Enough to make you sick
Chloe Johnson
Issue date: 3/4/10 Last update: 3/4/10 at 7:02 AM PST
Section: OpEd
I recently came to the realization that I've been getting sick at the rate of at least twice a semester, and lately, more like once a month. I'm not talking about serious things like swine flu or pneumonia. In fact, I haven't been sick enough to miss school. But maybe that's part of the problem.
The problem is that even if I were seriously ill, my professors and the general way that classes operate at Peralta schools wouldn't allow me to take time off. Everyone pays lip service to the idea that if you're sick, you should stay home, but the reality is that most professors don't accommodate students who take time off due to illness.
If students don't arrive in class on the day of a test or quiz, most instructors will simply give them an "F", and there are similar sanctions for late assignments. Although in some cases, a doctor's note may convince the instructor to excuse the absent student, who feels like going through that unnecessary bureaucracy when battling a bad cold or flu?
One reason why I've been at school every day, even on days when I was battling a cold or cough, is that with the rate I've been sick lately it would be impossible to take that much time off without failing my classes.
But maybe I--and other Peralta students--wouldn't be getting sick so often if people didn't come to school when they were sick in the first place, and if professors were more likely to penalize students for coming to school with a hacking cough rather than penalize them for staying home.
I am not blaming the other students: We are all part of the same system and make the same sacrifices, but the instructors and administrators have the power to affect the priorities here at Peralta. They should make it easier to get missed assignments and catch up on class work, and allow students to make up tests that they missed.
Most students here are legal adults who care about their education (and are paying for it), and are unlikely to abuse this system. With fewer germs in the atmosphere, it's likely that students, faculty, and staff alike will get sick much less often, and that's something we can all feel good about.
The problem is that even if I were seriously ill, my professors and the general way that classes operate at Peralta schools wouldn't allow me to take time off. Everyone pays lip service to the idea that if you're sick, you should stay home, but the reality is that most professors don't accommodate students who take time off due to illness.
If students don't arrive in class on the day of a test or quiz, most instructors will simply give them an "F", and there are similar sanctions for late assignments. Although in some cases, a doctor's note may convince the instructor to excuse the absent student, who feels like going through that unnecessary bureaucracy when battling a bad cold or flu?
One reason why I've been at school every day, even on days when I was battling a cold or cough, is that with the rate I've been sick lately it would be impossible to take that much time off without failing my classes.
But maybe I--and other Peralta students--wouldn't be getting sick so often if people didn't come to school when they were sick in the first place, and if professors were more likely to penalize students for coming to school with a hacking cough rather than penalize them for staying home.
I am not blaming the other students: We are all part of the same system and make the same sacrifices, but the instructors and administrators have the power to affect the priorities here at Peralta. They should make it easier to get missed assignments and catch up on class work, and allow students to make up tests that they missed.
Most students here are legal adults who care about their education (and are paying for it), and are unlikely to abuse this system. With fewer germs in the atmosphere, it's likely that students, faculty, and staff alike will get sick much less often, and that's something we can all feel good about.
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