Helpful Tips for Healthy (Dorm) Living

Photographer: Natalie Scott, photo design: Marley Gabel

By: Kaitlin Wells, Staff Reporter

Living in the dorms is a familiar part of the college experience. While there are many pluses to living in a dorm, they are also a place in which germs and sickness can easily be spread.  According to Princeton University Health Services, colds and influenza are the most common illnesses among college students.  Fear not! Even though you are living in the dorms, there are many ways in which you can help keep yourself healthy.

There are many well-known ways in which to avoid illness, one of the most common is vaccinations. The CDC states that flu shots reduce the risk of infection from 40%-60%.  Receiving a flu shot is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent the flu. This can not only keep you from getting sick, but also prevent the sickness from spreading to other students.  

Although flu shots are the most effective, there are other ways to stay healthy in the dorms.  Ways to keep your immune system strong include drinking lots of water, getting lots of vitamin C, and getting plenty of sleep.  Not getting enough sleep weakens the immune system, making students more susceptible to illness.  Washing your hands, eating healthy and exercising will also keep you safe during flu season.

Being healthy plays a critical role in your learning. Living in the dorms can make you more vulnerable to illness.  Take precautions to keep your body healthy and the people around you healthy.  Don’t let the flu get in the way of your education!

Media Bias Chart

Image Source: AdFontesMedia.com

By: Kaitlin Wells, Staff Reporter

In today’s world, navigating the media, and more specifically the news, can be a great challenge.  Many news sources have biased or inaccurate content which can confuse and mislead many people.  Fortunately, Vanessa Otero has provided a solution for all of us with the creation of her media bias chart.  

Vanessa Otero is a patent attorney from Colorado, and the creator of the ad fontes media company.  Although Otero is not a journalist, she has had analytical reading and writing training that she not only uses in her job, but in the production and updating of the media bias chart as well.  The media landscape today has adapted over many years with the increase of technology in our society.  This new landscape creates a new field of analyzing this landscape. “I am not doing journalism, I am doing an analysis of journalism,” says Otero.  By using an analysis of journalism and using specific methodology, the media bias chart was made.  

In order to rank each news source in the chart, there are certain steps which Otero uses.  Individual stories are rated on a political scale from most extreme left to most extreme right.  Each individual sentence in an article is then rated on veracity or truthfulness, expression, and fairness.  Using these methods, each source is given a weighted average of individual stories, and those raw scores are them charted as coordinates using algorithms.  

Many people have not only found the media bias chart useful but many agree with the rankings of the sources shown on the chart. Currently, Otero is the only person behind the ratings of news sources, but wishes to expand her project in the future. This includes having more analysists as well as having an interactive chart that will rank each individual story of a news source.  

The media bias chart is not only an important resource now but will continue to be in the future.  It will help inform people of the truthfulness of what they are reading and will help in understanding the ever-changing media landscape.  As members of society, it is important for us to be able to find news that is true and not misleading.  Sources like the media bias chart will help us to be a society of facts rather than fake news.

Get the Flu Before the Flu Gets You!

Photo source: www.vbcpsblogs.com

By: Kaitlin Wells, Staff Reporter

Autumn is arguably one of the most dynamic times of the year; it is a season known for pumpkin spice, sweater weather, and most importantly, the flu. According to Princeton University health services, colds and influenza are the most common illnesses among college students.  So how can you protect yourself from catching the flu this year?  The answer is easy, vaccination.  

Being vaccinated is the most reliable way to keep you from getting sick this season.  There are many benefits to vaccinating against the flu. The most important of benefit is that the shot reduces risk of contracting the illness, as well as the risk of being hospitalized.  The CDC reports that being vaccinated reduces the risk of hospitalization between 40%-60%. 

There are many different strains of the influenza virus.  Although the flu shot does not protect against all of them, it will defend against several strains that have come up in the past.  Most flu shots are what we call trivalentmeaning that they provide immunity to three strains of the virus. Other versions of the immunization are quadrivalent, meaning they protect against four strains of the virus.  It is important to be vaccinated for influenza because the symptoms do not usually present themselves until a few days after contracted.  This means that someone can unknowingly pass on the flu to you before they even realize that they are sick themselves.

Luckily, Regis is providing a solution for your vaccination dilemma.  Don’t wait until after you get sick to act! Protect yourself from influenza this year by visiting the health services offices on campus! Our student health services can help you get set up to tackle the sicknesses of the year, so swing by and snag a shot!