Universities in the Southeastern Conference share a number of important aspects of college life — a love of athletics, a unique Southern culture, a standard of academic achievement and as of recently, the H1N1 virus.As students return to campus across the SEC, the number of reported cases of on-campus, non-seasonal influenza has spiked. A recent report from the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology warned 90,000 Americans could die and another 1.8 million people could need hospitalization this year from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu.Though the numbers in the report are staggering, many medical professionals in the SEC said they were unconvinced such a disaster could happen.LSU has seen at least 143 cases of non-seasonal influenza on one of the larger SEC campuses since Aug. 10, according to Julie Hupperich, LSU Student Health Center associate director.Student Health Center officials have been serious about educating students, but have said they do not want students to panic about an outbreak. Several broadcast e-mails have been sent outlining CDC prevention guidelines.Jonathan Ward, biology sophomore, said the University is downplaying the severity of the virus and would like to see more directly presented information.”When I see e-mails like these from the school, I may read the first few lines and then delete them,” Ward said. “It would have been a lot more intelligent to have someone come and talk to us about it in person.”In the case of the University of Tennessee, the number of students who have come to the Student Health Center has overwhelmed the staff. Jim Boyle, student health service administrator for Tennessee, said his campus had only seen about 10 cases before school began, but the health center has seen 80 cases since the start of classes on Aug.19.However, Boyle said because the H1N1 strain is milder than seasonal flu, students shouldn’t panic.”We’re telling students that unless you have pre-existing conditions, confusion or persistent vomiting, they should stay home and not seek medical attention,” Boyle said. “We’re getting killed over here.”He blamed sorority rush for the rapid spread of H1N1 on campus and said he has been telling students not to share food or drinks at parties.Tennessee fits all of its sororities into a single building complex, something Boyle called “a petrie dish for growing viral cultures.””One of the problems with seasonal flu is you don’t want to get out of bed,” Boyle said. “But this one is so mild, people don’t want to miss the next sorority party.” Other schools have been more proactive in fighting the spread, though with questionable success.According to Robert Cadenhead, director of the Student Health Center at Mississippi State University, 209 “probable H1N1” cases have passed through his clinic. Cadenhead said 11 were confirmed H1N1 by state hospitals.Before school began at Mississippi State two weeks ago, Cadenhead said more than 5,000 medical masks were shipped out to on-campus residences.Cadenhead said his team also developed “flu packs” which were placed around campus for student use. The kits included disposable thermometers, hand sanitizes and alcohol hand-wipes.Cadenhead also said his clinic has instituted a “flu watch campaign” and invented an acronym to help spread awareness.W.A.T.C.H stands for — wash your hands, avoid close contact, toss tissues, cough into sleeves and hibernate if you’re sick.”That’s about all you can really do for the flu,” Cadenhead said. “We’ve been pretty aggressive about taking precautions but not being alarmed.”After two weeks of high flu numbers, Cadenhead said he expects this week to be the peak of the pandemic with numbers dropping as people become more exposed to a weaker virus.The University of Kentucky begins classes today, and though there have been only six confirmed cases during the summer, medical officials anticipate higher numbers as the semester begins.Glenda Foster, triage nurse for the Health Center at the Kentucky, said her clinic will give students seasonal flu shots a month early this year to help prepare for the expected wave of infections from the H1N1 virus.Auburn University medical officials said there have been more than 50 cases of non-seasonal influenza since last week with more than 38 positively identified as the H1N1 strain.Frederick Kam, executive medical director of Auburn medical clinic, said his university is following the general prevention guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, which include isolation for a full week after infection.Auburn has set up a particular dormitory for students with influenza symptoms who wish to voluntarily quarantine themselves from healthy students. Comparing the severity of the H1N1 outbreak from campus-to-campus requires looking at several factors, including the date students began to return, the size of the school’s population and the strength of the university’s reaction.The University of Florida and the University of Arkansas could not be reached before print.————Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]