Acorn

What�s a Drewid to do when faced with looming term paper deadlines, major exams to study for and the nagging nocturnal compulsions of a sleep-deprived college student?

Most students reach for the closest cup of coffee or the nearest energy drink. However, for those students who cannot settle for coffee, the University bookstore and new Commons store have decided to carry NoDoz. NoDoz is a caffeine pill that boasts to �Extend your waking days!� and keep you alert with a 100mg dose of caffeine, or approximately one cup of coffee. Truck drivers often use it to stay awake on long night drives, but students can also use it as a �study aid��helping them stay awake late into the night. The bookstore managers stock the shelves with products that they think students will buy, but where does Drew draw the line?

Caffeine in small doses can be helpful, and your daily cup of coffee is probably not going to kill you. However, students often push the boundaries of safe doses, and the possibility of abuse becomes even greater when all you have to do is pop a pill. According to drugdigest.org, caffeine can produce feelings of anxiety, dizziness, heart palpitations and even seizures. Is this really a substance we want our University endorsing, and, to add insult to injury, attempting to charge us for?

The Acorn staff does not think so.

The Acorn believes that Drew has a responsibility to promote healthy living for its students, and, in many ways, the university has taken on this responsibility with enthusiasm. Wellness Coordinator Kathy Werheim, for example, has been at Drew for four years with a grant that does exactly that. We also have Health Services making sure students have access to information on issues varying from safe sex to homesickness.

So why does Drew turn its back on student health when there is an opportunity to turn a quick dollar?

Carrying NoDoz encourages this type of dangerous behavior. At the very least, the University should be presenting students with more information about the harmful side effects of caffeine so that students know what they are getting themselves into.

Drew needs to step up to the plate and start making decisions that are best for the students overall, and not for the bookstore�s cash register.

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