so she knows our school well and still keeps in touch.

Map showing where the two main locations are:
http://www.health.columbia.edu/hrs/maps/.

General Information: 212.854-2284
E-mail for general questions about Health Services: health@columbia.edu

Emergency Support Resources:
If this is a medical emergency, call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency center.

For urgent medical issues when Health Services is closed: 212.854.9797

Columbia Security 212.854.5555
or x99 from a campus phone

Columbia University Emergency Medical Services (CU EMS) 212.854.5555
or x99 from a campus phone

Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center
Peer Counselors: Tuesday - Sunday 7pm-11pm
Peer Advocates: 24 hours/7 days
212.854.HELP
212.854.WALK

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center Emergency Room
(113th Street /Amsterdam Avenue) 212.523.3335

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center Psychiatric Emergency Room
(113th Street/Amsterdam Avenue) 212.523.3347