Resources for students to think about

By Zaina Salem, Managing Editor

The University of Akron provides students with resources and tools to make their college experience as beneficial and efficient as possible.

There is practically an office for every need, such as the Student Health Services, the Counseling Center, Office of Financial Aid, Student Recreation Center and Computer Repair Service are just some of what UA has to offer the students.

One useful and popular resource is the Career Center, located in room 211 of the Student Union. The Career Center offers a variety of services and tools to help students excel with their future. On the Career Center website there is an assortment of guides to assist students in areas such as resume writing, interviewing, and more. The Career Center allows students to come in person to do mock interviews and resume reviews to prepare them for real-world situations.

One resource new to UA is an online program called Think About It. This is a new requirement for all incoming freshman. The program is designed to ensure success as a UA student and is dedicated to student safety.

Developed by the organization called CampusClarity, Think About It explores a variety of issues such as substance abuse, sexual violence and relationships. The program is research based and uses real-life scenarios as its curriculum.

According to an article on UA’s website, President Scott Scarborough is quoted saying, “There has been a great deal of attention, deservedly so, to the issue of sexual respect—on this campus, other universities in Ohio and across the nation, on Capitol Hill, and in the media. With the rollout of the Think About It program to all incoming students, we are reinforcing our commitment to deal with these difficult issues head-on and to reduce the risks to our students.”

To make the program more engaging, Think About It combines video, graphics and interactive activities. Students are asked questions about alcohol, relationships and sex, and are instantly shown how their peers responded to the same questions.

The program takes about two hours to complete and students can work at their own pace. Think About It also gives pointers on intervention by teaching students how to keep others out of trouble.

According to the CampusClarity website, “Think About It takes a harm-reduction approach that resonates with students and results in a healthy culture that fosters learning and growing intellectually.”

Students can go on The University of Akron website to find an office for their need. By clicking “Offices and Departments,” they can then search by keyword or by category for exactly what they are looking for.