Students’ tuition and fees are at risk.

Phoenix, Arizona,  August 30, 2016 – College can be costly and stressful. For as many perks and peaks as there are, it does have its fair share of stress.  With bulks of work and the frequent demands to prepare for the future, balancing your life in and out of school can be a tough task.

Sometimes students’ overdo it to the point where you get ill with the flu, mono, depression or any other school and stress related side effect that you can think of.  In fact, college students have many unique illnesses that may force a student to withdraw from school.

Data from the American College Health Association demonstrate that many student health issues are so serious that they can force a student to withdraw from classes.

If you get sick or injured and you’re forced to withdraw from school, what happens to your investment?

Most times, you will not be refunded the thousands of dollars you are paying for college.

Though universities often refund a portion of your tuition thru the first weeks of school you can safely assume that your tuition will note likely be refunded after the 5th week of classes and that your academic fees will also not be eligible for a refund. A 2015 survey of university bursars and health administrators confirmed that 84% of institutions do not provide a 100% refund.

Tuition insurance can help you minimize the risk of financial loss due to withdrawal. It’s not “drop-out” insurance, but should you need to withdraw from school for  a covered medical reason, tuition insurance can help protect that investment – your tuition and other fees.

GradGuard offers tuition insurance starting at $29.00 for $2,500 of coverage but typically is about $135 for every $10,000 of coverage you need.  GradGuard also offers special pricing and coverage options at more than 100 colleges and universities. Schools that integrate tuition insurance within the billing process can often save students money on the coverage.

It is important to consider:

a) what is your school refund policy?

b) can you afford the financial loss if you should become ill or injured?

c) get protection before classes start.  Just like you can’t buy insurance after a fire or theft, you must buy tuition insurance before classes start.

About GradGuard
GradGuard^TM, a service of Next Generation Insurance Group, which is an authority in protecting college students and their families. GradGuard’s tuition and renters insurance programs are valuable student benefits available through nearly 200 colleges and universities.  Since 2008, GradGuard’s insurance programs have protected more than 600,000 students and families.

Media Contact
Mary King
602-954-6306
media@gradguard.com

Looksharp Report Shows Most Successful Repeat Interns Complete More Than 10 Applications

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Summer is over and it’s time for students to jump into a new semester. That also means it’s already time to start preparing to line up an internship for next summer.

That’s according to data from Looksharp in its latest survey about college students and internships — The 2016 State of Millennial Hiring Report — which highlights just how competitive the internship market is. Students have to maintain digital profiles and expand their skills to stay relevant to compete for internships at a time when the majority of students are willing to relocate for a job.

Download the full report.

In fact, the Looksharp student survey shows that the most successful interns — those who had participated in three or more internships — used an average of four different resources to locate one. Google or other online services were the most-used resource. Around 38 percent of students who have had internships used Looksharp or a similar internship site.

Students averaged nine applications for internships, but those who had successfully completed three or more internships reported that they actually submitted more than 10 or even 20 applications.

“Successful interns typically cast a wide net when looking for an internship, and they leverage everything they have at their disposal, whether that means maintaining multiple digital profiles, engaging friends and acquaintances to mine for connections, completing multiple applications or all of the above,” said Andrew Maguire, CEO of Looksharp. “Getting an internship is a job in and of itself.”

Here are five telling stats from the Looksharp report:

- Cross-training helps. More than half of students have incorporated computer science into their classes — regardless of major. For business students, this figure is nearly 70 percent.
- Start young. By senior year, nearly 75 percent of students already have internship experience. In fact, more than 20 percent of seniors report participating in three or more internships.
- Internships matter. 24 percent of seniors who had participated in three or more internships had already secured job offers prior to graduation. Of these students, those with paid internships and higher-than-average GPAs were most likely to have full-time job offers.
- Students are flexible. More than 73 percent of seniors said they would relocate for a job and 67.8 percent would do an internship post-graduation if it would mean they were more likely to get employment.
- Location, location, location. Interns are more likely to earn paid internships in certain cities. More than 80 percent of internships in Omaha, Nebraska; Boise, Idaho; and Fresno, California, are paid.

About Looksharp
Looksharp helps launch the career of every student. Looksharp is the largest internship and entry-level job marketplace in the United States, with over 10 million students using the site annually. Customers include Facebook, Amazon, Charles Schwab, Disney, Boeing and thousands of startups, SMEs and nonprofits. Looksharp is free for students, allowing them to build rich professional profiles, apply for internships and jobs, and access leading career resources. Employers use Looksharp to improve their on-campus recruiting process, manage their candidate pipeline, showcase their employment brand and expand their hiring reach to more students and campuses.

