MRSA, Staph and Fecal Bacteria Rampant in College Dorms

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Thousands of bacteria lurk in college dormitories, but students are not following proper hygiene routines to help protect themselves from serious illness, according to a study released today from the Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, sponsored by an educational grant from LYSOL® brand products.(1) Despite growing concerns about influenza A (H1N1) on college campuses and recent study results estimating that of the ways influenza infection may be contracted, contact with contaminated surfaces may account for thirty one percent (31%) of the infection risk, only sixty three percent (63%) of students polled had cleaned their dorm room in the past week.(2) Eighty three percent (83%) had never cleaned their light switch and seventy three percent (73%) admitted they had never cleaned their dorm room door handle, one of the most frequently-touched surfaces and a conduit for germ spread.(3)

Such habits expose students to thousands of bacteria, including MRSA, E. coli, fecal organisms, streptococcus and more, just by touching common surfaces in their dorm.(4) Study results show:

• • Communal shower floors were the most contaminated surface in the dorm, harboring more than 40 times the number of bacteria found on the toilet seat.(5) Forty three percent (43%) of shower floors were contaminated with bacteria that can indicate fecal contamination and twenty percent (20%) hid streptococci.
  • Dorm room refrigerator door handles harbored twice as many bacteria as shared dorm toilet handles.  Thirty seven percent (37%) encountered bacteria that can indicate fecal contamination and thirteen percent (13%) encountered staph.(6)
  • Fifty six percent (56%) of students admitted they had never cleaned the interior of their dorm room refrigerator, making it no surprise that thirty percent (30%) of refrigerators harbored fecal indicators.(7)
  • While television remote controls and shared bathroom sink handles fare relatively well, both were found to be contaminated with MRSA, the dangerous drug-resistant bacteria, in some dorm rooms studied.(8)

“These findings compound the concerns many parents have about their child’s health when they’re away at college and out of their home,” says Dr. Elizabeth Scott, co-director of the Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community.  “Parents can help students stay healthy at college by encouraging them to take small preventative measures every day to help protect themselves from germs.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, universities and parents should encourage students to follow these healthy hygiene routines:(9)

• • Practice good hand hygiene. They should wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.(10)
  • Practice respiratory etiquette. The main way flu spreads is from person to person in droplets produced by coughs and sneezes, so it’s important that people cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. If they don’t have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their elbow or shoulder, not their hands.(11)
  • Stay home if they are sick. Stay home or in their place of residence for at least 24 hours after they no long have a fever.(12)
  • Talk to their health care providers about whether they should be vaccinated. More information about priority groups for vaccination is available at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm.(13)

In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, families and students can help protect themselves and prevent the spread of influenza virus by keeping surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, kitchen counters and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.(14)

Many LYSOL® Disinfectant products are effective against strains of influenza A virus and specifically the H1N1 strain, including LYSOL® Disinfectant Spray, LYSOL® Disinfecting Wipes, LYSOL® All Purpose Cleaner Pourables and LYSOL® All Purpose Cleaner Triggers.

To find more information and resources to help protect families of all ages, visit:

• • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – H1N1 Information http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Ounce of Prevention initiative, created in partnership with LYSOL® www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention
  • Germ Protection Center via the Visiting Nurse Associations of America http://vnaa.org/vnaa/g/?h=html/germ_protection_center_influenza

About Reckitt Benckiser

Reckitt Benckiser is a world leader in household, health and personal care.  It is a FTSE top 15 company and since 2000 net revenues have doubled and the market cap has quadrupled. Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation – near 40% of revenue comes from innovations launched in the prior 3 years. It has a strong portfolio led by 17 global power brands which are: Finish, Lysol, Dettol, Vanish, Woolite, Calgon, Airwick, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Veet, Nurofen, Clearasil, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex and French’s, and they account for over two thirds of its net revenue.  Reckitt Benckiser people are at the heart of the company’s success. They have an intense drive for progress and action and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in CSR where the Company has the most ambitious corporate responsibility program in the industry through its Carbon 20 initiative.  Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the Company employs 23,000 people worldwide, with operations in 60 countries and sales in 180 countries.  For more information visit RECKITTBENCKISER.COM.

