It is not uncommon for students to stumble upon messages in chalk as they walk around campus, telling them to shop at a particular store or attend a group meeting.

The writing was saying something very different Thursday night.

Students chalked sidewalks with eye-catching slogans like "Lyme Sucks" to raise awareness and inform students about Lyme disease.

Because they were not writing profanity, the chalking did not result in a reprimand. Penn State Police Services Supervisor Clifford Lutz said no report was filed.

The movement to educate students about the dangers of the disease began with one young woman. Megan O' Connell (senior-mathematics) was born with Lyme disease.

O'Connell has taken her personal struggle with the disease into one of her courses.

As part of the engineering leadership class Science, Technology and Society 497B (Creativity, Innovation and Change) students design independent projects that involve service and leadership.

"(The class) is ours to do what we want with," O'Connell said, adding that the syllabus is general.

Her classmates joined her in raising awareness about Lyme disease.

"Once they learned how it's affected me, it caught on," she said.

Lyme disease is a systematic illness spread by ticks caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a spirochete or helical-shaped bacteria, and no two cases are exactly alike, according to the Lyme Disease Research Center Web site.

One symptom of Lyme disease is a rash called erythema migrans (EM), which is often in the shape of a bull's eye. Also, the illness triggers flu-like symptoms such as chills, fever, fatigue, stiff neck, headache, nausea, and aching or swollen muscles and joints. Lyme disease is often called "the great imitator" because its symptoms mimic other diseases.

O'Connell has had many symptoms including memory loss, dyslexia, insomnia and weariness. Sometimes it's hard to write papers because she experiences arthritis. It's hard to explain why she has difficulties sometimes, said Cheryl O'Connell, her mother.

The intensity of these symptoms has varied over the years.

"Now it's better than it's been in years," Megan O'Connell said.

A clinical diagnosis is primarily based on the doctor's judgment. Oral antibiotics are often used and intravenous if needed.

O'Connell takes IV vitamins twice a week, which really help. She also takes IV antibiotics three times a day. "I've been doing it for so long that it's routine," she said.

If Lyme disease is treated early, it can usually be cured. If not, the disease can become chronic. In most patients, chronic Lyme disease affects the nervous system. People have died from the disease and from complications, according to the Lyme Disease Resource Center Web site.

A person can contract the disease either through an infected tick bite or being born to someone with the disease.

O'Connell contracted the disease from her mother at birth. Her two younger brothers and younger sister also were infected. She was born in Chester County, which has a high Lyme-infection population and was probably re-infected, O'Connell said.

Since O'Connell has been at Penn State she met one girl a couple months ago who also has the disease.

"It took me four years to meet someone," she said.

Several people e-mailed her about having the disease after reading an article in the Centre Daily Times about the chalking.

"Forming a support group would be awesome," O'Connell said. "For the longest time I was alone. Nobody really understood."

O'Connell intends to do something every week to educate the university about Lyme disease. Later in the semester there will be a culmination event, she said.

Lyme disease is now the most common tick-transmitted disease. Ticks can be found anywhere, and bite year-round. In the northeastern United States, they peak from April to September. An easy way of preventing Lyme disease is to check for ticks regularly and avoiding being exposed to them, according the Lyme Disease Research Center Web site.