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Media Contact
Christina Stephens
225.223.9423
christina@repcapitalmedia.com

Amazon Prime Student members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 30 million items and now receive $20 when they refer a friend to the program.

SEATTLE, Wash. — With summer coming to an end, Amazon is helping college students ramp up for a stress-free school year. Amazon Prime Student, which is half the price of a regular Amazon Prime membership, gives students Free Two-Day Shipping, exclusive deals and more, helping to make that summer-to-class transition a bit easier on students’ schedules and wallets. And, for a limited time, students will get a $20 Amazon credit for every person they refer who signs up for an Amazon Prime Student trial. Find out more at amazon.com/joinstudent.

Any student who signs up for Amazon Prime Student receives a six month trial and immediately starts enjoying Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 30 million items, from supplies for class to dorm room or apartment essentials, making college life more affordable and convenient. Amazon Prime Student members can also take advantage of unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows through Prime Video, and unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos.

Plus, Amazon can help students save time and money by skipping the bookstore line and visiting the Textbooks Store. Amazon offers savings of up to 80% off price list for rentals between 30 to 360 days and up to 60% off purchases. With Amazon’s flexible rental program, students can decide how long to keep the material. And, when it comes time to send items back, Amazon will pay for return shipping.

For other must-have back-to-school essentials, students can visit Amazon’s Off to College Page and College Checklist for the best savings on electronics, school supplies and fashion.

About Amazon Prime Student
Amazon Prime Student gives college students unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 30 million items. Students can sign up for a six-month, trial of Amazon Prime Student to access these benefits, plus unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Video and free unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos. After that it’s just $49 a year — half the price of a regular Amazon Prime membership — and includes over a million songs with Prime Music and one free pre-released book a month with Kindle First. To learn more, visit amazon.com/join student.

Media Contact:
Carly Golden
gocarly@amazon.com

August 30, 2016 – Palo Alto, Calif. – New research from Paysa, a salary transparency and career guidance platform, reveals just how much education factors into tech pay, giving college students and grads actionable insights to help shape their careers.

“Tech jobs pay well – we all know that,” says Chris Bolte, Paysa CEO. “So, we took a look at schools producing the top tech talent to find out which grads make the most, which schools offer the best return on investment, and how tech-focused students can best position themselves for future success.”

Paysa offers a wealth of information about the US tech workforce, shedding light not only on the impact of education but also on how skills and experience influence what people earn.

With this research, Paysa sought to answer questions like, “does it take a Stanford degree to make top dollar in tech?”, “where does Google hire from?”, and “which schools will give me the best return on my tuition investment?”

Key findings include:

- Top schools for the best starting salaries: Stanford University, University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, Harvard University, and Iowa State University.

- First to $150K - These schools put tech grads in the best position pay back those student loans: Rutgers University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Carnegie Mellon University, and McGill University.

- Best ROI – When comparing total earnings after five years in the workforce with total investment in college, these schools come out on top: Brigham Young University, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Bellevue University, Thomas Edison State College, and University of Phoenix.

- Which schools Google hires from – These schools are the hottest recruiting grounds for top tech firms like Google, Uber and Airbnb: Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University.

- Top paying skills – These ten skills pay dividends, regardless of which school tech workers attend: large scale systems, natural language processing, recommender systems, information retrieval, scalability, text mining, high performance computing, big data, win32 api, and mapreduce.

The infographic with the full list of findings can be accessed here.

“Our latest research underscores that when it comes to salary, education is only part of the equation,” says Bolte. “Ultimately, it’s about what you know, and what you can do today to gain the skills employers are looking for – and paying for. Paysa helps tech grads determine their worth in the workforce and achieve their market salary, no matter where they went to school.”

About Paysa
Initially targeted at software engineers and related professionals in the U.S., Paysa is a personalized salary transparency and career platform that enables employees to optimize their value throughout their career. Leveraging its massive data sets of jobs, employee profiles and compensation data points in concert with its proprietary machine learning algorithms, Paysa provides professionals with actionable tools, insights, and research to help them understand their individual worth in the market today, and how to increase their value.