(1) Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community. “Report on Dorm Study.” February 2009. Page 3.

(2)  “Relative Contributions of Four Exposure Pathways to Influenza Infection Risk.” Risk Analysis, Vol. 29, No. 9, 2009.

(3) Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community. “Report on Dorm Study.” February 2009. Page 15.

(4) Reckitt Benckiser, BRT-0008 Research & Development Claim Support Document, February 2009. Page 5.

(5) Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community. “Report on Dorm Study.” February 2009. Page 9. Statistic found by comparing mean aerobic count of shower bases vs. toilet seats.

(6) Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community. “Report on Dorm Study.” February 2009. Page 9. Statistic found by comparing mean aerobic count of dorm refrigerator handles vs. shared toilet handles.

(7) Reckitt Benckiser, BRT-0008 Research & Development Claim Support Document, February 2009. Page 5.

(8) Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community. “Report on Dorm Study.” February 2009. Page 9.

(9) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for the Flu (Including H1N1): A Communication Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/pdf/InstitutionsHigherEducation_toolkit.pdf.

(10) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for the Flu (Including H1N1): A Communication Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/pdf/InstitutionsHigherEducation_toolkit.pdf.

(11) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for the Flu (Including H1N1): A Communication Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/pdf/InstitutionsHigherEducation_toolkit.pdf.

(12) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for the Flu (Including H1N1): A Communication Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/pdf/InstitutionsHigherEducation_toolkit.pdf.

(13) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preparing for the Flu (Including H1N1): A Communication Toolkit for Institutes of Higher Education http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/pdf/InstitutionsHigherEducation_toolkit.pdf.

(14) www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu.

CONTACT: Erin Osher of Porter Novelli, +1-212-601-8352, erin.osher@porternovelli.com

COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO COMPETE FOR THE CHANCE TO INTERN AT THEFRISKY.COM, THE PREMIERE WEB DESTINATION FOR WOMEN 18-34

NEW YORK, 9-29-09– Do you get caught in class gossiping with your pals? Can you remember the name of Madonna’s boyfriend, but not the old dude on your test? Well, contrary to what you’ve been told at school, that can actually help you get a cool job in the real world — writing for TheFrisky.com, the premiere website for women 18-34! TheFrisky.com feels just like you’re dishing with your BFF about love, life, and celeb drama, you know, the dirt we really like to chitchat about. We’re looking for one lucky person who can talk the talk and can spell it all out for the blogosphere. So if you think you are ready to hang at our office in New York City and gab with us, all you gotta do is go to www.TheFrisky.com/WinInternship and show us just how Frisky you are!

To enter, answer one of the two questions below in 500 words or less:

• Question #1: Which topics would you like to see a woman’s website address more regularly?

• Question #2: What components make up your dream website for women?

The contest runs from September 25, 2009 to December 11, 2009 and the internship begins February 1, 2010 and ends April 23, 2010. Students must be enrolled in a four year college and must be in their junior or senior year. Winners will be notified via email. Travel and accommodations in New York are the responsibility of the winning intern and are not included as part of the internship. The winning entry will also win a $100.00 gift card to chill out and hang in New York City.

“The Frisky’s relatable, humorous and straight forward approach to everything that matters to young women has made us one of the fastest growing destinations on the web,” said Mina Lux, General Manager, The Frisky.com. “This contest gives one lucky college student the chance to have her voice heard by entering into a dialogue with our always passionate and outspoken Frisky community.”

