With thousands of students passing through the HUB every day, germs are bound to be in the air. But some students have been running into a certain lime-green bug a bit larger than expected -- five feet tall.
University Health Services (UHS) debuted a new flu germ mascot at the Homecoming parade Friday night, designed to draw attention to flu prevention. Lauren Zaun (senior-nursing) was the person hiding under all that green.
"We got a lot of positive feedback from the parade," Zaun said. "Most people knew what the costume was supposed to be. It also made me feel kind of like a Disney character."
The costume was an idea developed by a group of four nursing students interning for UHS Marketing Manager Beth Collitt. With a serious flu season expected in the coming months, the students want to make sure
their peers have as much information as possible.
"We wanted to find ways to let students know about the flu vaccine," Zaun said. "It's a creative way to inform students of where and when they can get the vaccine."
Although all four interns have volunteered to wear the costume, Collitt said one of them seems to have taken up the calling.
"Lauren really loves the costume," Collitt said. "And the students seem to really like it. The others girls have said they'll wear it, but they'll probably have to wrestle it away from Lauren."
Collitt designed the lime-green costume in the shape of a flu germ, a project that took her about 30 hours to complete. She borrowed a sewing machine from a facility worker and completed most of the work in the office.
"We needed something that could be made quickly," Collitt said. "I have a background in fine art. We just created the costume on the fly."
The costume's design was based off the green germ graphic on the UHS flu flyers. That made the sewing easier and sped up the process of design, Collitt said, adding that the color made it stand out.
Zaun said the costume helped draw students to the Oct. 20 seasonal flu vaccination clinic in HUB Alumni Hall.
"A lot of people stand in the HUB and pass out flyers. It's definitely attracting attention," Zaun said Tuesday. "People were asking what I am or reading the paper as they walk away. A lot of students were like, 'Oh wait, is that today?' and went upstairs to get it."
Some students agreed the costume was an attention-grabber.
"I think it was a pretty effective idea," Alyssa Rosenblum (senior-marketing) said. "I think it stresses the importance of the situation in a more light hearted way."
