Swine flu concerns reach Union

By Benjamin Engle

While all suspected swine flu cases in Schenectady and Albany counties, according to the Schenectady and Albany Departments of Public Heath, have far tested negative, Union College is being proactive in ensuring the health of its students, faculty, and staff.

First detected in Mexico City in early April, swine flu, otherwise known as “H1N1,” is an epidemic of a new influenza virus that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is “a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs.”

While Swine flu does not result in high death rates in pigs, the virus is currently spreading through humans across the world. According to the World Health Organization, as of May 4, 21 countries have officially reported 1085 cases of the H1N1 virus. Of the 21 countries, Mexico has 590 confirmed cases as well as 25 deaths. One death has occurred in the United States of 286 confirmed cases. Of those 286 cases, there are 73 people with the virus in New York State. According to the Associated Press, the cases in New York State have mild.

In response to the swine flu infection, the Director of Union College Health Services, Sharron McCullough, emailed a swine flu notification to the Union community on Wednesday, April 19. The email, according to McCullough, was to inform the community of how the infection outbreak worldwide is affecting Union. A similar email was sent to Union parents on May 1.

“First, it’s important not to overreact. Classes and all College business continue as normal,” McCullough wrote in the email to the campus. “We do not have any known cases of swine flu. Nevertheless, all campus community members should be taking common-sense precautions to avoid getting sick or transmitting an illness.”

According to McCullough, Health Services has been taking a proactive approach in alerting the campus relating to H1N1 and preparing for any cases on campus. Union Health Services has been in daily contact with the Schenectady Health Department and is working with the Health Department on numerous issues and are instrumental in what actions Union takes regarding the situation.

“We are asking students to call Health services (388-6120) and report any symptoms they feel are related to the flu,” McCullough said in an interview with the Concordiensis. “These are fever over 100 degrees, sore throat, runny nose and congestion, body aches, [and] any recent travel to Mexico. Occasionally vomiting and diarrhea have been reported but may not necessarily relate to the flu. It is important not to go to class if feeling ill.

However, other universities and colleges have not been spared from the infection of the H1N1 virus. UDaily, the news service of the University of Delaware, as of May 4, reports that there are 20 confirmed cases of the flu strain on its campus. Additionally, some institutions have closed for the semester, including Harvard Dental School and Texas Wesleyan University.

McCullough, however, believes that Union’s trimester schedule has lowered Union’s risk for an outbreak.

“I actually feel we are at more of an advantage since our Spring break was earlier than other colleges,” McCullough said. “We were back at school when other students were ‘vacationing.’”

While Union is at an advantage, McCullough does not believe that students, faculty, or staff should not ignore the current flu outbreak.

“I think everyone should be concerned but taking precautions such as washing your hands and using your elbow to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing is most important,” McCullough commented. “Eating a balanced diet and drinking plenty of pure water and [getting] rest are your best defenses against becoming ill.”

Additionally, Union’s Facilities Services Department has taken steps in ensure the health and safety of the campus community.

According to Rich Patierne, Manager of Building Services and Work Order Systems, Facilities is responding to the H1N1 virus in a proactive fashion.

“Our cleaning staff has been instructed to make a more concentrated effort to cleaning all bathroom fixtures, hand rails, door knobs, and common spaces,” Patierne said. “We have also started the process of installing hand sanitizers in the buildings.”

Even though Union is taking preventive actions against swine flu, McCullough reassures that the H1N1 strain of the flu is not necessarily health threatening.

“Most healthy people recover from the flu and don't have serious complications, but some people such as the older people, young children and certain people with health conditions are at a higher risk for serious flu related complications,” McCullough said. “The best defense is to vaccinate against the flu. Health Services has a flu clinic the first two Thursdays in November. We are trying to outreach to our students to protect them against contracting the flu.”

Originally published in Union's Concordy on 5/6/09

High School Articles: "All the Lonely People"

Originally published in Blind Brook High School's FOCUS (October 2006).