About The Frisky.com
The Frisky (www.thefrisky.com ), a unique premier online destination for women 18-34, offers smart, funny, fast-paced content and a growing community for girlfriends to speak in authentic voices about the things they really discuss. The Frisky covers celebrity news, pop culture, love, dating, relationships, fashion, beauty and anything else women talk about, obsess about, and want to know about – all with an irreverent, carefree, and most of all, honest and relatable perspective. The Frisky, which launched in March 2008, now has more than 1.7 million unique visitors per month and almost 7 million pageviews. (Source: Omniture).

Media Contact:

Sayles & Winnikoff Communications

Alan Winnikoff

Recommendations of Task Force on College Gambling Policies Focus on Recovery, On-Campus Restrictions and Special Events

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ — For the nearly 80 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. without a written policy on gambling, the release today of official recommendations from the national Task Force on College Gambling Policies will provide a solid, science-based framework that higher education institutions can use to fill this void. The task force was created by the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and funded by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG).

“Research has shown that teenagers and college-aged young adults are more impulsive and at higher risk for developing gambling disorders than adults,” said Christine Reilly, executive director of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, which is coordinating the distribution of the recommendations report. “We hope that the recommendations in this report will stimulate dialogue on college and university campuses about ways to integrate efforts to reduce gambling problems into existing programs focused on addictive behaviors.”

The task force was created after findings from an NCRG-funded study on gambling and alcohol policies at U.S. colleges and universities showed that while all schools in the study had student alcohol policies, only 22 percent had written policies on gambling. The study was conducted by Howard Shaffer and colleagues at the Division on Addictions in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health.

The 10 policy recommendations announced today are science-based guidelines that can be tailored, adopted and implemented by colleges and universities nationwide. The recommendations (see end of document) focus on three primary areas: on-campus prohibitions and restrictions, recognition of the importance of recovery-based policies and how to facilitate them, and special events. The recommended policies and programs range from establishing a campus-wide committee to develop a comprehensive gambling policy, to making reasonable accommodations for students who may miss class as they focus on recovery, to strengthening the capacity of counseling services to identify and treat gambling disorders.

“We know from research that when higher education institutions adopt and enforce clear policies, they can be very effective in preventing students from experiencing negative consequences from their decisions around health issues and can help them learn healthy habits they can take with them after college,” said Kristy Wanner, a member of the task force and the gambling prevention coordinator for Missouri Partners in Prevention, housed at the University of Missouri, Columbia. “The recommendations of the task force can help schools across the country create and establish policies on gambling that will support the entire campus community through education, training, prevention, treatment and recovery.”

The task force examined a number of factors to determine its policy recommendations, including: scientific literature about alcohol and gambling on college and university campuses; state, local and federal laws relating to alcohol and gambling; programs intended to reduce harm from alcohol and other drugs; and existing campus alcohol and gambling policies. The task force also reviewed policies on alcohol and gambling at on-campus events, such as charity and sports events, and addiction treatment and health services.

The NCRG and the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders are distributing the recommendations report to administrators, student health professionals, student life directors and other stakeholders through various professional organizations, meetings, listservs and social media avenues.

For students who are interested in promoting the adoption of gambling policies on their campuses, Wanner recommends starting at the top. “Notify your chancellor and the directors of student affairs, student life and the wellness center,” she said. She also recommends reaching out to school athletic programs and campus Greek Life coordinators to secure their support in promoting school policies on gambling.

The NCRG Task Force on College Gambling Policies represents a diverse range of institutions, including the University of Alabama; Bridgewater State College; the University of Denver; George Fox University; Harvard University; Lehigh University; Mississippi State University; the University of Missouri, Columbia; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Nevada, Reno; Oregon State University; and Villanova University.

For more information on the task force, including a list of members and the detailed recommendations report, visit www.ncrg.org.

Topline Recommendations of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies

1.  Establish a campus-wide committee to develop and monitor a comprehensive policy on gambling.

2.  Ensure that college policies are consistent with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

3.  Strive for consistency and universal application with prohibitions and restrictions on gambling and alcohol use at special events.

