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/ GRADUATION GUIDE / THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Wide range of options available for new graduates
BY CLAIRE MCINERNY editor@kansan.com
As some seniors are preparing for jobs and planning their lives after school, some students are experiencing a different scenario: the end of college panic.
Four years of classes and one degree later, so know what college. 9 righ al
Wiechman spent his two years in Saint Lucia doing community development. He helped a farmers' cooperative develop a grant proposal to get funding for a composting project from the United Nations and also taught reading and music at a school.
er. One opportunity that enables students to make that happen is through Teach for America. Teach For America is a program that allows recent college graduates to teach in public schools in low-income communities. The assignment lasts for two years.
a way to prolong having to find a job, but rather look at it as a way to find new opportunities and new ways for students to use their passions. She said a lot of politicians who now work in Congress were in the program and are now fighting for education rights.
Gina Littlejohn, the campus
PEACE CORPS
The Peace Corps was an attractive option for Wiechman because
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2011
PAGE 8
New sunscreen labels aim to better educate public
BY HANNAH DAVIS
hdavis@kansan.com
It's a balmy Friday afternoon in June. The sun is high and a smattering of clouds offer minimal shade for the swimmers and sunbathers around the pool at Tuckaway apartment complex, 2600 West 6th St. Kelly Flynn and Kate Johnson, both seniors, wade in the pool for their daily post-class ritual — working on their tans. In spite of years of data demonstrating the correlation between skin cancer and sun exposure, vanity trumps caution.
trumps caution.
"This sounds horrible, but I would rather look good now than worry about a possibility of cancer way in the future." Flynn said.
Johnson agreed.
Johnson agreed.
"It's that whole being young, dumb and having an invincible mindset," she said.
That mindset may be common, but the Food and Drug Administration is making it easier than ever to see the dangers in sun exposure by changing the language of sunscreen.
Reynold Tan, an interdisciplinary scientist at the FDA, said he hoped the newly announced standards for sunscreen labeling would better educate the public about the importance of skin protection.
"There are a lot of words used in sunscreen marketing that have been redefined," Tan said. "And the language companies use to market their products is going to come under greater scrutiny."
Newly prohibited marketing words include sunblock, waterproof, sweat-proof and any SPF above 50.
"Sunblock' implies that a person is completely protected from harmful rays. That simply will never be the case," Tan said.
Rather than hailing a product as waterproof or sweatproof, sunscreens must be labeled water- or sweatresistant and the amount of time the product lasts must be listed next to the claim of resistance. No product can claim to last for more than two hours. Currently, the term broad-spectrum can be found on many sunscreens. New regulations define
- broad-spectrum as a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Only broad-spectrum sunscreens aid in cancer and premature aging risk reduction.
Flynn and Johnson had brought three different sunscreens ranging from SPF 4 to 15 to the pool with them. Flynn only uses sunscreen if she is burnt from the day before.
"My main motivation is avoiding
pain or a goofy tan — it is less about the health benefits." Flynn said.
This is not effective, Tan said.
This is not effective, nor does it "Tanning oils or anything less than an SPF 15 will prevent burns only; they do not adequately protect the skin from the UVA and UVB rays." Tan said.
Patty Quinlan, supervisor of nursing at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that, during her 24 years treating college students, she has seen serious burns from the sun.
serious burns from the "Students come in with blisters all over their body. The pain is enormous." Quinlan said.
In severe cases a person may feel nauseous, lightheaded, weak and feverish. Quinlan compared severe sunburns to burns sustained from curling irons or flames.
curring spots of burns.
"Sunburns are like any other burn.
They cause cell necrosis," Quinlan said.
said.
Cell necrosis, the premature death of cells and living tissue, causes irreversible and long-lasting damage to the skin. Although skin cancer is relatively rare in people between 20 and 26, accounting for less than 1 percent of skin cancer cases, damage done during those years increases the risk of a cancer diagnosis later in life.
risk of a cancer trigger. Increasing rates of skin cancer and new information on the harmful effects of UVA rays recently prompted the FDA to act. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, about 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to UVA rays from the sun. Treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers increased by nearly 77 percent between 1992 and 2006.
The FDA suggests people apply a liberal amount of sunscreen, which is about the size of a golf ball. They also recommend reapplying sunscreen every two hours. People should avoid extended exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., wear long sleeves, hats and sunglasses.
are the most at ease. Students such as Flynn and Johnson don't have to sacrifice their bronze glow for their health. Sunscreen still allows the skin to develop color. The process may be slower, but experts say it's better for your health.
"These precautions should be taken every day all year round. Many people think they only need sunscreen while at the pool in the middle of August," Tan said. "That is not the case."
While no one is exempt from the dangers of sun exposure, people with fair skin, a family history of cancer and high rates of exposure to the sun are the most at risk.
Kelly Flynn's tanning habits of using low-SPF sunscreen are dangerous, according to FDA standards.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
New standards approved by the FDA change labeling language on sunscreen to help better inform consumers.
Sweat reistant rather than sweat proof (same with water)
The length is required to be labeled.
Only SPF 15 and above can claim to reduce the risk of cancer and premature aging. No SPF can be higher than 50.
Stephanie Schulz