Although UW-Madison health officials are not releasing exact numbers, the H1N1 virus has hit UW-Madison harder than any other UW System school, according to Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services. With predictions of H1N1 having a particularly strong impact on college students throughout the country, campus officials had to make several hard decisions about how to deal with the virus before classes even started Sept. 2.
In light of the pandemic, Chancellor Biddy Martin issued a statement Aug. 27 announcing a new, looser attendance policy: Students and staff no longer have to present a medical excuse for absences.
Some staff immediately speculated on the impact of loosened attendance policies on the overall educational experience.
""I think that university students who abuse the system would lose out on part of an expensive education and create disparities in terms of the standards used for grading work and measuring attendance,"" said Brian Jordan, a faculty assistant in the Italian department. ""But I think this is too short-term of a situation to have any long-term significant impacts on the quality that a UW-Madison degree represents.""
Martin's written statement discussed concerns the campus may have about the attendance policy.
""I recognize that staying home when sick will require a shift in our campus culture, as most of us are accustomed to following through with our commitments even when ill. I cannot stress enough that in this unusual semester, being a good citizen of this campus will actually mean staying home and not coming to work or class with a fever,"" Martin said.
Martin's previous statements led to the new rules about the loosened attendance policy. Most professors reiterated to students on the first day of classes to stay home if they had flu-like symptoms. Now, with a wave of midterms approaching, students may be more likely to take advantage of the more laid-back attendance policy.
A pandemic
What makes H1N1 a major concern at colleges is the effect the virus can have on an enclosed, concentrated student body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, H1N1 symptoms can be compared to those of a typical seasonal flu. The symptoms for both are similar with the occurrence of fever, body aches, chills and fatigue and, in extreme cases, vomiting or diarrhea. However, one of the biggest differences between the two is the age of the infected. While a typical seasonal flu affects just about everybody, most of the cases are in people older than 64. During laboratory testing the CDC found that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America, thus the other name, ""swine flu.""
Upholding the policy
With midterms and cold weather creeping up, the manipulation of rules could ramp up, too. When that Friday morning class rolls around and students ""studied"" a little too hard at the Red Shed the night before, will they classify that headache as swine-related?
Some officials on campus think students will generally respect the policy, Van Orman said.
""I think most students do the right thing anyway,"" she said.
UW-Madison senior Jacqui Fuller similarly believes in the integrity of students when it comes to feigning illness.
""I think the majority of students will use the policy responsibly,"" Fuller said.
However, Van Orman admits the looser policy may not always have a positive outcome.
""I think there are always students who don't go to class when they should, [but a] very small minority of students,"" Van Orman said. ""Students need to realize they might be getting out of class, but they still have to do the work. They aren't excused from that.""
Fuller also thinks the policy could potentially become a problem.
""If someone doesn't want to come to class or take an exam, saying he or she has swine flu seems awfully convenient,"" Fuller said.
Jordan believes it is too early to determine for sure whether or not students will abuse the policy. He expects students may be less likely to abuse the policy in some classes more than others though, especially language classes.
""Losing that exposure time and immersion will only hurt them in the end,"" Jordan said. ""I think once the days start to get colder and that first snow hits, students might be more inclined to skip class and say they were showing flu-like symptoms."" He also noted that someone who is paying their own way through college would be less likely to abuse the policy than those who are not.
UW-Madison junior Mike Borovsky foresees a higher number of students abusing the policy.
""I can see students with a real tough week ahead of them wanting more time and e-mailing their professor that they have flu-like symptoms to move an exam back,"" Borovsky said.
He does agree with Van Orman and Jordan to some degree. He said faking illness would hurt the student in the end because the work would build up.
The H1N1 hype is beginning to get students to the point that seeing masks, which used to be a reminder of the seriousness of the circumstances, now only reminds them of how overblown the pandemic seems.
""I wouldn't be surprised to see some people with masks on their faces,"" Borovsky said.
According to Fuller, the campus is becoming too paranoid about the virus.
""I know I had allergies earlier this year and people in my classes and at work seemed slightly concerned that I had H1N1,"" Fuller said.
Staying healthy
As far as how well the campus is taking care of the threat, Van Orman said it has so far been positive. She said students are taking the pandemic seriously and watching themselves more closely with regards to hygiene and being more alert about their own symptoms. She is more worried about students who live off campus than those in residence halls, however, because most H1N1 cases have been students in apartments, fraternities and sororities.
""Everything is generally shared amongst the students in these places, and this makes the influenza easier to spread,"" Van Orman said.
This is why professors and university health officials implemented the loose attendance policy, which has only carried the dovetailing concerns about whether students will responsibly uphold the attendance policy. As the semester continues, snow begins to fall and excuses become desirable, students may make attendance more and more superficial under the new policy.
