The so-called “freshman flu” and its many accomplices affect most new and returning students as illnesses run rampant every fall. Everyone is familiar with strep throat, mononucleosis (mono), the flu, the common cold or some other peculiar illness that comes and goes before the health center can even give you an official diagnosis. As the semester progresses, the “freshman flu” really sets in.
“I have not missed class yet, but there have been many times I should have. I’ve been sick on and off already this year, without a break,” said Allanicole Terletsky, GSB ’28.
While most everyone has fallen victim to a mysterious illness at the beginning of the fall semester — including yours truly, who is currently sniffling while hovering over her keyboard with a cup of warm tea — the question is no longer where we contract this illness, but whether or not it is acceptable to continue to go to class and and expose ourselves to others while one’s symptoms persist.
While it seems inconsiderate and unfair to go to class when knowingly sick, any college student knows that missing even a few days of class without falling behind is unreasonably difficult.
“Realistically, you can’t stay home and rest until you’re fully better because of how many excused absences you’re allowed to have, and sometimes the health center can’t do anything because it’ll just be a common cold,” said Addison Schwan, FCRH ’28.
According to the National Library of Public Medicine, people carry about 38 trillion bacteria. The exact number of new bacteria each student is exposed to at the beginning of the school year is nearly impossible to calculate. Still, with almost 7,600 undergraduate and graduate students attending class on the Rose Hill campus alone, the sheer volume of microbial exchange is dramatically different compared to a student’s home environment.
It is no longer a mystery how orwhere we get sick. Many first-year students become ill because they come from all over the country and the world, creating a melting pot of new germs. And while students’ immune systems eventually adapt and they get sick less frequently as they make it to the spring, returning students continue to get sick as they are reexposed every year.
“Yesterday, my professor said that he was going to end class here because ‘you’re all sneezing and sniffling and I don’t wanna get sick,’ said Schwan. “I got sick a week and a half in.”
Regardless of whether you go to grimy house parties or partake in the going-out scene, dining halls, laundry rooms, classes and even your own dormitories are often contaminated by ill students. Avoiding exposure in these public and private spaces is nearly impossible, making it similarly impossible not to get sick.
“I think students should stay home when they are sick so they do not spread it to other students; but it is hard to miss class with always being sick,” said Terletsky.
Thereare ways to acquire help when sick. The health center is a great resource for getting a diagnosis for your illness and prescription medication. And, according to Fordham University’s attendance policy, “class absences incurred for the following reasons will be considered excused (supporting documentation may be required, depending on the nature of the absence): Medically-Documented Illness or Injury.”
While it is technically possible for all sick residents and non-residents to stay home and get the rest they need, you can only miss so many classes before they affect your attendance and individual course grades or before you fall behind on your workload. Even when the health center excuses absences, missed lectures, labs and make-up work can make it difficult for students to catch up, not to mention distracting them from focusing on rest and recuperation.
“You can be uncomfortable with it, but everyone is in the same situation: not trying to miss too much class,” said Schwan. “If it’s the first day of being sick, and you feel like it’s something serious, then that’s a little inconsiderate [to show up to class], but at the same time, what can you really do?”
Balancing academic responsibilities with one’s personal life is not an easy task. When it comes to mental or physical health, sometimes we forget to find that balance due to the pressure of wanting to keep up with school. Finding the necessary support and caring for yourself is crucial, especially when sick. However, we should not be so quick to judge and criticize a student in class for sneezing or coughing.
Just as we should understand others’ circumstances and even admire those who continue to try to excel academically regardless of their health, it is also essential to be considerate of the non-sick students around you. If you choose to go to class when knowingly sick, practice what we learned during COVID-19: wear a mask, social distance and always remember that sharing notes is fine, sharing germs is not.
Cierra Rogers-Nervo, FCRH ’28, is a journalism major from San Diego.
