Timothy W Patterson

The Public and Allied Health Organization (PAHO) Club held its first meeting of the 2020 year on January 28^th, in room 206 of the Price Building.

The club, according to Public Health professor Ms. Angela Shorter, is a “great way to give freshmen a chance to get involved and learn about the events going on in our majors.” The majors include Public Health and Kinesiology. Ms. Shorter’s freshman seminar class made up the meeting audience.

Dr. Megan Rothermel (far right) tells students about upcoming events as PAHO members (left) listen on. (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

Dr. Megan Rothermel, the club advisor and assistant professor in the Department of Public & Allied Health Sciences, told The Hornet, “the club is a combination of both majors, and we hold these meetings monthly so that our students can know what’s happening, and also give them a chance to learn about job opportunities or ways to volunteer.”

The club meeting was held by PAHO president Tania Ramirez, recording secretary Dyala Corrales, corresponding secretary and Ms. PAHO Jevana Lambert, and Mr. PAHO Chukwunonso Ewunonu.

PAHO members from left to right: Ms. PAHO Jevana Lambert, Mr. PAHO Chukwunonso Ewunonu, recording secretary Dyala Corrales and PAHO president Tania Ramirez (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

They announced several events coming up in the Public & Allied Health Department this year:

• National Public Health Week is from April 6^th -12^th . Tania Ramirez stressed “we need more student volunteers to participate.” Events will be held in the MLK Student Center, relating to how to deal with stress, and to learn about suicide prevention and drug awareness.
• PAHO will hold their 6^th annual Public Health and Fitness Leader’s Day on April 7^th. This, according to Dr. Rothermel, is “specifically for Public Health and Kinesiology majors, to get a chance to meet potential employers and perhaps get an internship.”
• The Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity Induction Ceremony will be held on April 18^th. Students “are encouraged to join, if you have a 3.0 GPA or higher, and you’re looking at graduate schools,” informed Dr. Rothermel.
• Undergraduate research is being done on “Exercise is Medicine on Campus,” an active participation study on how staying active affects mental health and classroom success. Volunteers in the P&AH majors are needed for the study.
• Javana Lambert is a volunteer for the PAHO – run Hornet Food Pantry in the Price Building in room 106 and wanted to spread the word. “If you guys know anyone who wants free food and toiletries, we can provide that. We want you guys to come and tell everyone you know. We have a lot of great stuff and will be doing it as often as we can.”

Ms. Angela Shorter’s freshman class listens on. (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

Guest Speaker Rmanda Chapman, a representative from the US Census Bureau, also spoke to the freshmen. She wanted to “teach students about the Census as well as offer job opportunities.” She spoke about the history of the U.S Census, the impact of taking the Census and not taking it, as well as why college students should care.

Guest Speaker Rmanda Chapman from U.S Census 2020 alerts students to Census job opportunities (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

“One of the reasons why I’m at DSU is to spread awareness to you guys, so students can spread the word to people and tell them, ‘Hey, this is really important.’”

To connect her speech to the Public and Allied Health Sciences Department, Chapman told students, “The Census is all about data. How many people do this? How much money do they have? You guys do research all the time. You need that data to support your findings. The U.S Census knows how important data is, so we want to relate that.”

After talking, Chapman held a quick quiz to test students’ knowledge about the U.S Census. Those who answered correctly won a complimentary prize of a US Census 2020 water bottle.

Chukwunonso Ewunonu gives a student a prize for answering a question correctly during the Census quiz (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

A table was also set up with pamphlets and further information on Census taking and job opportunities.

Students pick up information about the U.S Census 2020. (Photo: Timothy W Patterson)

A full semester’s worth of events is scheduled for the department. The next meeting will be held on February 8^th. To apply to a U.S Census Bureau position, please visit  https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html .