Red Means Go; Photos to Audio

First year students have a lot to face leaving home, from making wise decisions about not abusing their new found freedom to staying healthy in their new cramped environment, such issues have never been more important than this year with the threat of the H1N1 virus on campus, including Keene State College.

The college sent letters over the summer to all incoming students about the dangers of swine flu, also referred to as H1N1. It contained information on what is H1N1, along with a list of guidelines to follow to incase it appears on campus. Also things to remember when in a new environment, especially the close quarters of dorm life.

Freshman Erika Warnick said she, “packed a ton of hand sanitizer.”

Warnick added, “my mom is a nurse, so she packed a huge bin of medical supplies. I feel pretty prepared.”

As for other freshman, that may not be the case. This is their first chance at experiencing true independence, but they still are finding themselves more dependent than ever, especially when it comes to diagnosing themselves.

Director of Health and Wellness Christine Burke said, “students are going to want to come in, but that is the last thing we want.”

The protocol that the Health and Wellness Center has set up is that anyone with influenza like illness (ILI) or symptoms should call rather than see them as not to spread germs. This helps students with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and Chron’s Disease, as well as anyone that may have had a transplant or be pregnant since they are at a higher risk at being infected with the influenza like illness.

The Resident Assistants are doing there part too in making sure that the freshman are educated about swine flu in the dorms and the threat. They have posted in the bathrooms fliers, much like the cards that can be seen on the tables in the Zorn Dining Commons.

“The R.A.s haven’t talked about H1N1, they have only hung up the papers in the bathrooms,” said Warnick.

The R.A.s have though been given surgical masks for students to wear if needed. The purpose of the surgical masks is to catch any droplets from a sneeze or cough, but they must be changed frequently after being used more than a few times.

“The best way (to protect oneself) is sneezing into your elbow sleeve with your hand your shoulder,” said Burke.

The H1N1 virus can only survive two to three hours on a hard surface without a lot of contact, but on any warm surfaces or one that gets a lot of contact like a door knob it is easily transferable, according to Burke.

The bathrooms in some of the large dorms don’t have any antibacterial soap, just the hand sanitizer dispensers that has been seen around the college campus in various high traffic places. A promotion of keeping hands clean and killing germs across campus with the hand sanitizer dispensers is a strong push to keeping the college safe, but the bathrooms a important start, especially with the fliers warning of the dangers of the H1N1 virus.

The college has put forth all the defensive measures it can through e-mail alerts to making sure its students has the resources to be as sanitary as possible, but with the incoming freshman, they must find their delicate balance in keeping healthy against H1N1 in their new independence at Keene State.

“The best we can do is educate not panic,” said Burke.