Student Union
- By Donal Gannon
Seasonal 'Plague' Hits College Freshman
Sometimes, all the hand sanitizer in the world cannot prevent the inevitable.
College freshmen across the country are being introduced to a whole new world of pathogens and other infections at this time of year.
It starts with just one or two people in a dorm hall, said Dr. David Reitman, medical director of the Student Health Center at American University in Washington. They cough without covering the spray of germs that can reach 30 feet, as measured by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Lydia Bourouiba.
Then comes a sore throat and a general feeling of ickiness that lasts a week or so. It spreads slowly but surely, and soon the whole floor of the dorm is a sick ward. Once again, new students have been struck by the freshman plague.
Brendon Gardner, a freshman at Fordham University in New York, had been warned by older siblings and friends about the cesspool of pathogens he was about to enter, but he still wasn't prepared.
"I figured, eh, wouldn't happen to me. But then it did," said Gardner from his dorm after a week of coughing and a runny nose. "And it was so annoying."
Not a specific pathogen
The freshman plague, Reitman said, is not one particular disease or pathogen, but "refers to viruses that are easily transmissible by people who are living in close quarters in which they easily pass from one person to another."
The plague emerges in freshman dorms because of a perfect storm of factors: a large group of people crammed into a relatively small space, often sharing facilities such as showers, kitchens and bathrooms. This makes it easy for viruses to hop from one victim to the next.
The reason these illnesses appear more commonly in freshman dorms than in upperclassman housing is freshman are exactly that — fresh. They are still learning the ropes of dorm living and have not yet mastered the practices and routines that could keep them healthy.
The best way to avoid catching the plague, Reitman said, is to maintain basic hygiene and healthy habits. Wash your hands often, including your wrists. Use a hand sanitizer, especially before eating. This, as well as avoiding behaviors like sharing drinks or food, can improve one's odds against contracting viruses. And don't smoke. It inflames the respiratory system, he said.
Less obvious ways of dodging the plague are to drink lots of fluids and maintain regular sleep and eating schedules. That's easier said than done for college students.
And there's always the flu vaccine. Although 70 percent of college students in the U.S. say they believe it is important to get a yearly flu shot, only 46 percent say they get vaccinated, according to a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases report in 2017. So, the plague persists.
"I just wanted to stay in bed all day but couldn't because I have 8:30 classes every morning. And in class, I didn't want to talk at all because I sounded like a croaking toad," said Arnav Bhutada, another freshman plague sufferer at Fordham.
Tips for coping
Though freshman plague is not a serious or threatening disease, it can really put a damper on those first months of college. To make it more bearable, take ibuprofen to help ease sore throats and general achiness, Reitman said. Get lots of fluids and sleep, and maybe swap out that pizza and fries for soup at the dining hall.
If more serious symptoms appear — fever above 102 degrees or diarrhea — or the illness persists beyond a week, students should consider seeking medical attention.
Students who are bedridden should curl up with a nice mug of tea, catch up on Netflix and wait for the body to cleanse itself of the virus so they can go back to making the most of their college experience.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
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Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