4.  Promote campus-community collaborations that focus on reducing problems with student drinking and gambling.

5.  Encourage adjustments in disciplinary actions applied to violators of gambling rules if the student seeks assistance from health or counseling services.

6.  Make reasonable accommodations for students focused on recovery from a problem with gambling or alcohol.

7.  Measure student attitudes, behaviors, and problems with gambling through campus surveys or by incorporating such measures into existing campus health-related surveys.

8.  Promote campus-wide awareness of (1) pathological gambling as a mental health disorder that has a high rate of comorbidity with alcohol use and other addictive disorders, and (2) responsible gaming principles.

9.  Employ evidence-based strategies to identify and help students with gambling and alcohol problems.

10. Strengthen the capacity of counseling services to identify and treat gambling disorders.

The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research that helps increase understanding of pathological and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the NCRG is the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) affiliated charity. For more information, visit www.ncrg.org. NCRG funds provide grants to researchers to increase understanding of pathological gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. The funds are distributed through the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders, an independent program of the NCRG. For more information, visit www.gamblingdisorders.org.

CONTACT:  Veronica Brown for NCRG, +1-202-530-4526

Burnham scholar to discuss findings on Oct. 8th at IIT and Oct. 11th at  NU

CHICAGO, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Dr. Kristen Schaffer will discuss her research into Daniel H. Burnham’s original draft of the 1909 Plan of Chicago during two public lectures in October, as part of Burnham Plan 100 Centennial celebration.

A leading Burnham scholar, Schaffer is author of “Daniel H. Burnham: Visionary Architect.” While reviewing Burnham’s handwritten draft of the Plan of Chicago in the Art Institute’s Ryerson Library, Schaffer was struck by the passages that were left out of the published Plan.

“Burnham’s views on architecture and his ideas for the city are more fully revealed in his notes, letters and drafts than in the published Plan of Chicago,” says Schaffer, associate professor of architecture at North Carolina State University. “These materials enrich our understanding not only of the public architect and planner, but also disclose the religious beliefs and moral values of the private man.”

Burnham’s draft of the 1909 Plan went beyond recommendations for the lakefront, traffic circulation and civic centers — it also advanced quality of life issues such as provisions for child care for working women, improvement of slum areas, and low cost access to recreational facilities for all of the Chicago’s citizens. Why Burnham’s quality of life recommendations were omitted in the published version is not known today. The draft reveals a planner with a heart as well as a vision for what Chicago could be.

The public is invited to hear Schaffer’s presentation of “Finding Burnham in the Archives: Spiritual Revelations and the Plan of Chicago” on Thursday, October 8 at 12 pm noon in  S.R. Crown Hall, at IIT’s College of Architecture, 3360 S. State St., Chicago, sponsored by the Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture; and on Sunday, October 11 at 3 pm in Fisk Hall, 1845 Sheridan Road, Evanston, sponsored by Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, The Program in American Studies. Both lectures are free to the public, and are co-sponsored by the Swedenborg Library of Chicago.

About Kristen Schaffer: Kristen Schaffer, Ph.D., Cornell University, teaches History of Architecture and Urbanism at North Carolina State University. She is author of “Daniel H. Burnham: Visionary Architect” (Rizzoli International, 2003). She is among the historians appearing in the recently released film by Archimedia Workshop, “Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham & The American City.”

About The Swedenborg Library: The Swedenborg Library hosts ecumenical programs on religious and spiritual topics. Founded in 1871 as the Western New Church Union, the Library is located at 77 W. Washington St. in downtown Chicago. For more information, see www.SwedenborgLib.org.

