Health & Safety

From University Counseling Service and the Student Health Service to Drug & Alcohol Policies and Wellness and Safety Initiatives, the Division works to provide all UI students with a safe and healthy campus environment. Here are a few ways we are working to ensure our students make educated, healthy and safe decisions during their time at UI, while developing habits they will take into their lives beyond college.

Campus Recreation and Wellness Center (CRWC)

Opened during summer 2010, the new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center offers 20,000 square feet of fitness space over three levels, a 52 ½ ft. climbing wall, a 50-meter competitive swimming pool, an 18ft. deep diving well, a leisure swimming pool, a 1/9 mile jogging track, two basketball/volleyball courts, a multi-activity gym, a café, locker rooms, upgrade club locker rooms, a Wellness Suite and the Recreational Services Administrative Suite. 

• 63% of recreational facility usage during the 2011 fiscal year was generated by the CRWC
• 7,967 out of 18,744 Faculty/Staff have used our facilities (42.5%)
• 28,591 out of 30,238 Students used the CRWC during FY11 (94.6%)

"The CRWC has helped me get into the best shape of my life. The combination of new machines, large quantity and availability of equipment, clean facilities, and the convenient location give me an incentive to fit a workout into my schedule as often as possible. Managers constantly assess the weight and cardio areas, making frequent improvements and changes based on our student feedback. Honestly, I wish I had more time in my week to use the other services offered at the CRWC.”

 - Matt Andracki, UI Senior

"The fitness classes at the CRWC are one of my favorite aspects of the new rec center. The CRWC carries a wide variety of classes that keep working out challenging and fun. All the instructors I have had were really motivating and customized their workouts to fit a variety of endurance levels. Through the CRWC I've gotten the chance to try new workout routines, such as Zumba and hip-hop, that don't even feel like exercising, but I know I'm still burning a ton of calories.  Since the classes are free for students, I want to take as much advantage as I can of them before I graduate.”

 - Laura Heineman, UI Senior

Student Health Service - Health Iowa

​Student Health Service provides care for allergies, exposure reporting, ​general medicine, gynecology, international travel, laboratory, pharmacy, ​psychiatry, and sexual health.

“Student Health helped accommodate my schedule by offering flexible scheduling visits, and made filling prescriptions easy. The doctors were very attentive and thorough during my visit, which helped to allay my nerves. I felt as comfortable as if I were using my home doctor, but with the convenience of using on-campus health care.”

 - Julia Tsarpalas, Graduating Senior, Class of 2011

Health Iowa is the health promotion and education branch of the Student Health Service that supports student success through services related to alcohol and other drugs, fitness, nutrition, sexual health, stress management, and tobacco use. Here are some examples of our programs from 2010-2011:

The U-Choose campaign was launched in January 2011, to promote healthy choices for students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors across the UI campus. Food items and entrees that are “U-Choose-approved” meet the Healthy Campus Nutrition Guidelines.  “U-Choose-approved” food items and entrees meet one or more of the following criteria: low fat, zero trans fat, low sugar, low sodium, whole-grain, and whole fruit and fruit juice. Visit the UI Healthcare site to view the Healthy Campus Nutrition Guidelines. 

Implemented during Fall 2010, the focus of the Campaign Against Laziness was to show students the strides that can be achieved by making small changes in their daily fitness and nutrition routines. Examples include walking to class instead of driving and buying real fruit instead of Fruity Pebbles. Students had the opportunity to enter to win several different prizes during this campaign, including: 2010 Hawkeye football tickets, personal trainer trials, Camelback water bottles, and more.

The Red Watch Band Program focuses on knowledge, skills, and confidence building, regarding alcohol overdose prevention. Students gain knowledge and skills to “make the call”, and are given role-play opportunities to build confidence to intervene on behalf of another. Eight hundred and forty-eight UI students have completed the Red Watch Band program in the past two years and 686 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year. Participants demonstrated substantial knowledge gains, including:

• Nearly 75% were able to name three signs of alcohol poisoning after training, compared to only 18% before training.
• 67% could state three actions to take in an alcohol-related emergency, compared to fewer than 10% before training.
• Over 9% of follow-up survey respondents reported taking action in an emergency situation since completing Red Watch Band training.

Healthy Hawk Challenge is an online health risk assessment (HRA) for students. Sophomores were invited to complete the HRA beginning in fall 2010. Students received a report detailing their individual risk profiles, tips for making healthier high-risk alcohol behaviors, and information about resources. Participants who reported high-risk alcohol behaviors were invited to complete the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening Intervention for College Students) program. Over 1,400 students completed the HRA. Over 80% could list at least one thing they learned about their health as a result. Participating students made important behavior changes as a result of the HRA, including quitting smoking, changing sleep habits, and seeking counseling and support. 

Sexual Assault Prevention and Education

All incoming students take an online course via nformd.net, which is designed to help students protect themselves and each other from sexual assault, harassment, stalking and dating violence. The program debunks rape myths, shows the inherent sexism in our language that facilitates sexual assault, reveals media-based misconceptions about sexual predators, features bystander intervention tactics, addresses ways for men and women to reduce their risk of facing a sexual assault, educates students about what to do in case of a sexual assault, and much more. The data from this program demonstrates strong learning outcomes, in addition, long-term studies of this program are beginning to show reported behavioral changes.

• Of those women who found themselves in applicable situations, 73% used information from the program to stop unwanted sexual activity.
• Of those men who found themselves in applicable situations, 70% used information from the program to make themselves or someone else safer.
• The data from our student participation suggests over 91% of students indicated that the program helped them understand the factors that contributed to sexual assault, how to address sexual assault, how to intervene in possible sexual assault situations, and how to escape.
• In terms of the program as a whole, 82% of students rated the program as “Excellent” or “Good,” 79% responded that they would recommend the program to other students, and 91% felt that it is important for colleges to provide this program.

​Alcohol Harm Reduction Initiative

The Harm Reduction Committee advises the Vice President for Student Life on goals and metrics related to reducing harm due to alcohol use, and works alongside Iowa City area community members on projects and initiatives through the Partnership for Alcohol Safety. Goals in the UI Harm Reduction Plan include supporting students who abstain from alcohol use or use in low-risk ways, while also helping high-risk drinkers to lower their risk.

• 37,800 students participated in over 150 late night events held during the 2010-2011 academic year
• 50% of first-year students registered for a Pick One! activity by October 1, 2010
• 4,309 completed Alcohol Education. Evaluations showed:
  • 86% reported feeling more prepared to identify and help someone who may have alcohol poisoning
  • 83% reported it helped them establish a plan for responsible alcohol use
• 1,100 first year students took the Electronic Check-Up to Go (e-CHUG) and evidence-based harm reduction program within the College Transition class 2010-2011
• Emergency transports for students decreased 32.5% in the 2010-2011 Academic Year