EDITORIAL

Worried: simply take this pill

A potentially fatal form of the bacterium that causes meningitis came close to the campus community last week.

At lunch tables and in check-out lines, conversation dealing with the extreme possibilities that this condition could warrant could only be curbed by the college's rapid distribution of 500 milligrams of the pill Cypro to anyone on campus. Students flocked to the Rooymans Center to seek some reassurance that they would be safe in the hands of Cabrini College in the form of a pill that was taken without allergenic screenings or any questions asked. This was ironically similar to Hollywood's portrayal of mental hospitals' pill distribution: the patients come forward after having their names called out and receive a pill in a cup.

Most students are oblivious to any allergies they may have. Some students complained of minor discomfort after having taken the pill. It is likely that this was just mind-over-matter, but who would know? Students questioned the precautionary measures taken by the college to curtail further incident. The college should have closed Xavier for extensive cleaning so that there was little to no chance for further .contamination. The bacteria that causes meningitis lives in air droplets, according to the American College Health Association. Air droplets can be foun4 in any buildings' air-conditioning and heating duct systems. Even if it was certain that there was no way for further contamination from the environment, being Xavier Hall, it would have been exemplary if the school invested further concern into the situation and ordered the building to be cleaned.

Sue Fitzgerald, college nurse, stated that "typical college students often ignore the symptoms." The symptoms for Meningococcal Meningitis are fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy. Which student on this campus doesn't complain about the even the mildest of headaches?

For the first time, students were informed promptly of a situation on campus. Numerous letters were sent out from the Heatlh Office and parents received a letter from President Iadarola. It takes a near crisis to hear from the college administration.