CONTACT:  Karen Feil of the Swedenborg Library, +1-312-346-7003, info@swedenborglib.org, Kimberly Campbell of IIT, +1-312-567-3279, kcampbe1@iit.edu, Natasha Dennison of Northwestern University, +1-847-491-3525; n-dennison@northwestern.edu

Lauren Kamm
312-245-9805 ext. 103
lauren@alpaytac.com

DRAPER, UT – (September 29, 2009) – NLU Products, maker of TatSkinz protective body art for electronic devices, will hold its first-ever iPod cover design contest throughout October, providing artists and technology aficionados the opportunity to turn their personal artwork into the next TatSkinz. One winning creative genius will see his or her “tat” incorporated into the TatSkinz line-up and win either a $1000 scholarship or 13″ MacBook. In addition to popular vote from online visitors, submissions will be judged by prominent technology and design journalists, including writers that contribute to CrunchGear, Chicago Tribune’s Redeye, Ubergizmo, YankoDesign and JAMM (Just Another Mobile Monday), ultimately deciding on the winning design.

TatSkinz offers complete scratch and scuff protection for several Apple devices, while adding personality in a range of colorful designs, giving custom-cut attitude to each gadget. Incorporating a special, repositionable adhesive, TatSkinz uses an air-release technology that prevents bubbles from forming below the film. The skin can be applied directly to the device, or ideally, on top of NLU Products’ BodyGuardz scratch-proof transparent skin for maximum protection.

“This is a uniqueopportunity to turn someone’s imaginative work into the next TatSkinz design while simultaneously supporting creativity and the arts,” said Kirk Feller, president of NLU Products. “We always want to hear our customers’ feedback and this will give them the chance to show us exactly what designs they want to see.”

Contest participants should submit designs at TatSkinz.com/contest beginning October 1; submissions will be accepted through the month of October. Voters can pick their favorite entry from the site, and the popular vote will be used to determine the front-runners for the judges’ consideration.

Contest Rules and Regulations:

• Original artwork only

• Design no smaller than 5″ X 5″ (300 dpi)

• Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or Photoshop (.psd) file only

• Submitted in CMYK

• No knock outs or white areas for device screens

• One submission per entrant

For more information or to enter the contest visit www.TatSkinz.com/contest.

####

– Entrants Will Compete for Over $30,000 in Prizes by Submitting Creative Videos –

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., September 29, 2009 – With the cost of tuition, books and room and board on the rise, college students are always looking for creative ways to save money. This September, popular online retailer Newegg is celebrating the scholarly drive to save giving students a fun opportunity to compete in its “Newegg Eggstreme Campus Challenge” video contest. The contest asks participants to submit videos that answer the simple question: ”What would YOU do with the money you save by shopping at Newegg?”

Submissions in the Newegg Eggstreme Campus Challenge video contest will be judged by a Newegg panel as well as Newegg.com site visitors, who will have a chance to vote for their favorite videos. Open to residents of both the United States and Canada, the entrant who submits the most creative and entertaining video will have his or her pick of close to 40,000 of the latest and greatest tech, gaming and consumer electronics products Newegg.com has to offer. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $5,000 online shopping spree – providing student winners with an opportunity to transform their dorm room or bedroom into a true “high-tech paradise.” The contest, sponsored  by Flip Video, features additional prizes from top tier manufacturers Canon, Microsoft, Onkyo, Lenovo and MadCatz. Entrants will be able to share their videos with friends online through YouTube, Facebook, MySpace or other social media sites, and winning submissions will be posted on the Newegg.com website.

Bernard Luthi, Newegg’s vice president of marketing and merchandising, noted: “Young people and students are among our most loyal and engaged customers at Newegg. We are really looking forward to the fun and creative submissions we expect to receive in this back-to-school contest. Best of all, we hope to call attention to all the great savings and products available on our site, which can be a real asset to parents and students alike!”

Newegg has been a powerful force in community-driven online video competitions. The e-tailer’s Eggstreme Campus Challenge follows its hugely successful 2008 video contest, where fans around the country produced and submitted their own 30-60 second commercials as genuine testimonials of Newegg’s fast shipping, vast product selection and customer satisfaction. The winner, a graduate of California State University, had the opportunity to showcase his talent before hundreds of thousands of viewers in a nationwide TV campaign launched by Newegg.

