Pittsburg State Campus Activities hosted a community fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Plaza, right on campus for students to attend on Aug. 18. The event gives students an opportunity to talk to businesses around the community that have services that could potentially benefit them.
“I just think it’s important for the community to come together and show new students, especially who are new to the area, all the services that we have in our small community,” said Melinda Dugone, a registered nurse with the Crawford County Health Department.
Businesses like the Crawford County Health Department have many health-related resources that are beneficial to college students.
“We do disease investigation for reportable diseases to the state, we offer immunizations, primary care, STI testing and treatment, we give away free condoms, offer birth control, and everything we do is based off a sliding scale, so a lot of the services are free, which is nice for students,” Dugone said.
The department also offers specific opportunities for students wanting to go into the healthcare field.
“For nursing students, we also do practicums, so if people want to come shadow or want to know more about public health, we can offer those too,” Dugone said.
That isn’t the only business that can aid students in a career after school. Kansas Works, a company that does community fairs with Pitt State every year, helps students from the ages of 14 to 24 in various ways.
“Our job is to remove barriers from people trying to go to work,” said Emily Carter, a youth transition specialist from Kansas Works. “Coming here and sitting down with the college kids and letting them know that there’s resources available to them is really important,” she said.
“We offer career mapping and resume building, but we also offer these grants,” said Carter.
The grants are called Called Connect Why and provide supportive services to young adults.
“As long as you meet certain parameters within the grant, there’s a lot of things we can help you pay for and help you be successful in,” Carter explains.
The variety of businesses at the community fair not only helps students grow their academic careers; it can also provide them with advice and help keep them safe.
Alyssa Hess, a Prevention and Education Specialist from Safe House Crisis Center, says, “We are a nonprofit that is geared towards assisting survivors and victims of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking and stalking.”
Hess explains that the organization tries to participate in as many on campus activities as possible, because “unfortunately, college students are a very vulnerable population, especially considering that there are so many students that are traveling away from home,” she said. “They can be wrapped up in new types of relationships and might not know the dangers behind adult dating, bar life, drinking, as well as any sort of substance intake.”
The organization is also available to anybody 24/7, 365.
“We think it’s more important now than ever to make contact with the student body and let them know that if they need us, we are here,” Hess says.
The fair included many booths for businesses in and around the community of Pittsburg, but also campus organizations, other colleges in Kansas, and political campaigns as well.
