Efforts to heighten breast cancer awareness are continuing at Butler County college campuses.

Kris Chiprean, director of student health services at Slippery Rock University, said that most students know about the risks of breast cancer.

“I think the students are aware,” Chiprean said.

The staff at the health center performs routine physical examinations on students.

“Part of that is a breast exam,” Chiprean said.

If staff members do find a lump, the student is referred to a specialist.

Chiprean said that a main goal is for students to be able to do a breast self exam and to be aware of any bodily changes.

“These are behaviors that we are very interested in reenforcing with our students,” Chiprean said. “Knowing your body.”

The center offers resources such as cards with exam instructions that can be hung in a shower, stickers that can be placed on a calendar to remind students to do a monthly exam and informational handouts.

“If people want instructions on how to do a breast exam in the shower, we offer that,” Chiprean said.

If a student does an exam and finds a lump or another irregularity, it requires fast attention, she said.

“Come see us immediately,” Chiprean said.

She said that the center often works with other departments at SRU on awareness activities.

“We try to do as much collaborative resourcing as we can,” Chiprean said.

Jodi Solito, director of SRU’s women’s center, said that although breast cancer is rare in the traditional college age group, more than 200,000 18 to 24 year old women in the United States suffer from the disease. The type that is found in younger women is more life-threatening than the type found in older women, she said.

“We just try to raise awareness that it can happen,” Solito said.

The biggest event that the center sponsors is its In the Pink Stride for a Cure, a breast cancer awareness walk that has been held for the past five years.

This year’s walk will begin at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 16. Solito said that the course is about one mile long.

Students design T-shirts for participants in the walk, and the shirts are sold at the campus bookstore and at the Aebersold Recreation Center for $10.

Proceeds are donated to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

The center also will sponsor the showing of the film “Pink Ribbons, Inc.” at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Robert M. Smith Student Center. Solito said that the film takes a look at the “pink” phenomenon, which generates a lot of awareness, but does not really look into potential breast cancer causes.

“It’s a little bit critical of the whole pink thing,” Solito said. However, Solito added that more people outside of the campus could be involved in the events.

She said that at last year’s walk, some members of the community participated. She would like to see who participates this year and wants the walk to grow.

At Butler County Community College, Pat Mihalcin, dean of nursing, said that she has seen a lack of awareness among some students.

“Unless they have had an experience with a family member ... I think sometimes they are not very aware,” Mihalcin said.

In beginning nursing courses, teachers instruct students how to perform a self breast exam. Then, they are taught to perform the exam on a model in the lab. In more advanced nursing courses, students learn more about the treatment of cancers.