Newegg.com and Newegg.ca offer a broad and varied selection of products at prices that cater to every budget, with special daily deals and tools that help shoppers make educated buying decisions. Among the site’s many advantages are: useful product suggestions, links to manufacturer websites, over 1.5 million informative customer product reviews, and flexible payment options. Newegg was ranked # 1 in customer satisfaction among online retailers by the 2009 American Customer Satisfaction Index from the University of Michigan and ForeSee Results.

Newegg offers savings that are sure to get students talking about what a difference saving money makes and how Newegg is making online shopping an overall better experience. More details, including contest rules and information, will be available at www.newegg.com/eggstreme, www.newegg.ca/eggstreme and the company’s various social media networks beginning September 25.

About Newegg.com
Newegg.com Inc. is the second-largest online-only retailer in the United States. Founded in 2001, Newegg has more than 12 million registered users and regularly earns industry-leading customer service ratings. The award-winning website, www.newegg.com, offers customers a comprehensive selection of the latest high-tech products, detailed product descriptions and images, as well as how-to information and customer reviews. Using the site’s online tech community, customers have the opportunity to interact with other computer, gaming and consumer electronics enthusiasts. Newegg.com Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newegg Inc. and is headquartered in City of Industry, California.

Public Relations Contact:
Scott Meaney
DBA Public Relations
smeaney@dba-pr.com
212-388-1400

How To Survive 101 Of Campus’s Worst F*#!-ing Situations

BOSTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Forget that Art History quiz!  College students have got real problems.  From forgetting the name of last night’s hookup to learning how to effectively guzzle beer, college can be pretty tough.

That’s why Adams Media has released a new book by comedians (and college grads!) Gregory Bergman and Jodi Miller. WTF? College: How to Survive 101 of Campus’s Worst F*#!-ing Situations is a hilarious, tell-all guide to surviving  every college predicament imaginable — from routine aggravations to the completely outrageous, and everything in between — this book is all you need to make it through all four years.

According to DrunkUniversity.com, “There are over 100 situations you will relate to, especially if you have a roommate that keeps wearing your clothes or has sex with his girlfriend while you try to sleep…It’s the perfect gift for high school or college students and for only $9.95 you can’t go wrong.” With its hilarious and shocking approaches to dealing with the awful, awkward, and truly terrifying experiences that come with college life, WTF? College breaks it down.

Gregory Bergman is a writer and comedian. He received his BA in philosophy from Hunter College (haven’t heard of it — WTF?), and is the author of WTF?, -isms, and BizzWords. He could teach a course on surviving college, but where’s the f*#!-ing fun in that? He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Jodi Miller is a comedian and guest commentator on CNN’s Showbiz Tonight and Hollywood 411, and will appear on Comics Unleashed later this year. Ms. Miller is also a writer for the Cinemax series Co-Ed Confidential. She resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Check them out on Facebook and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hc-sweHG2E&NR=1

Follow WTF COLLEGE on Twitter:  @WTFCOLLEGE

CONTACT: Press queries, Beth Gissinger +1-508-427-6757 or beth.gissinger@fwmedia.com

75% of people agree that financial education more important than sex education

Baltimore, September 29, 2009 – According to a poll by YoungMoney.com, 75% of people polled think that financial education is more important than sex education.

This comes after months of the “worst recession since the Great Depression”*—a time when financial education is one everyone’s mind. However, more schools provide some form of sex education than any form of financial education. And, most young people agree that kids know more about sex than they do about money.

By the time they reach their senior year, 56 percent of college students carry four or more credit cards with an average balance of $2,864.** According to a survey taken by Iowa State University, their average student owns three credit cards, and most respondents to their survey said “they didn’t feel like they were spending real money when they used credit cards or student loan funds.”

