At 8:32 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, the University sent out a “Coronavirus Update” email to all faculty, staff and students. The email assured its recipients that the University was in contact with health officials at the local, state and federal levels to ensure the safety of everyone on campus.
The email contained a warning about the virus’ symptoms and effects, as well as preventative measures students should take. A majority of the preventative steps are probably practiced routinely by students even without the threat of coronavirus, except for one: staying home when sick.
Most students know to cough or sneeze into a tissue, to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth, to disinfect frequently touched surfaces, to avoid drinking after others and to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. However, few students have the luxury to skip class because of feeling under the weather.
University instructors and professors are incredible and very understanding most of the time, but unless they’re teaching an online class, chances are most professors enforce a strict attendance policy that doesn’t take COVID-19 into account.
The solution would be for students to get sick notes from the University’s health center or a primary care physician, which would effectively excuse them from class. However, with the recent mumps cases and the sudden coronavirus hysteria in addition to the already busy flu season, the Student Health Center doesn’t have the capacity to provide every unwell student with an appointment in a timely fashion. Without a reliable option for excused absences, most students will be unwilling to let their grades drop for the sake of public health.
The unfortunate reality makes a second piece of advice given by the University nearly impossible: to avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoiding people who are sick or possibly infectious is solid advice, but it’s naive on a college campus. If students feel they have no alternative but to attend classes, they will. Those students then pose a threat not only to all their fellow students, but also to their professors and staff in general University.
While LSU has yet to report a coronavirus case, the mumps outbreak earlier this year doesn’t lend much credence to the University’s ability to prevent public health crises. Even though LSU is an academic institution, the health and well being of its student body should always be top priority, which currently isn’t being reflected in University policy.
The University shouldn’t be criticized for sending out the email, or for attempting to calm fears and potential corona virus hysteria within the LSU community, as both were done with good intentions. However, the University needs to amend its attendance policies or provide students with viable options for adhering to those already in place.
Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.