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Purdue advises students to prepare for winter weather

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:12:33 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As winter weather approaches, Purdue University is advising students to prepare.

“Many of our students come from areas with a much different climate, so we especially want to urge them to take steps now so they are prepared when winter arrives,” said L. Tony Hawkins, dean of students. Hawkins advises:

Wear several layers of lightweight, warm clothing.
Wear a hat to prevent body heat loss from your head. Scarves and hoods also help.
Use mittens that fit snugly at the wrists. Mittens are warmer than gloves because fingers maintain their warmth better when they are in contact with each other. Reduced surface area reduces heat loss.
Wear boots or shoes that provide good traction. Waterproof/resistant boots are also a good idea. Wet socks/feet lose heat much faster than dry socks/feet.
Take the Purdue tunnels and enclosed walkways.
Ride CityBus.

CityBus is free to everyone with a Purdue student, faculty or staff identification card. Bus stops are located all around campus, and buses run throughout Lafayette and West Lafayette.

The university considers many variables when making decisions about schedule changes due to weather, said Carol Shelby, senior director of environmental management and public safety. For example, in addition to temperature and wind chill, administrators consider the entire forecast for the day, snow cover, anticipated snowfall, icing, the conditions of roads and parking lots, and the ability to heat buildings and remove snow.

Consideration also is given to how far people need to walk outdoors, which is greater for students than for faculty and staff, most of whom park in lots and garages near the campus.

Information about the weather-related status of classes and work at the university, as well as weather information, wind-chill charts, frostbite and maps of the tunnels and CityBus routes, are available from Purdue Home Page, http://www.purdue.edu. Just click on Weather.

Purdue receives 400 doses of H1N1 vaccine

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:31:52 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Health Center has received 400 doses of H1N1 vaccine through the Tippecanoe County Health Department.

The Health Center also reported that the supply of seasonal flu vaccine has been exhausted and that no additional supplies are expected to be available this year.

H1N1 vaccines will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in Room 43 at the center. Because of the limited supply, only those in established priority groups will be eligible for vaccines. The priority guidelines have been set by the Tippecanoe County Health Department based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those considered top priority include the following:

Pregnant women. 
Caregivers for children younger than 6 months. 
University health-care and emergency medical personnel. 
Individuals with underlying health conditions that put them at risk for complications of flu-related illness.

Individuals considered to be at risk are those who have: cancer, blood disorders, chronic lung disease (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.), diabetes, heart disease, kidney or liver disorders, neurological or neuromuscular disorders, or otherwise weakened immune systems.

Individuals may call the Student Health Center’s Urgent Care Unit at 765-494-1724 to determine if they have a qualifying health condition.

Purdue administers flu vaccine allotment, awaits next shipment

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:34:16 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Health Center administered 347 doses of H1N1 vaccine Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 27 and 28) and is now awaiting new shipments, which are expected next Wednesday (Nov. 4).

The university is providing vaccinations for students, faculty, staff and spouses of employees. Because of the limited supply, only those in top priority groups were eligible for vaccines this week. The priority guidelines for next week will be set by the Tippecanoe County Health Department based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those who were considered top priority this week included the following:

Pregnant women.
Caregivers for children younger than 6 months.
University health-care and emergency medical personnel.
Individuals with underlying health conditions that put them at risk for complications of flu-related illness.

Full-time students will not be charged for vaccinations. Others will be assessed a $12 administrative fee, which will be reimbursed for individuals covered by a Purdue medical insurance plan.

Individuals may call the Student Health Center’s Urgent Care Unit at 765-494-1724 to determine if they have a qualifying health condition.

Signals to provide early academic intervention at Purdue

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:31:02 +0000

MALVERN, Pa., and WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Signals, an innovative early intervention system that warns students that are at-risk of underperforming in a course and facilitates faculty interventions, will be enhanced and brought to higher education institutions through a joint effort by SunGard Higher Education, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation.

The collaboration is among the first examples of SunGard Higher Education’s new Open Digital Campus strategy in action.

Developed by Purdue, the Signals software monitors students’ behavior patterns and academic performance to determine if they are at risk of earning a low grade and allows faculty to intervene with suggestions on actions they can take to help students improve their grades. An intuitive stoplight provides indications to students if they are underperforming and prompts the students to take action.

Today, campus sources for data about students vary greatly and come from different systems, applications and vendors. The power of Signals’ predictive modeling comes from employing multiple data sources to create a more complete picture of a student’s academic performance. That picture helps identify students at risk in a course so an intervention can happen early enough to actually make a difference – as early as the second week of class.

