Students from the College of Sciences browse literature in the Cancer
Reading Room. Photo by Susan Bentjen.
PULLMAN – Hoping to increase awareness of cancer causes and prevention, two faculty members from the College of Sciences have established a campus Cancer Reading Room in Eastlick Hall – room 361. The reading room is open to WSU students, staff and faculty.
As the brainchild of Paul Verrell and Norah McCabe, the Cancer Reading Room offers access to a wide variety of information about the causes, treatments and prevention of cancer.
Verrell said the two are working with Pullman Regional Hospital and the Spokane chapter of the American Cancer Society in order to “build on the resources that are available to the community – and extend them to WSU.”
“This is just a small initial step in providing a Pullman-wide cancer information service,” he said.
Verrell hopes to give students access to information they may not otherwise have – and which can help them make good decisions regarding diet, smoking and other things.
“We take it for granted that there is so much cancer information out there that everyone knows, but I’m not sure that’s true – especially for younger people,” said Verrell. “It’s much easier to stop smoking when you’re 21 than when you’re 43.”
“It’s an effort to increase awareness to a population that often sees itself as often invulnerable – if not invincible,” he said.
The Cancer Reading Room is open during normal building hours. The reading room literature is primarily provided by the American Cancer Society – and is available for on-site reading only. Unfortunately, copies cannot be given away due to limited supplies.
This information is also available to the public in the Pullman Regional Hospital library.
To learn more about the Cancer Reading Room, contact Norah McCabe (335-1134 – nrmcabe@wsu.edu) or Paul Verrell (335-4644 – Verrell@wsu.edu).
