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CHIPS LUTHER COLLEGE
“Let the chips fall where they may.”
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February 16, 2012
Vol. 134, No. 13
Since 1884
Norovirus sweeps across campus over J-term Lauren Maze
Staff Writer
Lauren Maze/Chips
Nursing campus back to health. Director of Health Services JoEllen Anderson stands next to the materials used to gather samples from students to diagnose norovirus.
While many Luther students, faculty and staff traveled all over the world during J-term, those left on campus experienced a less thrilling and more sickly adventure of their own. This adventure, also knows as norovirus, is one of the most contagious gastrointestinal viruses and infected over 100 Luther students and staff during its January stay. Norovirus is a group of viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis and is transmitted via contact with an infected person, touching surfaces that are contaminated with norovirus or eating foods that are contaminated with the virus. Since it is so contagious, there is no way of pinpointing exactly where the virus came from. However, because of the immediate action taken by Health Services, the virus was quickly diagnosed on campus. “We were really aggressive with our testing and our diagnosis of it,” Director of Health Services JoEllen Anderson said. “Within
inquistr.com
Under the lens. This microscopic view pictures the gastrointestinal virus. that left students with digestive issues during January. coming to us, we already had a spreadsheet going, documenting what symptoms they had and what they had eaten and within able to determine it was not food poisoning from the caf.” Samples taken from Health Services were sent to the University of Iowa lab where norovirus. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramping, but there is really no treatment for the virus which usually dissipates on its own within 24 hours.
“It’s a really self-limiting virus,” Anderson said. “But it’s highly contagious and people can still be carrying the virus around for at least two weeks after they’ve been ill, so it could still pop up every so often.” Since the virus is so contagious, Dining Services took immediate action to contain it. Although the outbreak came unexpectedly, Dining Services was wellprepared due to the policies and procedures still in place from the H1N1 outbreak. Norovirus continued on page 10
Journalist Nicholas Kristof issues a call to action Megan Creasey &
Staff Writer
Ingrid Baudler
News Editor
“The central moral challenge in this century is the oppression of girls and women,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof told the nearly one thousand students, faculty and
Nichols said. Kristof’s lecture and book focus on the issues that women face around the world, including sex of girls being kidnapped and forced to work in brothels for no pay in countries like Cambodia, India, Pakistan and Thailand.
form of slavery” Kristof said. The statistics regarding women the CFL on Thursday, Feb. 2. in developing countries were Kristof, this year’s Farwell staggering, but students were Distinguished most affected by Lecturer, based the personal stories his lecture Kristof told, such on his book as one of a girl who “Half the Sky,” had an eye gouged which Paideia out by a pimp. -Nicholas Kristof “Why should I students are currently I care?” Kristof reading. asked the audience. “If you see a Campus Programming girl who got her eyes gouged out Assistant Benji Nichols said the in a brothel then you don’t ask connection between the lecture that question. It changes you.” and the Paideia readings was a Many Paideia students knew stroke of luck. “The connection between that and the reading was examples from the lecture and the extremely serendipitous; Paideia book made it more of a reality. reading and the Farwell lecture Kristof don’t always connect in that way,” continued on page 10
is the modern form of slavery.”
Zach Stottler/Photo Bureau
From journalism to gender equality. Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof gave the Farwell Distinguished Lecture focusing on his book “Half the Sky” about gender inequality across the globe.