How a student secured a Skin Smart award for GVSU

October 17, 2023 (Volume 47, Number 4)
Article by Thomas Garrett

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Grand Valley has received a platinum-level "Skin Smart Campus" award because of the work by student Dena Harb.

Distributed by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, the award also means Grand Valley will receive two sunscreen dispensing stations for the Allendale Campus with a year's supply of sunscreen to continue to support skin health.

Harb, who is a senior from Canton, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in allied health sciences, with a minor in marketing. She learned about the award by working for the nonprofit organization “Me over UV,” which was established by Harb’s cousin to educate people about the dangers of skin cancer. 

“After working with dermatologists to raise awareness about skin cancer, we wanted to find out how to transform Grand Valley into a Skin Smart Campus,” said Harb.

To achieve the platinum level award, Harb had to document that Grand Valley does not have indoor tanning facilities or support that type of facility. Harb said she scoured on- and off-campus housing, as well as university facilities, to make sure this requirement was fulfilled.

Another requirement was to create an educational website hosted by Grand Valley. This website can be found on the Recreation and Wellness website.

The Skin Smart Campus initiative was signed by Edward Jones II, director of Student Health Services, and Kate Harmon, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, Well-Being and Inclusion.

Jones provided information from recent surveys, reporting that 78 percent of female students at Grand Valley have tanned before. Tanning significantly increases the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma and other injuries.

“Our goal is to reduce that number to 75 percent in 2024. Dena’s work will help us accomplish this objective,” Jones said.

Katie Jourdan, assistant director for Recreation and Wellness, acted as the puzzle piece to make the connections Harb needed to complete her project.

“You could see it was important to her," Jourdan said. "You could see her passion in it because she did all of the work that was necessary."