Officials from Purdue University, the Purdue Research Foundation and SunGard Higher Education signed a memorandum of understanding outlining key points of the parties’ collaboration efforts and have begun work on a definitive agreement. Their planned efforts will bring Purdue’s original design and expertise together with SunGard Higher Education’s development resources. SunGard Higher Education will create and market a new next-generation software product based on Signals that will be architected to work with multiple course management systems and student information systems. The solution also will provide flexibility for institutions so that they can refine and customize it to fit their needs and environment.

“The old idea of weeding out students, of ‘look left, look right, and one of you won’t be here next year,’ is an incredibly wasteful process for both universities and families. No one thanks educators if their kid lasts two years and then drops out,” said Gerry McCartney, Purdue’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “Signals helps us keep the students on task and focused, and offers students real opportunities for improvement.”

Signals was piloted in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. According to Purdue, the pilot involved nearly 2,000 students, where a double-blind study found that 67 percent of students receiving a yellow or red warning improved their effort and grade. For students who received a red light only, 78 percent improved their grade and effort during the mid-term period.

“Our faculty loves Signals because it helps them quickly identify students who need help and reach out to them in an effective and efficient way,” McCartney said. “But the students love it even more, which is both pleasing and a bit of a surprise, honestly.”

“Signals provides educators and leaders in higher education with valuable information to help them meet the individual educational needs of their students,” said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and chief operating officer of the Purdue Research Foundation. “The flexibility of the Signals software is also important, enabling it to fit different needs at different institutions and be modified as new technologies are introduced to the educational environment.”

Through its recently announced Open Digital Campus vision and technology strategy, SunGard Higher Education is giving colleges and universities new flexibility to shape how technology meets their evolving needs. The open strategy helps reduce dependencies and expand an institution’s ability to choose the technologies, delivery models, open source and vendor solutions that fit its needs. In academics, an area in which SunGard Higher Education has strengthened its efforts over the past year, this includes new opportunities for collaboration such as this project with Purdue.

“Through the Open Digital Campus, we are collaborating with our customers and working to deliver more modular and specific components that address precise institution needs, like course success,” said Tom Wagner, vice president at SunGard Higher Education. “We will build on the Purdue team’s outstanding work to offer a flexible solution that helps institutions extend the value of their investments, improve student success and further the core mission of the institution.”

Signals will complement SunGard Higher Education’s existing Banner Enrollment Management Suite by focusing on improving student success within a course, while components within Banner Enrollment Management focus on retaining the student at the institution or within a particular degree program and creating a loyal relationship that lasts beyond graduation. Data from Signals about student risk within courses will feed into Banner Enrollment Management to help create a complete picture of the student’s education experience.

Purdue receives additional H1N1 vaccine

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:07:39 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Health Center dispensed 147 doses of H1N1 vaccine Wednesday (Oct. 28) and has just received an additional 200 doses that will be available to students, faculty, staff and employee spouses beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 29).

Because of the limited supply, only those in top priority groups are eligible. They include

Pregnant women.
Caregivers for children younger than 6 months.
Individuals with underlying health conditions that put them at risk for complications of flu-related illness.
University health-care and emergency medical personnel.

There is no charge for full-time students. Others will be assessed a $12 administrative fee, which will be reimbursed for individuals covered by a Purdue medical insurance plan.

Priority groups are set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tippecanoe County Health Department. Individuals considered to be at risk are those who have: cancer, blood disorders, chronic lung disease (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.), diabetes, heart disease, kidney or liver disorders, neurological or neuromuscular disorders, or otherwise weakened immune systems.

Individuals may call the Student Health Center’s Urgent Care Unit at 765-494-1724 to determine if they have a qualifying health condition.

Purdue’s Black Cultural Center to host civil rights leader

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:33:07 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., co-founder, president and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, will speak Nov. 11 at Purdue University.

His talk, sponsored by Purdue’s Black Cultural Center, begins at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders. Its mission is to harness the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to advocate education and other societal concerns related to the empowerment of youth.

Chavis, a civil rights leader and a longtime advocate of equal opportunity, also is the president of Education Online Services Corp., a company committed to increasing online higher education among Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other academic institutions of higher learning worldwide.

A native of Oxford, N.C., Chavis started his career in 1963 as a statewide youth coordinator in North Carolina for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Later he became director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and executive director and CEO of the 1.7 million-member United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice. He also was executive director and CEO of the National African American Leadership Summit. In addition, he was the national director and organizer of the Million Man March in 1995.

Chavis has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of North Carolina, a master’s in divinity from Duke University and a doctorate in ministry from Howard University. He has authored numerous books and publications.

“We are really excited to have someone of Dr. Chavis’ caliber visit Purdue,” said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. “We feel he ties in very well to the theme of our fall cultural arts series programs, which is Hip-Hop: A Social and Political Message of Black Identity.”

