the
Herald By and for the students of Hobart and William Smith Colleges
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
VOLUME CXXXI ISSUE 3
GENEVA, NY
HWS Prepares for Swine Flu By Tim Hollinger ’11 Opinions Editor There have been no confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus at HWS, but other colleges in the area are fighting the pandemic. On Friday Sept. 11, Cornell University had its first death. Junior Warren Schor, 20, died from complications related to the flu. Cases have been reported at other schools including Ithaca College; a weekly survey by the American College Health Association found influenza-like illness at 72 percent of schools surveyed as of Sept. 4. The flu is being contracted at a rate of about 18 cases per 10,000 college students. Karen Freeman is a Nurse Practitioner at Hubbs Health Center, she says, as of Sept. 10, “No cases have been reported, but they have been testing anyone with a fever and cough.” Already, rumors of infection have flashed across the campus. Hubbs has been swamped with sick students, but apparently that’s nothing new. “Everyone thinks they have it,” says a nurse dropping off paperwork. With a smile Freeman adds, “Initially we do want people to come in, so we can see if it’s on campus.” Once H1N1 is established on campus the health center plans to shut its doors to the infected. Students are expected to stay in
their dormitories to prevent the spread. College students are at high risk for contracting the new strain of the flu since they live in close quarters and congregate frequently. Over the summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked to ensure colleges were adequately prepared for the impending pandemic. Colleges have set up hand sanitation centers, changed health department procedures, and set up hotlines in anticipation of mass outbreaks. Those under 25 years old have been the most susceptible to the outbreak, and are now among the first in line for the as of yet unavailable vaccinations. With H1N1 already sickening whole dormitories, the primary focus is turning to managing the outbreak, not stopping it. Freeman says that although colleges are at high risk, HWS is not taking abnormal or extraordinary measures beyond the CDC’s recommendations; “for most, the spread is more of a threat then the severity,” says Freeman. Gannett Clinic at Cornell University has seen or spoken with more than 550 students with influenza-like illness in the past two weeks. Reports vary
Photo courtesy of: http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv95/CornellWatch/
A statue of Cornell University co-founder, Andrew Dickson White, wearing a face mask. A Cornell student recently died from complications of the H1N1 virus.
Students Hold the Key to Relations Between Geneva and HWS By Gregory D. Avery ’92 Geneva Resident
By Carolyn Pluchino ’10 Herald Contributor
To the Editor: Here we go again. I wrote a letter similar to this about 1 ½ years ago, except at that time I defended Hobart and William Smith students as not being responsible for damage done to my
toward campus, on the sidewalk outside my apartment house, purposely and calculatingly throw pizza on my car windshield, laugh about it, and go on their way. I am not biased against Hobart and William Smith students. I myself am a Hobart alum. If memory serves me correctly, my friends and I did not partake in such behavior when I attended Hobart, so I am taken aback that any student would actually believe that it is acceptable to perform acts of vandalism. It could Photo courtesy of: http://farm4.static.flickr.com have been any vehicle parked along South Main random person who threw pizza on Street, because it occurred during my car, but this time I actually saw December when the students were who did it, and I am thoroughly on their winter break. disgusted with you, and I am sorry However, it is 2 a.m., end of that you have to be the few bad August, and I just witnessed from apples who tarnish the Colleges’ my second floor apartment window name. a Hobart student and a William Granted, having food thrown Smith student walking south, on my car is not as serious as the
Do you ever wonder why you never really see Geneva residents on campus? Well, I recently found out in a letter written by Gregory Avery to the editor of the Finger Lake Times. I was thoroughly taken aback by the actions displayed by Hobart and William Smith students. In my four years at HWS, I did not realize that people could conduct themselves in such a way as to blemish our respected reputation. However, some of the actions that have been shown by a few people have caused tensions to flare up between members of the Geneva community and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Unfortunately, some people in the community only see the harmful activities by a
few HWS students rather than the accomplishments that many students have achieved. When you walk down the street after a night of drinking and vandalize people’s property, understand that
Photo courtesy of: http://farm4.static.flickr.com
you’re leaving a severely negative impression, which reflects upon the entire student body. I encourage people to realize that although we go to HWS, we are still guests within a larger community- a community that needs to be shown courtesy and respect.
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