Spring Break
Editorial: Fall Fever
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
11/03/09 - As the fall months drag on, the change in the seasons has become more and more noticeable. The trees are a little more barren, the wind a little bit crisper, the days a little shorter and students, a little sicker.
The brisk autumn weather and the crunch of fallen leaves usually go hand in hand with a wave of coughs, runny noses and other dreary flu-like symptoms. For the most part, these colds are somewhat unavoidable. With approximately 13,000 undergraduates attending the University of Rhode Island, it's difficult to avoid confronting a sick student sitting in a classroom or when grabbing dinner at Hope Commons.
However, it is up to the student body to take proper precautions pertaining illnesses. Students should make sure to follow the university's policy regarding sicknesses. As riveting as one's Shakespeare class or Chemistry laboratory may be, it is not fair to other students to attend class while ill. Spreading an illness, whether it's a common cold or H1N1, academically sets back students and the class as a whole.
Many professors have also made accommodations regarding their absentee policy. While students should not abuse this new leeway, it should be exercised if necessary. With faculty being more willing to help students catch up, sick students are better off resting up and making up work at a later date. While all students are attending the University of Rhode Island with education as a top priority, health should come first.
Students can drop by health services, or events such as the Health Fair, to get tips on how to stay healthy this semester. Professors also have a responsibility to adhere to the new university absentee policy, and help students who miss class due to illness catch up on missed work. Overall, students and faculty should work together to keep one another safe and healthy this flu season.
The brisk autumn weather and the crunch of fallen leaves usually go hand in hand with a wave of coughs, runny noses and other dreary flu-like symptoms. For the most part, these colds are somewhat unavoidable. With approximately 13,000 undergraduates attending the University of Rhode Island, it's difficult to avoid confronting a sick student sitting in a classroom or when grabbing dinner at Hope Commons.
However, it is up to the student body to take proper precautions pertaining illnesses. Students should make sure to follow the university's policy regarding sicknesses. As riveting as one's Shakespeare class or Chemistry laboratory may be, it is not fair to other students to attend class while ill. Spreading an illness, whether it's a common cold or H1N1, academically sets back students and the class as a whole.
Many professors have also made accommodations regarding their absentee policy. While students should not abuse this new leeway, it should be exercised if necessary. With faculty being more willing to help students catch up, sick students are better off resting up and making up work at a later date. While all students are attending the University of Rhode Island with education as a top priority, health should come first.
Students can drop by health services, or events such as the Health Fair, to get tips on how to stay healthy this semester. Professors also have a responsibility to adhere to the new university absentee policy, and help students who miss class due to illness catch up on missed work. Overall, students and faculty should work together to keep one another safe and healthy this flu season.
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