By Caleb Wheeler | Staff Writer
Students are running out of time to take advantage of the Student Health Advisory Council’s free mobile flu shot clinics, which are running until Nov. 15 in multiple locations on campus.
“We’re not actually a club,” Lake Oswego, Ore., junior Hayden Spier, who serves as public relations executive for the council, said. “We work directly with the Baylor Health Department. We’re overseen by the Baylor nurses.”
Nurses are on-site at the flu shot clinics, but students in the council are actually the vaccinators. Spier said the council intends to continue assuming more responsibility in the future.
“This is our second year we’re involved in this, but this time, we’re really kind of stepping it up to try and take a stronger, more supporting role in this system,” Spier said.
Spier said the Student Health Advisory Council comes together for a common interest: helping others. Members are from all different backgrounds and support health care, banding together to make a difference.
“We support and uphold the work of the Department of Wellness, Counseling Center, and we support other campaigns,” Memphis, Tenn., junior Emma Nicell, who is a member of the council, said.
Nicell said the group’s outreach is not just limited to the flu. In addition to flu shot clinics, other campaigns include de-stress giveaways during finals week in Moody Memorial Library — which are always a big hit among students, according to Spier.
Ultimately, the Student Health Advisory Council is making many efforts to get people out to the flu shot clinics, such as by having gift baskets and offering other free items. The goal is to vaccinate as many people as they can early and to avoid flu outbreaks on campus, according to Spier.
“It’s totally paid for by Baylor,” Spier said. “It’s a great event accessible to anyone, so anyone could just stroll on in and get a shot, as long as they’re a Baylor student or staff.”