Thanks to the recession, financial literacy in the U.S. has become a serious national issue. With limited instruction in personal finance and growing pressures from credit card debt, student loan debt and general living expenses, many young adults are overwhelmed by their financial challenges. For example, the typical college student has accumulated a student loan debt of $19,646, according to a 2007 analysis by The Project for Student Debt.

Ben Levy, CEO of Young Money says, “Young people aren’t getting the financial education they need. We aren’t preparing them to start debt free lives. We want to take it a step further, we want to educate and help people actually change their behavior.”

This is why Young Money has decided to launch the first ever financial literacy challenge that will actually change behavior. To encourage people to start saving for the future we are offering $25 when you complete the quiz and open a ShareBuilder account.

The challenge is a twenty question financial IQ quiz. All questions offer an easy to understand help section, a score of 90% or higher results in a list of incentivized offers. Young Money has partnered with national companies including ShareBuilder, PNC Bank, New York Life, FreeCreditReport.com, and PayOff Live to offer these behavior changing incentives.

These incentives have been carefully chosen to touch upon the most important financial concerns: getting out of debt, saving money, managing money and checking credit reports.

By the time they reach their senior year, 56% of college students carry four or more credit cards with an average balance of $2,864.** According to a survey taken by Iowa State University, their average student owns three credit cards, and most respondents to their survey said “they didn’t feel like they were spending real money when they used credit cards or student loan funds.”

Thanks to the recession, financial literacy in the U.S. has become a serious national issue. With limited instruction in personal finance and growing pressures from credit card debt, student loan debt and general living expenses, many young adults are overwhelmed by their financial challenges. For example, the typical college student has accumulated a student loan debt of $19,646, according to a 2007 analysis by The Project for Student Debt.

In response, Young Money is offering the first ever behavior changing financial challenge. The challenge is a twenty question financial IQ quiz. All questions offer an easy to understand help section, a score of 90% or higher results in a list of incentivized offers. Young Money has partnered with national companies including ShareBuilder, PNC Bank, New York Life, FreeCreditReport.com, and PayOff Live to offer these behavior changing incentives. The incentives include $25 free when you open a ShareBuilder account, two months free of PayOff Live, and many other offers as well.

These incentives have been carefully chosen to touch upon the most important financial concerns: getting out of debt, saving money, managing money and checking credit reports.

Levy concludes, “Give someone a monetary reason to open a savings account and they’re more likely to do so. More importantly, people with savings accounts are much more likely to actually start saving. It’s our goal to encourage people down the right path.”

About Young Money
Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, YOUNG MONEY® was launched in 1999 to change the way young adults earn, manage, invest and spend money. As a leading national money, business and lifestyle magazine written primarily by student journalists, YOUNG MONEY specifically focuses on personal finance, careers, entrepreneurship and higher education. For more information, please visit www.youngmoney.com.

Please contact Todd Romer for more information: tromer@youngmoney.com.

More Than 120 Campuses Go Live with Campus Management Corp®  Products and Services

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 28, /PRNewswire/ — Campus Management Corp®, a top-ranked provider of enterprise software and services for Higher Education, announced today that in its last fiscal year, 123 college campuses went “live” on its CampusVue® student administrative system.

From July 2008 through June 2009, the company also reported that more than 105 campuses became operational on its other enterprise software offerings, including CampusVue® Portals; CampusVue Financials, Human Resources & Payroll; CampusVue e-Learning support and systems integration services for users of Moodle® course management; and, its Talisma® Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) and fundraising software brands.

“The volume of implementations we achieve is due in large part to the expertise of our consultants,” stated Mahendran Jawaharlal, chief operating officer for Campus Management.  “Our services group performs dozens of roll-outs per quarter, so they accrue knowledge of the best practices at a variety of institutions. Their experience, combined with the configurable nature of our products, permits clients to begin reaping the benefits of a new system in a shorter time period.”

