Excerpts from my History of Higher Education major paper, Student Life: A Brief Glimpse of the Past, Present, and Future of College & University Student Health Services
V. Conclusions, implications for further study, remaining questions
Student health services continue to impact students’ lives. The concepts of hygiene and physical education which were transplanted from Europe are still prevalent in college health. Student health services are responsible for students’ health and well-being, while recreation departments have adopted physical education programs.Fortunately, the epidemics of the past are no longer present in the college landscape of today. Alcohol and other drugs and sexual education are highly publicized issues affecting colleges today. Fortunately, student health service practitioners are prepared to combat these issues with tactics including: social norms marketing and educational workshops.
A relatively un-researched aspect of student life which could affect the student health service is the onset of distance education. How do “e-learners” access student health services? What happens when a question and answer does not solve a problem? How will these students get student health services which compare to their traditional on-campus counterparts? The answers to these questions will undoubtedly have an impact on the “look and feel” of the student health service.
In 1937, it was stated at the National Conference on College Hygiene that constantly changing information, a lack of interest from students, and resistance to change provided health educators with a challenging teaching assignment. This statement still rings true today. Student health services continue to adapt to new information and are constantly challenged to provide a myriad of services to the colleges and universities that they serve.