the stentorian | ncssm
news
december 2006
School plans for flu outbreak
Co>fpn.ED BY Katherine
WiKRENT
A $25.5 million theme
park is to be constructed
in memory of action film
star Bruce Lee, who was
suggested to have been the
world’s greatest martial
artist and who died of
a' cerebral edema at age
32 in July 1973. Bruce
Lee fan-club chairperson
Wong Yiu-keung claims
that the park will contain
a martial arts academy
and a conference center.
The park, which will be
located in the Chinese
town of Shunde, will be
finished in three years.
Facts from AP and ABC
news.
TraditionaliraagesofSt.
Nicholas are banned from
kindergartens in Vienna.
Community officials
claim that the legend of St.
Nicholas, the benefactor
of the good little boys and
girls, causes fear among
children of strangers
lurking into their homes
at night. Many oppose
this ban, believing that the
ban was imposed solely
for the sake of polittcaL
correctness. Rijfit-wing
extremist Heinz-Christian
Strache condemns the
ban, claiming that its
argument for the sake of
children is “bordering on
absurdity.” His supporter
Hans-Joerg Jenewein
added, “Whoever comes
to Austria must realize
it’s a Christian country.
Christian traditions are
part of the equation.”
Facts and quotes from
MSNBC Online and
WTOPNews.
Over 300 Thai primaty
and secondary schools in
the southern province of
Pattani have been closed
as of Nov. 27 until further
notice following the brutal
slayings of two teachers,
bringing the death toll
of Thai public educators
to 59 in the past three
years. Muslim insurgents
are suspected to be guilty
of these increasingly
frequent crimes, and
Thai teachers now work
with constant fear.
Bunsom Thongsriprai,
president of the Teachers’
Association in Pattani
said, “Teachers can’t bqar
what has happened. They
are paranoid, worried and
afraid.” Thongsriprai adds
that schools will open
jB soon as conditions
improve and teachers feel
they can work safely.
and quotes from
Jbfdx.rst.
By Lisa Zhang
Due to rising concerns about
the avian flu, NCSSM has
drafted a pandemic response
plan which was mandated by the
UNC system.
A pandemic flu is a global
outbreak of serious illness which
can spread easily from person to
person.
An epidemic does not
currently exist, but the Center
for Disease Control and
Prevention has made projections
for an outbreak in the near future
because of the highly pathogenic
and antiviral resistant nature of
this strain.
Congress has set aside $3.8
billion for pandemic preparations
in efforts to produce enough
vaccines within six months
of an outbreak to inoculate
the entire U.S. population.
According to The Washington
Post, the national plan details
an 18 month crisis period during
which 1.9 million Americans are
potentially killed in a worst-case
scenario.
“I’m not too sure I believe
all this only because scientists
have been saying there will be
a flu pandemic for the past two
to three years,” junior Prashant
Angara said. “They said it last
year too, but nothing too bad
happened.”
Among the students, there is
a shared skepticism in regard to
the likelihood of a flu pandemic.
“1 think it’s just a bit out
there,” junior Steven Norton
said. “I’ve heard of people
getting it but never to the point
of a national pandemic.”
Since the virus spreads and
mutates , very quickly, scientists
are concerned that the bird flu
will reach the United States
either this year or in the next few
years. However, this prediction
is not universally held to be
accurate.
“I don’t think it’s going to be
soon,” said physician assistant
Sherry Mowrey, who was part
of the plaiming committee.
“I’m not 100 percent convinced,
maybe 75 percent convinced but
it’s not a strong possibility.”
Even though it is imcertain
how the flu will progress in
the future. Chancellor Gerald
Boarman directed the school
to form a crisis team and a
committee that began to outline
a plan in August. This plan
was finally presented to the
faculty and staff on Oct. 30 and
then sent to the UNC General
Administration for approval.
