News Reporter
Mesa State held its second annual Safety Fair on Wednesday. Several organizations offered safety tips to students. Ben Guska, director of external affairs for ASG, said that the goal of the safety fair was to, “prevent anything from happening to the students in terms of safety.”
“We are trying to prevent the next Mesa State student death,” said Ryan Hendershot, the student trustee. “In the past few years, Mesa State has lost students to suicides and car accidents, both because of faulty vehicles and drinking and driving, and diseases contracted from unsanitary tattoos and piercings.”
In the eyes of ASG, if one student death is prevented then the safety fair is well worth it.
A student group from Western Colorado Community College automotive technology department parked a car out in front of the Academic Classroom Building in order to demonstrate to students how to check air pressure in tires, how to fill up the oil in their cars, how to put in window washer fluid and more.
The simple lessons could be the difference between life and death for many students. This kind of safety information is valuable when considering the number of students who have died from small car problems in the past.
The Grand Junction Police Department also had a booth to raise awareness of their escort service at Mesa State. The service is meant for people who are afraid to walk alone across campus at night. They can call the escort service, which will send someone to meet with them and walk them across campus.
The College Escort program can be reached by calling 970-260-2683, and runs between 6 p.m.-2 a.m.
Police handed out safety whistles and Crime Stopper mouse pads to any student who wanted one. They had a SWAT truck and an ambulance outside of the ACB building for students to explore.
Student Health 101 set up a booth to get the word out about their online health magazine.
“The magazine is made by students for students, and is about how to live a healthy life,” Dillon McMillen, ASG vice president said.
The website can be visited at www.studenthealth101.com.
The Suicide Prevention Coalition had a booth, which provided a suicide hotline number, as well as information on guidance and counseling. They teamed up with Behavioral Clinical Services, who work specifically with students on these issues. The crisis number is 970-241-6022, and can be reached at any time.
The Student Health Clinic stopped by to inform students about the services they provide and what the costs are for student treatments and doctor visits. The Psychology Club also had a booth at the fair where they informed students about the dangers of drinking and provided information on Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and other treatments for those with drinking problems.
ASG had their own booth at the fair, where they handed out survival kits complete with granola bars, stress balls, condoms, suicide prevention bracelets, information on the Tutorial Learning Center, bubble wrap as a stress reliever, and much more.
ASG said they would like to hold a Safety Fair every semester in the future. They plan to hold them before school breaks so that they can, “get people to think about safety at a time that can be the most dangerous,” Guska saod.
ASG plans to hold the next Safety Fair before Spring Break.
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mmmcmill@mesastate.edu
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