Keywords: top schools, tech jobs, college, college students, tuition, best university, top university , employees, top companies, salary transparency, tech salary, education, job skills, tech job skills, career, career guidance, tech workers, college graduates, tuition investment, college investment, ROI, career planning

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Media Contact
Rachel Fiore
Social Media Specialist
rachel@justdrivemedia.com
(561) 843-3028

Creating Memorable Spring Break Experiences for the Past 30 Years

ANNAPOLIS, MD. – Aug. 29, 2016 – STSTravel.com is happy to announce that Spring Break 2017 bookings are off to a fast start! The top selling destinations for Spring Break 2017 are Cancun, Punta Cana, Puerto Vallarta and Puerto Plata. The most popular hotels include the  Oasis Cancun, Gran Caribe in Cancun, Barceló Punta Cana and Occidental Grand in Punta Cana.

With its beautiful beaches, fantastic weather, turquoise water, variety of all-inclusive resorts, insane nightlife and easy access from all major airports in the US, Cancun continues to be the #1 most popular destination.   

The King of Spring Break is the Oasis Cancun, featuring over 1,500 rooms, the largest pool in Cancun, and a full schedule of daily entertainment.  This legendary party resort has brought spring breakers from around the world together for an epic celebration. The huge pool with multiple swim up bars allow guests to stay cool in the warm Caribbean sun. With several bars and a nightclub, students do not need to leave the property. During the day, the focal point is the large stage on the beach where daily parties, DJ’s and contest are hosted by the resort during spring break. In front of the stage, day beds and bottle service are available for an extra charge.

For Spring Breakers looking for a more upscale atmosphere with exceptional service, the Gran Caribe in Cancun is an excellent option. A variety of restaurants offer Mexican, Italian and Japanese cuisine. The pool deck is always full and staff is available to serve drinks all day. Gran Caribe’s beach bar and lobby bar are hot spots where music is playing and top shelf liquor is served!

The night life is legendary in the Party Zone featuring popular clubs like The City, Dady ‘O, Mandala, Mandala Beach, Palazzo, CoCo Bongo, Senor Frogs, Congo and La Vaquinta. The City is known as “the mecca” of spring break clubs in Cancun. Dos Equis sponsors massive foam parties where over 2,500 people can fit into this giant multiple floor stadium style venue. Major artists like Tiesto, Chainsmokers, Diplo and Nervo headlined parties in previous years. Mandala Beach Club is a Miami style club featuring a center stage and outdoor pool with surrounding daybeds. The Wednesday night party is always a hit. They host crowded beach parties with big-name spring break entertainers. Senor Frogs is known for their paint party, great music, entertaining staff and famous yard drinks. Palazzo is the most upscale club in Cancun with a roman-like architecture and giant chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. There are incredible acoustics and giant screens with amazing light shows and fog creating a sexy spring break atmosphere.

Spring breakers are flocking to Punta Cana because of its 21 miles of fine white sand beaches, massive all-inclusive resorts and incredible nightlife. Top selling Barcelo Punta Cana is full of action with daily poolside parties and beach activities. Featuring a casino, nightclub, 2 spectacular swimming pools, multiple restaurants, tennis courts and rock climbing wall; students do not even need to go off the property. Occidental Grand Punta Cana is another great option for Spring Break.

If students do happen to venture off the resort, there are popular nightclubs like Oro located in the well-known Hard Rock Hotel, CoCo Bongo and Imagine. Oro’s light and sound system rivals the hottest clubs in the world; setting the stage for the biggest names in DJ’s, celebrities and models! Imagine is an underground cave turned into a club with VIP rooms surrounding millenary stalactites. Fire shows, theme parties and different caves with different music make Imagine the most unique night-time experience in Punta Cana. Coco Bongo produces a Vegas style show and music that will keep you dancing all night.

Other rising spring break destinations include Puerto Vallarta and Puerto Plata. Puerto Vallarta all-inclusive resorts include Las Palmas and Krystal They are located just ten minutes from nightlife on the downtown Malecon. Popular nightlife include Mandala, Collage, Hilo and Zoo. Puerto Plata’s top all-inclusive resort is Casa Marina Beach & Reef Resort. Located right in the heart of Sosua, spring breakers can walk to bars, stores and one of the nicest beaches in the Dominican Republic. Multiple swimming pools and the cliff-side Jacuzzis are not to be missed. After 11pm students can party at the Calypso Disco until 3am or stroll into town for its popular nightlife.