Thomas said the cultural arts series this semester was an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of hip-hop to American culture.

“Since the late 1970s, hip-hop has steadily gained intellectual credibility,” she said. “A unique feature of hip-hop is its ability to transcend cultural, ethnic, racial, generational and geographic boundaries. It bridges the divide between the academy and the real world and inspires a growing body of scholarly discourse.”

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center helps Purdue students better understand African-American heritage and enhances cultural diversity on campus. The center is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Purdue gets ready to dispense 140 doses of H1N1 vaccine

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:20:16 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Health Center has 140 doses H1N1 vaccine, which will be made available beginning Wednesday (Oct. 28), while supplies last, to students, faculty and staff from priority groups.

The priority groups are:

Pregnant women.
Caregivers for children younger than 6 months.
Individuals with underlying health conditions that put them at risk for complications of flu-related illness.
University health-care and emergency medical personnel.

PUSH will administer the vaccine from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. There is no charge for full-time students. Priority groups, set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tippecanoe County Health Department, will be expanded when additional vaccine is received.

Individuals may call the Student Health Center’s Urgent Care Unit at 765-494-1724 to determine if they have a qualifying health condition.

Purdue sees upswing in flulike illness, awaits vaccine

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:01:07 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The number of students reporting flulike illnesses rose last week following a steady decline.

Between Monday (Oct. 19) and Friday (Oct. 23), 119 students with flu symptoms contacted the Purdue Student Health Center, bringing the totals since Aug. 30 to 559. Eighty-nine samples were sent to the state for testing to determine if they were H1N1 (swine flu); 51 were positive and 23 were negative. The results for the remainder are pending.

Meanwhile, Purdue is waiting for a major supply of vaccine. When it arrives, the vaccine will first be available to students, faculty and staff under age 25 who are pregnant or have underlying health concerns that suppress the immune system, said health center director James Westman.

The vaccine is shipped to the Tippecanoe County Health Department, which, in turn, distributes it to health-care providers in the area. The priority groups for receiving the vaccine are set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Underlying health problems would include asthma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS, kidney or liver problems.

For those who opt to obtain vaccine off campus, Purdue will cover the costs for faculty and staff insured by a Purdue medical plan.

Most flu patients continue to have relatively mild cases, much like those associated with the seasonal flu, and there have been no reported hospitalizations of Purdue students. Individuals under age 25 are thought to have little or no immunity to this virus. The symptoms usually last for five to seven days.

Generally, patients who are otherwise in good health have been advised to take the same steps they would for any type of flu. For those with mild symptoms, it may not be necessary to see a health-care provider. At the advice of the CDC, antivirals such as Tamiflu have been reserved for patients with flulike illness who also have underlying health problems.

Students can call the Purdue Student Health Center at 765-494-1700 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. After hours, students can call for advice to the Collegiate Assistance Line at 866-272-7119, PIN 390. The Purdue Pharmacy is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays when classes are in session.

To prevent spreading the illness, Westman advises:

If you are ill with influenza, do not attend class or go to work. Purdue supervisors may require that ill employees stay home. If you are a student, contact your professors, instructors or employers to let them know you are ill as soon as possible. If you need help with this, contact the Office of the Dean of Students right away.
If you live in a Purdue residence hall, let your residence hall adviser know. Sick meals can be prepared for you. They also can provide cleaning products for you and those around you.
Stay home at least 24 hours after your temperature returns to normal without the aid of medicine. This is important to avoid medical complications as well as to stop the spread of the disease
Isolate yourself, or go home if possible. If you can’t do either of these, suggest your roommate relocate until you no longer have a fever and other symptoms. The ill person also should wear a mask when others are present to prevent spreading the infection.
Use the buddy system. Ask friends to check on you and help buy what you need.

“It’s a good idea to have a thermometer and fever-reducing medicine such as acetaminophen on hand,” Westman said. “You might also want to put some hand sanitizer in your backpack and living area. The Purdue Student Health Center provides these to patients with flulike symptoms who seek care there.”

As with most viruses, flu is spread primarily by coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces and transferring the virus by hand to your nose, mouth or eyes. To increase the chances of staying healthy and helping prevent spread, he suggests:

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Cough into your sleeve or a tissue to prevent spreading germs. Do not cough into your hands. Dispose of tissues in a wastebasket.
Refrain from spitting and sharing beverages, food or eating utensils with others.
Wash your hands with soap under warm running water for 20 seconds and rinse your hands well. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and turn the doorknob. Be sure your hands are dry before directly touching anything.
Consider getting a vaccination against the seasonal flu, now available at the Purdue Student Health Center. While vaccines will not protect against H1N1, they will protect against previously known flu strains.

