The student health center information lounge, which is located on the second floor of the Sol Center, opened its doors last year and will continue to provide CSUN students with health-related materials this semester.

The lounge carries books, pamphlets and videos regarding fitness, nutrition, drug and alcohol addiction, among other things.

Health Educator Sharon L. Aronoff from the Klotz Student Health Center is eager for more students to find out about the lounge this semester and take advantage of the resources it offers.

All the materials are free of charge and students are not required to sign up or sign in order to use any of them, she said. However, the room does have a sheet for students to comment about their experiences in the lounge, but it’s not mandatory.

“It’s an opportunity for students to find health information in a relaxed atmosphere,” Aronoff said.

One of the videos available for students to watch in the lounge is the 1993 educational film, “And the Band Plays On,” which is about the discovery of the HIV virus in the United States, Aronoff said.

Aronoff also said the lounge has the controversial book, “Go Ask Alice,” which has excerpts from a real-life diary of an anonymous 15-year-old girl and her involvement with prostitution and her addiction to drugs.

She mentioned that along with providing materials inside the lounge, the health center also provided “Ask An Expert” last semester, an event where students were given the opportunity to ask specific questions to professionals. Aronoff said one of the experts, Janice Martin, is a wellness coach at CSUN and focused on answering questions concerning behavioral changes including substance abuse. Although there’s not a schedule made as of now, Aronoff plans for “Ask An Expert” to continue this semester.

Additionally, the lounge has appointment slips and a phone to provide students with an easier way to make appointments with the health center, Aronoff said.

Ava Ghobadpour, who is an educator for Joint Advocates Disordered Eating (JADE) and also a senior nutrition major, said the health information lounge will encourage people suffering from anorexia or bulimia to receive information on their own and seek out the professional help they need.

Ghobadpour said people suffering from anorexia are more likely than people suffering from bulimia to avoid professional help because they think they are in control of the situation.

“For most people with anorexia or bulimia, it’s hard for them to come out and say it. The lounge might help them admit that they have a problem,” she said.

Jessica Estrada, who is a CSUN junior and a member of the Student Health Professionals Pre-Entry Program, said she encourages incoming students to use the lounge when she gives campus tours. Estrada also uses the lounge regularly herself and sometimes with her friends.

“We use the lounge to study. A couple of my friends come here and we weigh ourselves,” Estrada said. Students are not directed into the lounge and have the choice to use the room for strictly studying or for the materials, Estrada said.

Information Customer Service Assistant Susan Iev, who works next to the lounge, agrees that it is beneficial for students to use.

“The lounge is pretty much for students to get direct health information. They can go inside and watch a video. It’s really easy,” she said.

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