Patricia Denning, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, has a message for students who are feeling sick with symptoms of the flu: she and her staff are there to help, but they aren’t handing out doctor’s notes for getting out of class. Denning said such notes were not necessary unless the student missed three days of class.

“Sometimes we feel like we have appointments scheduled, not for medical reasons, but for documentation,” Denning said.

Megan Hardy, a junior from Manhattan, made an appointment at Watkins to be examined for strep throat on Tuesday, Feb. 8. She didn’t need a note to be excused from class, but she did need one for work. Hardy said the staff provided her with a record of her appointment, which she picked up and delivered to her employer the next day.

Watkins Memorial Health Center

To make an appointment: 785-864-9507

To ask questions, call:

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

“They just printed it out,” Hardy said. “And everything was fine.”

Student Health Services’ policy is that students can request documentation when two conditions have been met. One condition is that the student was treated at Watkins or has documentation of medical treatment elsewhere. The second condition is that he or she has been absent from school for three or more consecutive days because of illness or injury.

Marta Caminero-Santangelo, chairwoman of the English department, said her department follows the guidelines of the office of the provost. She said faculty has been advised against requiring doctor’s notes since last year’s arrival of the H1N1 virus.

Barbara Romzek, interim vice provost for academic affairs, sent a memo to university staff on Jan. 11, 2010, advising faculty to make plans for accommodating students missing class because of illness. The memo also said the University did not have an institution-wide policy on excused absences and that faculty were not obligated to excuse students from class.

Treatment for Flu Symptoms at Watkins Memorial Health Center

Denning said the flu arrived on campus Feb. 1, far later than usual. She added that it had not generally been severe in its effects.

“What we’ve seen looks quite mild,” Denning said.

Denning said students reporting to Watkins with flu symptoms would not necessarily be tested for influenza or be prescribed medication. She said the health center had been distributing relatively little Tamiflu, the preferred prescription drug for influenza.

Treatment, including Tamiflu, is available for those requiring it, but the medical staff at Watkins is reluctant in prescribing the drug. Denning said most of the university population is healthy and able to resist the flu without the treatment of Tamiflu, which would shorten the illness for one day at most at a cost of $100. She said the use of antiviral and antibacterial drugs without good reason would only breed resistance and render them ineffective.

Patients who are exposed to added risk are most likely to be treated with prescription drugs. these patients include young children, elderly patients and individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as asthma or heart disease.

“Think of it as saving the Tamiflu for your grandma,” Denning said.

For the rest of us, she recommends bed rest and fluids.

But Denning also stressed that the health center was prepared answer questions and offer treatment as needed.

“It’s always OK to call and speak with a nurse,” she said.

— Edited by Marla Daniels