STS Travel vacation packages are designed specifically for college students on Spring Break with staff onsite from start to finish. With large room blocks at the most popular hotels, STS can accommodate parties of 2 to 500 within the same hotel. Each Spring Break package includes round trip airfare, hotel transfers, hotel accommodations and a complete schedule of activities featuring daily parties, contests, DJ’s and events, optional side excursions and nightly parties. The optional STS VIP Party Package provides express access to nightly open bar parties and events at the most popular clubs. STS Travel agents can provide options to fit any group’s budget.

STS Travel President, Jeff Jacobsen said, “We realize that for many of our travelers, this is their first time traveling abroad without their parents. We provide customer service before, during and after their Spring Break trip to ensure a safe and fun-filled experience. This includes our onsite staff that is available at all times during the Spring Break trip.”

Address: 2431 Solomons Island Road Suite 302
Annapolis, MD 21401
Telephone: 800-648-4849
Email: info@ststravel.com
www.ststravel.com

STS Travel Spring Break Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsOEKFJSvzs

For Teresina Palumbo, the hours were too much.

She found herself working three retail jobs while earning a business degree at the University of Baltimore. Her ability to manage her time so that she did her best at both school and work became overwhelming.

In January of her senior year, Teresina found another solution: She became a leasing consultant, helping prospective apartment residents find new homes. “I loved the consistency and knew the schedule, and I was able to maintain it,” she said.

After graduation, Teresina launched a career in the burgeoning apartment industry, which contributes nearly $200 billion to the national economy. There are about 20 million apartment homes nationwide, supporting 469,000 jobs (and counting) managing these properties, according to research by the National Multifamily Housing Council, the National Apartment Association, and George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis.

For students looking to make ends meet in school, or for soon-to-be graduates searching for a career path, residential property management offers a promising option. The growing industry features opportunities for quick advancement, a team environment, and benefits such as reduced rent and tuition assistance.

Now Teresina is an assistant property manager with The Dolben Company in Odenton, Maryland. “I am making a difference, helping people find their homes,” she said. She excelled in Dolben’s management trainee program and has already moved up to help oversee a larger property. “You advance quickly,” she said. “There are so many growth opportunities.”

There’s a wide range of positions available across the industry — including community managers, leasing consultants, and maintenance technicians. They open doors to careers for students, like Teresina, graduating from four-year colleges and for those, like William Morales-Merino, who have completed two-year programs.

While working in commercial maintenance, William earned his provisional Certificate for Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT) from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. The National Apartment Association Education Institute partners with Montgomery College and other colleges and universities to create residential property management programs and connect graduates with industry jobs. That’s how William found his current position as a service technician with Gables Residential in Washington, D.C.

“Every day is different,” he said. “That’s one of the good things about the job. I fix A/C units, water heaters, floors, a hole in the wall. You learn every day.” He has even rescued a resident from a flooding dishwasher.

“It’s great hearing from the residents that they are thankful,” William said. “It makes you feel good.”

Teresina, too, is confident that she made the right move. “For me,” she said, “this was the best decision I could have made coming out of college.”

Interested in learning more about opportunities in residential property management? Visit the National Apartment Association Education Institute’s resource site, RPMcareers.org, featuring job listings, a career quiz, tips for launching your career, and more.

This football season, take your tailgate tech up a notch in a snap with Moto Mods

Fall 2016 – (CHICAGO, IL) – The cool autumn breeze, burgers sizzling on the grill and the sound of your school’s marching band can only mean one thing – it’s football season! College football season officially starts on August 26, and just in time for National Tailgating Day on September 3. Earlier this summer, Motorola reimagined the form and function of the smartphone, launching the new Moto Z Family of smartphones and Moto Mods that will improve your tailgating experience and make heading back to campus a little easier (and a lot more fun).

Much like football, tailgating requires preparation and a well-executed game plan. With the amount of equipment needed (not to mention food to prepare), it can be challenging to tailgate in style. With the Moto Z Family, you can transform your tailgate in a snap thanks to Moto Mods.

Gone are the days of lugging an oversized speaker with you to the parking lot, or using a plastic cup to amplify music from your phone. Instead, the JBL SoundBoost Mod snaps easily onto your Moto Z smartphone so you can instantly kick up the volume with powerful JBL-quality stereo sound – no bluetooth pairing, no hassle.

Want to catch the pregame commentary without leaving your tailgate? You can do it in a snap with the Moto Insta-Share Projector Mod, allowing you to project content on your smartphone onto any surface up to 70”, so you’ll never miss a minute of your favorite pregame show.

