Hand sanitation especially important, researchers say
Wardenburg, stressing hand washing as the number one way to stay cold- and flu-free, is aiming for a healthier winter for CU. They have installed hand sanitizer dispensers in 17 classroom buildings on campus to encourage students to take hand washing more seriously.
“In 2001 we did a study on hand washing at CU and found that washing your hands greatly decreases the chances of getting an upper respiratory illness,” said Robin Kolble, a Wardenburg nurse.
Kolble said a hand-washing study had never been done on a college campus before. Because of the results of the study, Wardenburg decided to begin a hand-washing program.
“The way we measure (if it’s working) is to look at how much hand sanitizer is being used,” Kolble said. “Some buildings might have a higher volume of people, in which case we will keep an eye on those dispensers.”
One student said she was unlikely to use the hand sanitizer.
“I don’t think I’ll even notice the dispenser,” said Mallory Johansen, a sophomore integrative physiology major. “I carry my own hand sanitizer anyway.”
Kolble said she was sure the dispensers cost a fair amount of money, but would be worth “investing in the health of students.”
Hayley Lowe, a sophomore international affairs major, said she wouldn’t mind if part of her tuition went to putting hand sanitizer dispensers on campus.
“When you look at our bill it just says ‘student fees, student fees, student fees,’ so it would be OK with me if they did that,” Lowe said.
Kolble said washing your hands was particularly important because the only way to get sick is through the spreading of germs.
“Going outside with wet hair in the cold or a draft won’t make you sick,” Kolble said. “That’s a myth.”
Kolble said hand-washing posters have been and are still all around campus and are changed every second week in classroom buildings. This year, thanks to Moe Tabrizi, organizer and an industrial engineer of the hand sanitizers, dispensers are being built to encourage students even further.
As of now, buildings that have dispensers are Benson Earth Sciences, Cristol Chemistry, Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences, Discovery Learning Center, Drescher Undergraduate Engineering Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab, Duane Physics and Astrophysics, Ekeley Sciences, parts of the Engineering Center, Hellems Arts and Sciences, Humanities, Imig Music, Math, MCDB CQ, Norlin Library , Police and Parking, Porter Bioscience and Ramaley Biology.
Kolble said the goal was to get the hand sanitizer dispensers in every classroom building on campus.
