Office of Health Education
The Office of Health Education plans and conducts activities to help Vassar College students make better choices for healthier living. Primary objectives for this office include providing support and training to student peer helper groups; developing educational programs related to aspects of student health, specifically in the areas of substance abuse prevention, nutrition education, and sexual health awareness; and facilitating connections between student health needs and services provided by the college and the local community.
The office is responsible for many campus health and wellness programs, including the New Student Orientation programs, Altered States, Sex and Sensibility, the Harvest Health Fair, the Great American Smokeout, Sexpo (Vassarís very own sexual health fair), Safe Spring Break Fair, Eating Disorder Awareness Week, DeStress Daze, Nutrition Week, and the Wellness Tent at Founderís Day. The office also provides Housecalls, a program by which any student can ask for a health or wellness workshop for the dorm. We also provide the campus with health education materials by maintaining Wellness Learning Locations (WELLS) at several key locations on campus. The director of health education serves on the Drug and Alcohol Education Committee and the New Student Orientation Committee, and advises the Health and Counseling Advisory Committee and the Eating Disorder Task Force as well as the following student groups: AIDS Education, CARES (sexual assault/abuse), CHOICE (sexual health information), EDRS (Eating Disorder Reachout Service), SAMS (Student Athlete Mentors), TLC (The Listening Center ñ peer), and the Wellness Peer Educators.
The Sexual Assault Violence Prevention Program (SAVP) is housed within the Office of Health Education and is under the direction of the director of health education. SAVP provides campus programming and education about sexual assault, including relationship abuse and stalking, by working closely with community partners to increase campus awareness and to generate dialogue. SAVP also includes the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).
The Office of Health Education is open during the academic year and can be reached at extension 7769. It is located in the Metcalf Solarium and is open for students who request one-on-one consultations, or who want information about opportunities for self-improvement for health and self-enhancement. The office is staffed by a director of health education and 10 student interns.