Computers could save lives for students willing to use the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, according to a National On-Campus Report.

The CHESS program is a computerized service that offers information and references for people with physical or emotional problems.

The program has had positive results in Madison, but members of campus services at NIU and other area health organizations feel the personal touch is the best way to deal with personal problems.

“I think we almost always prefer human” interactions versus interactions with computers, said Ombudsman Bert Simpson, director of the NIU discrimination hotline.

If the program is used along with other counseling programs, and not as an alternative, the use of computers is a good idea, he said.

“If this proves to be good,” then NIU “needs to look into it,” he said, adding that there are more students than people who can help with the many problems students face.

“We (campus services) need all the help we can get,” Simpson said.

Nola J. Pender, program director of the Health Promotion Research Program, said she supports the idea of computerized assistance if the CHESS program linked students to other services that could help them.

The Ben Gordon Center would not consider using the program, Community Educator Rick Johnson said. “We’re into the person-to-person” relations.

“I’d be surprised” if the program worked, he said. “I think they’re spitting in the wind.”

Dave Gustafson, a UW engineer and co-developer of the project, said he thinks some students are afraid to speak to people about their problems. By using CHESS, the fear of speaking with a “stranger” might be eliminated.

The CHESS program has information on AIDS, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, unplanned pregnancies and suicide prevention, the report states.

CHESS also provides information about contacting health and human service agencies on the UW campus and in the local community. A bulletin board feature is used by students to anonymously consult with professionals on the problem in question.

The report states the computer program includes four parts: risk assessment, decision support, referral assistance and social support.

Risk assessment asks a series of questions about the students’ lifestyles in order to weigh the possible risks of their lifestyles, the report states.

The decision support portion helps students to solve their problems with the assistance of references from magazines and books within the computer.