Students attempt to move the ping pong ball from the tray to the cup with a crumbled up straw. (photo by Tessa Trylovich)

On Monday, March 16, representatives from OMNI’s Prevention Department set up a booth in the commons to teach students about the health risks of vaping through an interactive activity. 

Prevention specialists Sarah Powills and Aleah Bautista led the demonstration, which aimed to show how vaping can affect lung function. Both work with OMNI’s prevention services program, which focuses on educating young people about substance use and its impacts on the body.

The activity asked students to use a straw to move ping pong balls from a tray to a cup. After completing the task once, students were instructed to crumble the straw and try again.

“The second time it’s a lot harder, because there’s an impact on the straw, just like vaping has impacts on our lungs,” Powills said.

The demonstration helped visually represent how damage to the lungs can make breathing more difficult over time.

Throughout the day, many students stopped by to participate in the activity and learn more about the risks associated with vaping. According to Powills, about 70 students had taken part in the demonstration.

“We want [students] to know that obviously there’s a lot of social effects of vaping and using other substances, but there’s also many harmful effects on our body,” Powills said.

In addition to vaping, OMNI’s prevention program (Prevention Department) educates students about other substances, including alcohol, cannabis and opioids. The goal is to help students better understand the chemicals involved and the potential long-term health effects.

“We really want [students] to … educate [themselves] and think before [they] try anything,” Powills said.

OMNI representatives visit Prospect regularly, typically about once a month or every other month, with different activities focused on substance use prevention.

Next month, OMNI will return with a program about alcohol and its effects on the brain. Students will watch a virtual video and create posters about reasons to avoid substance abuse.

Powills also shared that OMNI will return again in May before finals with an ice bucket activity designed to help students learn relaxation and stress management skills. 

Through interactive demonstrations and educational activities, Omni hopes to help students better understand the health risks of substance use and encourage healthier choices.

“We’d love for students to stop by and see us,” Powills said. “We’re here almost every month.”

Never miss important news: every Monday, get a preview of what’s going on this week at Prospect, and what went down last week. To sign up for the Knight Notes newsletter, click here.