The campus cold conundrum

The start of a new school year is exciting. The weather is good, you get to catch up with friends, and, for a moment, classes are not too stressful. For first-year students, it is a taste of independence. Thrilling––until you have to drag yourself to Student Health and Wellness (SHAW). 

“I was surprised to have to go in only the third week of school,” said Maya Killory ՝28, who was sick for a week early into the semester.

Killory is not alone. The campus cold, a common term for the illnesses that college campuses face within the first weeks of each semester, is a familiar phenomenon. “It’s everywhere, like classmates or just walking down the hallway, someone’s always coughing.” said Alyvia Bunknowski ՝26. “It happens every year. It’s just part of the experience, really”

Students are not the only ones impacted by each year’s outbreak––faculty and staff are impacted too. “It sucks,” said Andreas Jozwiak, assistant professor of political science, who fell ill with COVID-19 in early September. “It is particularly difficult at the beginning of the semester because you’re building a relationship with the class and setting norms. When there is an interruption, it breaks the learning process,” he said. 

The campus cold also is not just contained to the College. “We don’t live in a bubble,” said Jozwiak, “I do know other people who have gotten sick in my neighborhood, in the town as well.”

Students and faculty have theories as to how this illness spreads so fast.

One hypothesized reason is exposure to a new environment. “We have people from all over the U.S. and world come together and live in close contact,” said Shannon Hinsa-Leasure, professor of biology, “Many people may carry a microbe they are immune to but when they share it with someone who has never been exposed to such a microbe, that person may become sick.” 

Close proximity also leads to the spread of illness. Students are always near each other―in D-Hall, in classrooms and in dorms. Additionally, Grinnell’s parties and social gatherings often have limited space, causing people to be extremely close to each other. “You drink out of the same cups, you dance in a really small room,” said Katya Lackey ՝27, an EMT. “A bunch of people get together and are sick, and get each other sick, and then it goes away, because everybody’s immune system gets stronger.”

The campus cold this year is not a unique occurrence. Herbers explained that SHAW “[hasn’t] seen anything out of the ordinary when it comes to illnesses on campus so far this fall.” It happens every year, and it is important to stay protected. 

While many of these factors are unavoidable, there are ways to reduce your chances of getting sick this semester.