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Printer-Friendly ModeUniversity wary, but H1N1 policy stays the same
September 28, 2009 —
Don’t expect a new attendance policies for H1N1 concerns, but don’t take that as indifference from the University.
The Faculty Association recently circulated a document advising members on what to consider during the virus scare. Despite the H1N1 flu garnering countless front-page headlines since last spring, the virus has yet to be confirmed infecting any SVSU students.
Faculty members are ready to make arrangements for any students who may contract the virus, said Robert Maurovich, vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management.
“They’ll approach it on a case-by-case basis, but they’ll treat it as they would if a student were to get into a car accident,” Maurovich said.
Maurovich said the University has dealt with four suspected cases of the H1N1 flu since the semester started. Three were eventually diagnosed as common colds, while the fourth had the normal flu.
University officials are still keeping an eye on prevention.
All staff and students received an e-mail earlier this semester about the virus. The University’s Web site features a page to inform the public on how to prevent or deal with the H1N1 flu.
A link to the page prominently was featured on the site’s home page at the start of the semester. Maurovich said the page may return there based on the fluctuations of the virus nationwide.
Maurovich reminds that prevention is often as simple as maintaining daily hygiene, such as regular hand washing.
He also suggests students take advantage of the sanitizing stations located around campus. University officials have no plans to add more stations in wake of the H1N1 scare. The custodial staff, however, is slightly increasing the amount of disinfectant it uses in the more heavily populated areas on campus.
Communication between students and University staff also is key, Maurovich said.
In addition to letting their teachers know, students who experience a possible case of the virus are encouraged to notify the dean of Student Services.
University officials will subsequently have an easier time monitoring the possibility of the virus spreading around campus.
It is critical for these students to see their family physician and stay home from class.
“The purpose is to take care of yourself,” Maurovich said. “But it also removes them from campus while they are ill and prevents them from infecting others.”