For many students, especially those who hail from the Midwest or East Coast, one of ASU’s best features is the weather. The Phoenix metropolitan area, home to ASU’s four campuses, is one of the sunniest places in the world and there are plenty of reasons to appreciate that aspect of our home. However, the unfortunate truth remains that if people living in the Valley don’t take care of their skin, they are at a high risk of developing skin cancer.
Given this concern, one would think that protective skin care is a prominent topic in the health awareness agenda at ASU, especially considering most students spend a good amount of time outside every day going from class to class. Surprisingly, there is little effort to make students aware of how skin cancer may affect them; this is especially problematic considering the prevalence of tanning beds in the housing around Tempe campus.
A list of some of the housing complexes around Tempe campus that offer free tanning: The District on Apache, 922 Place, Gateway at Tempe, Vista Del Sol and West Sixth. The most concerning member of this category is Vista Del Sol, considering it is ASU housing.
Of course, these properties have every right to offer their residents a desired service, but given the accessibility to tanning afforded by these housing complexes, ASU should make a greater effort in promoting healthy practices regarding skin care. An even stronger step for the University would be to remove any mention of residences offering tanning from its off-campus housing guide in order to make the message clear.
Just like tobacco use, unprotected sex, and dangerous alcohol consumption are choices, using tanning beds is a choice. There can be no justification for ignoring this topic on the grounds of interfering with personal freedom. If ASU goes to great measures in advising against the former, why does it choose to do so little about the latter?
Perhaps it is due to the tendency to view skin cancer as a problem dealt with later in life; however, Alison Bruzek of NPR reports that “melanoma is the No. 1 cancer in adults 25 to 29 years old.” Melanoma is not always some distant danger, and being irresponsible with your skin in college could lead to a dire date with a dermatologist sooner than you may think.
Bruzek’s recent article goes on to reveal the alarming presence of tanning beds on campuses across the country.
“Half of the top 125 U.S. colleges and universities listed in U.S. News and World Report have indoor tanning facilities either on campus or in nearby student-focused housing,” states Bruzek. While we can be more forgiving of states with perpetual grey skies, there is no excuse for ASU to not be more vocal about the dangers of tanning beds.
ASU invests a good deal of effort into health awareness for the student body. Well Devils, for instance, offers a comprehensive health guide to topics ranging from responsible alcohol consumption to the need for exercise and adequate sleeping patterns. Conspicuously absent is any mention of the wisdom of avoiding tanning beds and taking care of your skin.
Young adults can often feel pressured into fitting their appearance to some type of stereotypical standard at the detriment of their own health; it’s important that they hear from the side that simply wants them to lead healthy lives.
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