YpsiArbor

Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:38 p.m.

You and djacks should go have a pity party about not being invited to speak at the event. Since obviously neither of you were there, and you have nothing but negative things to say, we have to wonder about your motivations to bash something you clearly don't understand.

djacks24

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.

Our tax dollars hard at work!

free form

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 10:25 p.m.

You two REALLY could have benefited from this lesson. Clearly, you know very little about about zombies. *smh*

djacks24

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 8:26 p.m.

You have to burn them before burying them also.

blue85

Thu, Apr 25, 2013 : 7:52 p.m.

"I imagine triaging living victims of a disaster is vastly different than handling existing zombies." The above is based on your extensive experience dealing with zombies...or as you suggest, your imagination? Just as 85% of all drivers believe they are above average drivers, pundits with an axe to grind imagine they are experts on every subject under the sun. I have no clue how to teach preparedness, and I admit as much, but how is it that people with no knowledge in a subject area become experts and/or become qualified just by typing? What is your main concern? That other people have the capacity for learning and you have only the capacity for cynicism? That someone is paying for the student's education, and you were not able to finish 12th grade? That someone is having fun, and you are not? Are you feeling left out?

YpsiArbor

Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.

Were you there? Because ALL of your comments here indicate you just have something stuck in your craw over this legitimate educational, CDC-inspired exercise. If you had been there, you would have seen the educational components on full display. Perhaps you'd like us all to emulate soviet-style rote recitation instead of creative learning models?

djacks24

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 9:46 p.m.

You can resort to name-calling or what you want as you are obviously biased and can't defend something on it's own merit. But the article describes this for all intents and purposes all this "as a preparedness exercise for a real public health emergency". Hardly a blowing off steam before finals exercise.

OliviaB

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.

Well imagine all you want, but some of us have actually done pandemic flu emergency preparedness drills, and can assure you that you could communicate the key concepts in such an exercise (which is just that, an exercise, not the extent of their graduate education) while also having fun. And you mention "stress management" - um, do you wonder if that's exactly what this was? Students are entering the finals season. So sometimes schools do nice things during this time. It's a good thing. Not bad. Good. I wasn't there, but it looks awesome and wish all students could do something like that. Don't begrudge that they're creative and had fun and you just trolled all day. And if by "cash grab" you mean "it's a top 5 school that has engaging activities where students and faculty interact around mutual interests," then yeah, they're the worst. PublicHealthAndAlsoZombie Lover, MPH

djacks24

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 8:35 p.m.

I would imagine learning to deal with a real outbreak situation would involve a lot training in of stress management. Learning how to contain a situation without panic. Dealing with very sick (but still alive) people as opposed to fictional undead creatures with no hope of returning to humanity. Highly charged situations, controlling emotions, etc...Hardly looks that way. For what it's worth, I can't fathom playing zombie apocalypse dress-up hardly gets anyone ready for a real situation. I suppose nothing really does, but is it that we are afraid of somehow subjecting them to disturbing content or hurting someones feelings? Guess what...a disaster situation of any kind is usually pretty disturbing. Once again, enrollment cash grab.

OliviaB

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 8:06 p.m.

Dear Haters, As zombie-and-also-public-health-enthusiasts know, many zombie stories theorize the problem as a viral outbreak. Also viral is pandemic flu, for which professional communities do indeed run emergency preparedness drills (that students might not get to experience unless they're interning at an agency participating in one). So it doesn't really matter if you sub something awesome and imaginary (zombies) for something actual (influenza), you're still exploring the same important concepts of disease control that students can take with them into careers in community health, epidemiology, etc. And there are well over 50 students at the School of Public Health, so even if the some-staff-and-some-students "zombies" weren't listening to the lesson/process (which I doubt is true, as they're not actual zombies, and thus can still understand what's going on), many more could serve in roles as "epidemiologists," "health center managers," "community health workers," etc. Or maybe they just wanted to dress up one day while they learned something cool about their discipline before their finals. SIncerely, PublicHealthAndAlsoZombie Lovers Everywhere

M-Wolverine

Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 1:27 p.m.

@djm Strawman. She didn't say make disaster prepardness fun. She said make learning fun. If something is fun, you're more engaged, and more likely to remember it. No where does she say disasters should be fun (which is what you're really saying with "first responders"...not preparing and learning).

Kellie Woodhouse

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 8:08 p.m.

I hear what you're saying-- this is a serious subject. But keep in mind that this one-day zombie exercise isn't the full extent of students' learning on the subject. Also, this is an exercise endorsed by the CDC...

djm12652

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.

@Kellie...making disaster preparedness fun? really? why not just train first responders to whistle while they work?

Kellie Woodhouse

Tue, Apr 23, 2013 : 7:39 p.m.

I don't know. I think there's merit in making learning exercises fun and out of the ordinary. I recall a teacher once asking us to put a modern twist to Shakespeare- my group was assigned Romeo and Juliet and we leveraged the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. It was a lot of fun and, to date, Romeo and Juliet remains the most memorable Shakespeare play to me, despite me playing Desdemona in an actual theater production AND despite the fact that Twelfth Night is actually my favorite.