More ways to minimize risk can be found at the CDC’s Web site on homecare at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

Flu symptoms usually appear 24-48 hours after exposure to the virus, and people remain contagious for up to seven days after the onset of symptoms.

Basic flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, chills and body aches. Seek emergency care immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Updated information from Purdue and government agencies will be available at http://www.purdue.edu/fluinfo. A link also can be found on the Purdue home page.

Online tool helps students plan transfer credits to Purdue

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:43:19 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Students interested in transferring to Purdue University can use a new online tool to help them evaluate any credits that might transfer.

“In addition to the transfer credit database that will help prospective students determine if credit from other institutions will transfer to Purdue, this also will help current students evaluate whether a course they want to take at a hometown school during summer break will be accepted,” said Karan Bowerman, an assistant director who supervises credit evaluation in the Office of Admissions.

The transfer credit database, as well as information about transferring credit to Purdue, can be found at http://www.admissions.purdue.edu under the “Applying” header.

In the past, students relied on Purdue credit evaluation staff to provide a report. This new public site allows students to plug in a course name and number from another institution. The database immediately lets the user know if the course will be accepted.

This database also covers classes taken at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis because many of the courses there are offered by Indiana University. The credit evaluation is not applicable to Purdue’s Calumet, Fort Wayne and North Central regional campuses courses at those locations are offered by Purdue.

Yet more cases of flulike illness at Purdue

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:26:11 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Health Center reported that health-care providers there treated 63 students for flulike symptoms between Oct. 5 and 3 p.m. Monday (Oct. 12).

Since Aug. 30, 457 students have been seen for flu symptoms at the Purdue Student Health Center or at a local urgent care. Patients continue to have had relatively mild cases, much like the seasonal flu, and there have been no reported hospitalizations.

The H1N1 influenza (swine flu) causes illness for five to seven days, so most of those who were ill should be better by now, said James Westman, director of the Purdue Student Health Center. He warns, however, that those with underlying health problems such as asthma, diabetes or a suppressed immune system should take extra precaution and inform their health-care provider.

Generally, patients who are otherwise in good health have been advised to take the same steps they would for any type of flu. Individuals under age 25 are expected to be more likely to contract this strain because they have little or no immunity.

Since this is not flu season, health-care providers have been advised to consider all cases of flu to likely be H1N1, Westman said. A quick test can confirm if the influenza virus is Type A, of which H1N1 is a subset. Patients are only being tested if they and their health-care provider concur that it is appropriate.

Of the cases of flulike illnesses, 223 have been screened for Type A influenza. Thirty were positive for Type A, and 60 samples were sent to the state to determine if they were H1N1. Thirty-four samples tested positive for H1N1, 16 were negative and the remaining results are pending.

Before coming to the health center, students are asked to call the center at 765-494-1700 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. After hours, students can call for advice to the Collegiate Assistance Line at 866-272-7119, PIN 390. The Purdue Pharmacy is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays when classes are in session.

For those with mild symptoms, it may not be necessary to come in. At the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antivirals such as Tamiflu are reserved for patients with flulike illness who also have underlying health problems.

To prevent spreading the illness, Westman advises:

If you are ill with influenza, do not attend class or go to work. If you are a student, know ahead of time what the absence policy is. Contact your professors, instructors or employers to let them know you are ill as soon as possible.
If you live in a Purdue residence hall, let your residence hall advisor know. Sick meals can be prepared for you. They also can provide cleaning products for you and those around you.
Stay home at least 24 hours after your temperature returns to normal without the aid of medicine.
Isolate yourself. If you can, go home. If you can’t do either of these, suggest your roommate relocate until you no longer have a fever and other symptoms. The ill person also should wear a mask when others are present to help prevent spreading the infection.
Use the buddy system. Ask friends to check on you and help buy what you need.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Cough into your sleeve or a tissue to prevent spreading germs. Do not cough into your hands. Dispose of tissues in a wastebasket.
Wash your hands with soap under warm running water for 20 seconds and rinse your hands well. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and turn the doorknob. Be sure your hands are dry before directly touching anything.
Consider getting a vaccination against the seasonal flu as soon as they become available on campus. While they will not protect against H1N1, they will protect against previously known flu strains.
More ways to minimize risk can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site on homecare at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

Flu symptoms usually appear 24-48 hours after exposure to the virus, and people remain contagious for seven days after the onset of symptoms.

Basic flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, chills and body aches. Seek emergency care immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

The first shipment of H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available on campus in October, and then more are expected to follow.

Updated information from Purdue and government agencies will be available at http://www.purdue.edu/fluinfo A link also can be found on the Purdue home page.

Lafayette Online » Purdue News

Purdue advises students to prepare for winter weather

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