Worried that all this tailgate tech will drain your battery or that your phone won’t keep up if the game goes into overtime? Well, worry no more. Add 20 hours of extra battery life to your smartphone with the Incipio offGRID™ Power Pack Mod.

The Moto Z Family of smartphones and Moto Mods are available now at Verizon stores, retailers such as Best Buy and on moto.com. For more information, visit MotoMods.com.

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ABOUT LENOVO
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $45 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps.

MEDIA CONTACT
Stephanie Simon
ssimon@webershandwick.com

OBERLIN, OH, August 24, 2016 – Despite the myth that the campus store is always the most expensive place to buy textbooks and course materials, student shoppers are heading to their local campus store to take advantage of the various money-saving options offered on textbooks and course materials. They know that today’s campus store offers competitive prices on course materials and a variety of choices such as rentals, used or electronic textbooks, custom course materials and low-cost print copies of open educational resources (OER). According to Student Watch™: Attitudes and Behaviors toward Course Materials 2015-2016 Report, 80% of students purchased one or more course materials at the campus store in fall 2015 while only 57% made a purchase at other retailers, including online sites.

Here are some of the advantages available to students through their campus store:

• Nearly all campus stores offer used and rental textbooks as well as digital course content at prices that are comparable to online vendors. These options are often one-third to half the price of buying a new textbook.

• Campus stores work with faculty to develop custom content—such as special editions with only the assigned chapters—so that students pay for only the information they need to succeed academically.

• More than 350 campus stores across the U.S. and Canada offer price-comparison apps or online software to help students make wise buying choices. These tools compare the store’s prices on course materials (new, used and rentals) to those of a variety of online sellers. According to Verba, a provider of comparison software, when students compare prices using Verba Compare, approximately 80% of all items sold through the app are purchased from the campus store.

• Some stores offer price matching, price guarantees, rebates, discounts for early reservations, and buy-now, pay-later options.

• Most stores have flexible return policies that mirror campus deadlines. Students avoid any hidden shipping and handling fees and the inconvenience of having to ship materials back to multiple online sellers (and remembering where they got each item).

For more information student spending and more visit the NACS media room.

About The National Association of College Stores
The National Association of College Stores (NACS) is the professional trade association representing the $10 billion collegiate retailing industry. NACS represents nearly 4,000 campus retailers and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. NACS is headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio. Additional information can be found online at www.nacs.org.

Media Contact
Jennifer Libertowski
(440) 775-7777
jlibertowski@nacs.org

NEW YORK, NY, August 22, 2016—For most students, studying abroad is the time to expand horizons, learn a new language and experience varying cultures. What better way to do all three than stay in the home of a local? While school typically provides semester-long housing, weekend jaunts are best planned through Homestay.com. The cost-friendly accommodation marketplace, which is a growing competitor to Airbnb, has 150,000 rooms starting as low as $8 per night in over 50,000 countries.

With a Homestay, students get the best of both worlds—an adventure in a foreign land with all the comforts of home. To ensure the best match, students can easily read transparent host reviews penned by previous guests, or use Homestay’s videocall option. Plus, groups need not compromise on their size, as many homes offer multiple rooms for easy under-one-roof bunking.

While breakfasts are always free with a Homestay, these affordably priced, five-star Homestays in European hotspots promise college students even more added amenities from Italian cooking classes and watercolor lessons to free laundry and cleaning:

• Florence, Italy ($40 per night): With its great value and central location, this Homestay in the birthplace of the Renaissance checks off all the right boxes. Students can start their days with fresh, homemade jams and fruit, and for no extra charge, host Jeanne is happy to share dinners, which they describe as “famous Tuscan specialties.” Walk on foot next door to the famous David, Ponte Vecchio, and Cathedral, or head to a bus or train station 10 minutes away to escape for a daytrip to the seaside, trekking in Cinque Terre, or wine-tasting tours in the Tuscan hillsides. For an immersive experience, students can pick up a new skill including cooking classes, watercolor lessons, and Italian language classes. All rooms fit three people.

• Berlin, Germany ($16 per night): Get a glimpse into Germany’s glamorous yet gritty art scene by staying in the center at this spacious Homestay. The $16 per room, per night price includes pick-up service from the airport, washing machine usage, and Internet, so travelers can get truly get the most bang for their buck. Plus, those on a multi-stop European trip can keep their luggage stored in Anke’s home for several days. The Homestay is within walking distance of three train stations.