By Benjamin Engle
It was a beautiful summer night in the Georgetown area of our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. I strolled leisurely down Pennsylvania Avenue, a street lined with exclusive stores and stylish eateries. From Coach to Abercrombie & Fitch to Steve Madden, I felt as if I was in one of the classiest places in Washington—that is, until I passed a man who, in his silent sleep, stopped me in my tracks.

This man was asleep in the doorway of a Georgetown building, clutching a blanket in one hand. The other held nothing, and a shopping cart filled to capacity stood to his
left. It seemed as if his whole life was crammed into that shopping cart, his home on wheels. The man’s untidy, mangy beard and the fact that he was lying in the middle of the sidewalk indicated that he was homeless. But this was no ordinary homeless man, a man unlike any I have ever seen in New York City. The steps on which he slept did not lead to a posh store or a snobby café, but rather to the entrance of the Salvation Army National Capital Offices.

The fact that this homeless man was sleeping on the steps of one of America’s longtime symbols of aid and hope struck me as a sad commentary on the state of our nation, for this poor man clearly did not expect assistance or hope. It opened my eyes to the true problems of poverty and homelessness in the United States and how we, as Americans, are not doing enough to give less fortunate people
the opportunities and assistance to live better lives.

During my visit to D.C., I made my way to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. While walking through this outdoor monument dedicated to one of the best presidents in U.S. history, I noticed that various quotes issued by Roosevelt during his four terms in office were engraved in the stone. One quote seemed to speak of both the homeless man and how our country looks today.

“I see one-third of a nation illhoused, ill-clad, and ill-nourished. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little,” Roosevelt said in his second inaugural address. This quote
raised the question in my mind, “Can’t we do more?”

We live in an affluent community in nice, spacious homes; we eat three meals a day (yes, Blind Brook cafeteria food counts); and we receive our education in one of the country’s finesthigh schools. We buy new clothes, we go out on weekends, and we spend hours on our computers. It seems as if the rich only get richer and the poor only get poorer. Roosevelt recognized the pathetic look of the nation during his time in office, and it is time for us in the Blind Brook, Rye Brook, and American communities to make a difference in helping to stop one of America’s biggest problems: poverty.

If numbers will help paint the picture of American poverty, consider these: in 2005, 37
million people lived in poverty. Of those 37 million people, 12.9 million were under the age of 18 and 20.5 million were between the ages of 18 and 64. (U.S. Census 2005.) It’s clear that poverty affects not only adults, but entire families as well. As I watched in awe at the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, a ceremony honoring and remembering unidentified soldiers who gave their lives for our county, my mind wandered back to the hopeless man at the Salvation Army who, when he is entombed in an unmarked grave in Potter’s Field, will forever remain as he lived—unknown and forgotten.

In a song entitled “Eleanor Rigby,” The Beatles asked, “All the lonely people. Where do they all come from? All the lonely people. Where do they all belong?” And there’s only one way to find an answer: get involved.

We must not let these lonely and forlorn people vanish before our eyes and remain unknown. Our country has a problem when it comes to ignoring the needy, and it’s definitely time for a change. Roosevelt believed that the development of the United States should be assessed by the situations in which its citizens live, not by materialistic and political advancements.

We as members of the American and Blind Brook communities must not let impoverished people remain unknown, uncared for, and forgotten. These people live hopeless and difficult lives; live one meal at a time, often not knowing where the next meal will come from; they have no support and nobody to put them on the right track. It is our responsibility to improve our country and its people in a time where the world can, at times, feel like an uncaring place.

Fortunately, we as a community can help. Blind Brook has numerous clubs whose missions are to help others, improve other people’s lives, and make the community better as whole. By serving hot meals at the Blind Brook Soup Kitchen or even carrying some rocks at a Habitat for
Humanity build site, we will bring hope and promise to people less fortunate than us.

We should feel lucky that our addresses are not on the stoop of the Salvation Army. I know we can help end loneliness and hopelessness one person at a time.

http://www.blindbrook.org/our_schools/high_school/Focus/archives/06-07/FOCUS_Oct_06.pdf