One client institution successfully rolled out 20 campuses across 13 states on a single instance of the company’s CampusVue Student Information System (SIS).  Best known for its unique abilities to automate the flow of administrative and academic tasks, data, and reporting across multiple campuses, CampusVue SIS can synergize diverse catalogs and systems having multiple accreditations, enable easier handling of flexible academic terms, and manage both classroom and online delivery.

Campus Management reported continued growth of its CampusNet® hosting and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business in the last fiscal year. The company is the first and only enterprise administrative systems provider serving Higher Education to have delivered its administrative products to institutions across the full range of options: traditional on-premise software delivery, managed hosting, and Software-as-a-Service.

About Campus Management Corp

More than 1,700 colleges, universities, foundations, and other companies in 35 countries rely upon Campus Management Corp® enterprise software products and services. Campus Management’s CampusVue® Ecosystem is a fully integrated, centralized administrative and e-learning platform that unifies services, academic delivery, administrative management and reporting for a full range of public, private and proprietary postsecondary institutions.

Campus Management’s award-winning student information systems, fundraising software, financials, HR solutions, and Talisma® CRM, the leading Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) solution for Higher Education, are used by more than 75 percent of the largest US-based proprietary career and online colleges as well as leading colleges, universities, foundations, and companies.  For more information, visit www.campusmanagement.com.

CONTACT:  Lisa Patterson, Corporate Communications Manager of Campus Management Corp, +1-561-213-8702, lpatterson@campusmgmt.com

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ –

• Unique annual event enables MBA candidates from 22 of the nation’s leading business schools to compete for scholarships
• Company has been exclusive sponsor of the competition since 1995
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wins 2009 competition

MBA candidates from 22 of the nation’s leading business schools competed for $35,000 in scholarships in the 2009 National Student Case Competition, sponsored by Chrysler Group LLC and The Chrysler Foundation.

The National Student Case Competition is a unique, annual event designed to give high-powered student teams an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving skills in a formal competition. Teams are given a hypothetical business case from which they develop business solutions. Each student team then prepares and presents its case before a panel of experienced business executives. Teams are judged on their analysis of the case, the feasibility of their recommendations and the quality of their presentation.

The competition is held as part of the National Black MBA Association’s annual convention, which was held September 22-26 in New Orleans. The Chrysler Group has been the exclusive sponsor of the National Student Case Competition since 1995.

“Over the years, the Chrysler Group has enabled more than 1,300 students to present their analyses and recommendations to real-world problems during the National Student Case Competition,” said Lisa J. Wicker, Director — Talent Management, Global Diversity and Leadership Development, Chrysler Group LLC. “This competition has evolved into the premier showcase event for student achievement and an important way the Chrysler Group demonstrates its continuing commitment to diversity, scholarship and leadership.”

The students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) took home the first place trophy as national champions of the competition and $15,000 in scholarships money. The winning team members were Taalib al’Salaam, James Bryant and Aeisha Williams, all MBA students at UNC. The second and third place teams represented Emory University and Winston Salem State University, whose members earned $12,000 and $8,000 in scholarships respectively.

“The students displayed an impressive grasp of global business dynamics as it relates to this year ‘s challenging case study,” Wicker said. “In particular, the students from UNC Chapel Hill delivered a sound analysis and unique solution to capture first place.”

About Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 from a global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Mopar® brand vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete effectively on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler’s culture of innovation – first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 – and Fiat’s complementary technology.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group LLC’s product lineup features some of the world’s most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram. Fiat will contribute world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-sized cars, allowing Chrysler Group LLC to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

NOTE TO EDITORS:  For more information, please visit the Chrysler media site at http://www.media.chrysler.com.

CONTACT:  Mike Palese, +1-248-512-2682 (office), +1-313-930-1252 (cell), mp88@chrysler.com; or Shawn Morgan, +1-248-512-2692 (office), +1-248-760-2621 (cell), sm718@chrysler.com