The plan outlines procedures
for four different levels from
zero, the current preparation
stage, to three. Level one
implements a social distancing
policy once there is a human to
human transfer of the bird flu
somewhere in the world. Students
should avoid sharing fluids and
utensils, wash hands very often
and avoid any unnecessary
contact with others. If there is
an outbreak within a 500-mile
radius of the school, level two
is initiated and a school-wide
quarantine is possible. la case of
quarantine, ample food for four
to six weeks will be prepared
and meals will be delivered to
all residents.
“Our goal is to get as many
Photo by Luis Zapata
Nurse Sharon Evans administers a flu shot to Ben Ryan. These
shots are available to student and staff through the clinic.
students home as possible
before we were quarantined,”
said Harry Tucker, director of
campus resources. “We would
try to continue classes through
the web.”
In the event that the virus
does break out within our school,
the clinic plays an important role
during both the level one and
two stages.
“We want [students] coming
to the clinic as soon as there
are sniffles of illness,” Mowrey
said. “If there are many sick
students, we’ll set up a clinic in
the gym.”
If the school is unable to
provide the maximum safety
for students, level three is
introduced.. .
“At level three, campus is
closed,”Tuckersaid.“Everything
stops except student life and
maintenance.”
Even the most intricate and
well thought-out plan can evoke
negative sentiments from those
whom the plan will affect most.
“I don’t think the plan is a
good idea,” Angara said. “I think
that maybe we should just send
everyone home as soon as there’s
word that there’s a pandemic.”
The plan is a result of
four months of discussion
and committee members are
satisfied.
“I think it’s a great plan,”
Mowrey said. “I just don’t see
the virus jumping from Thailand
to North Carolina. I think it will
be slow.”
Regardless of whether the
flu actually strikes, careful
preparations have been made.
“It is important that students
know that the school is taking
this very seriously,” Tucker said.
“Safety is the number one thing.
We want to disrupt life as little
as possible.”
Lack of supplies leads to TP raids
By Whitney Baker
Student concerns have risen recently
regarding the availability of such staple
supplies as toilet paper and paper towels.
Poor communication and wasteful
practices have led to supplies running
Art by Laura Chao
out before they can be replaced, driving
students to take supplies from outside
their halls.
“It happens almost every time,”
Fourth East RLA Noah Seymour said.
Some halls, particularly those with public
bathrooms, have consistent problems
with supplies
like toilet
paper, paper
towels and
trash bags
running out
too early.
Supplies
are
delivered
to halls
in cases
that are
expected to
last three to
four weeks,
according
to Marlene
Blakney,
assistant
director of
housing and
residential
life. Some
halls request
supplies
after as little
as one or
two weeks,
which can
put a strain
on the
Residential
Life budget.
Supplies run low when used in a
wastefhl manner, such as taking three or
four paper towels to dry hands or using.
paper towels for housekeeping that can
be done usirig sponges. Sometimes non-
crucial items like paper towels or trash
bags are withheld from halls, Blakney
said, until a more reasonable amount of
time has passed.
“I’m trying to get students to be more
mindful of how they use supplies,” .
Blakney said. “If they had to pay for
these things, they’d be a little more
careful.”
And when one hall runs out of
supplies, the trouble can spread.
“It gets to be a problem when people
go on hall and take toilet paper without
asking,” Second Beall RLA Radhika
Deshmukh said. She indicated that
when toilet paper is running low, some
students resort to other halls or public
restrooms as a temporary solution.
A more constructive action would
be letting RLAs know when supplies
are running low or are out, Blakney
said. When requests for additional
housekeeping supplies are made in a
timely manner, the supplies are usually
delivered the day after. Sometimes the
lack of supplies is just a communication
issue, according to Blakney.
Requesting supplies earlier than
expected is discouraged, but not
completely ignored, according to First
Beall RLA Elizabeth Cutrone.
“We’ve only gotten yelled at once for
asking for supplies within three weeks,”
she said.