• Paris, France ($19 per night): In Paris, people-watch at sidewalk cafés, visit The Louvre, or practice the Language of Love with certified lessons from host Noemie for just 12 Euros. Apart from a free daily breakfast, which reviews say is always a variety and aplenty, Noemie also offers lunch and dinner for a reasonable additional cost. This Homestay has been reviewed 33 times!

• Dublin, Ireland ($50 per night): Enjoy the privacy of a studio with the facilities and warmth of a family home at Mairead’s abode, where guests get the entire third floor and an en-suite to themselves. Located minutes away from the heart of Dublin and near several colleges including University College of Dublin and Trinity College, this homestay also includes round-trip airport transfers and laundry for guests at no extra cost.

• Granada, Spain ($30 per night): Escape to Granada, one of the pearls of Spain, known for its grand Moorish architecture and Muslim influences. Here, with host Maria Teresa, students can brush up on their Spanish skills for 12 Euro per hour. Room rate also includes room cleaning, laundry, and Internet, while dinner and pickup service are available for a small additional fee.

• London, England ($26 per night): Described by former guests as “spotless, warm and inviting,” this sunshine-filled home in the quiet suburbs is two minutes away from public transportation and a quick ride away from the middle of London. Every Sunday, hosts Sue and Stuart welcome their guests to a special breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, tomatoes and toast.

About Homestay.com
Homestay.com is an accommodation marketplace dedicated to the homestay travel experience, where the host is present for every stay. With more than 50,000 hosts offering places to stay across some 150 countries, Homestay.com enables travelers to stay in the home of a local resident while they are there. Focused as much on people as it is on places, Homestay.com puts hosts at the heart of amazing travel experiences. The company was founded in 2013 by Tom Kennedy, co-founder of HostelWorld.com, and Debbie Flynn, a veteran of the education travel industry. Homestay.com is funded by Delta Partners Ltd.

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Contact: Spring O’Brien
Jil Krusemann: (212) 402-1675 / jilk@spring-obrien.com
Jennifer Reisfeld: (212) 402-1624 / jennifer@spring-obrien.com

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Launches New Educational Initiative Featuring “No Regrets” Public Service Announcement

Bethesda, MD (August 9, 2016) – As college campuses prepare for the start of the school year, the National Foundation for Infectious Disease (NFID) is launching a new educational effort aimed at increasing awareness among the college community about meningococcal disease prevention.

NFID’s new meningococcal disease college toolkit (http://www.nfid.org/meningitis-toolkit) features tools and resources to help raise awareness about the importance of meningococcal disease prevention among healthcare professionals, college health administrators, students and the public. The toolkit includes posters, infographics, survivor stories, frequently asked questions, outbreak response materials and an animated public service announcement (PSA) titled, #NoRegrets, which reminds adolescents and young adults that while there are some things they might regret, such as not studying for an exam or forgetting lines in the school play, they will not regret getting vaccinated.

Recent meningococcal outbreaks on U.S. college campuses illustrate the importance of vaccination against this devastating and potentially deadly infection. In recognition of National Immunization Awareness Month (August), NFID urges all students, parents and healthcare professionals, on campus and in the surrounding community, to learn more about meningococcal disease and how to prevent it.

“Vaccination continues to be a critical part of college health communications, particularly for meningococcal disease,” says William Schaffner, MD, NFID Medical Director. “When cases or outbreaks occur on a college campus, it can be devastating and the cause of much anxiety. NFID is working to increase awareness and education about the disease and vaccines available to help prevent it.”

Adolescents and young adults age 16-23 years old are at increased risk of contracting meningococcal disease. Routinely recommended vaccines available in the U.S. protect against four of the major strains of the disease, A, C, W and Y. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine for serogroup B disease, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a permissive (Category B) recommendation for its use for in young adults age 16-23 years. Serogroup B meningococcal disease was responsible for recent outbreaks at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Clara University, Rutgers University, and other college campuses.

About Meningococcal Disease:
Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection that most often leads to severe swelling of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or infection of the bloodstream (meningococcemia). Even with antibiotic treatment, 10 to 15 out of 100 people infected with meningococcal disease will die; about 11 to 19 out of every 100 survivors will have long-term disabilities, such as loss of limb(s), deafness, nervous system problems, or brain damage. About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1973 and dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the causes, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases across the lifespan.

This initiative was made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer Inc. and GSK. NFID policies restrict funders from controlling program content.

Media Contact
Joanna Colbourne
JColbourne@nfid.org
301-656-0003 x120