Friends who knew 19-year-old freshman Jill Dieringer, who died early Friday morning from meningococcal disease, spent the weekend overcoming the shock and fear of catching the disease themselves.
In response to the news of her tragic death, University Housing director Mike Eyster said the University Health Center dispensed about 500 doses of meningitis antibiotics Friday, and Bob Petit, health center administrator, said about 60 doses were given Saturday.
Although health center officials stress that they don’t expect to see other cases of the disease appear, they said anyone who had been in close contact with Dieringer during the last week should receive the antibiotic.
“Students who were in close contact with her should be concerned,” Eyster said. He added that during his 10 years as the director, this was the first time he had seen such a tragic death in the residence halls.
But as health center officials worked to make treatment available, some students decided not to wait and went to Sacred Heart Medical Center to try to get the vaccination.
Nick Bogen, a freshman and member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, was one of many members in the Greek system worried about being exposed to the disease and headed to Sacred Heart on Saturday for the vaccine. But Bogen was redirected to the heath center for the meningitis vaccination.
“It didn’t seem quite real. I came here yesterday and saw people crying,” Bogen said, referring to the Kappa Delta sorority sisters who lined up Friday outside the Health Center to receive the antibiotic.
“It really sunk in and hit home,” Bogen said. “It put me in a weird mood for the rest of the day.”
Petit discouraged people from taking the $66 vaccine if not needed, for the same reason he would not give a flu vaccination to immediately help someone with the flu.
But Petit added that students are encouraged to get the vaccine during fall term when they arrive on campus.
Eyster said that even though the vaccination will not cure immediate cases, many students said they wanted to be vaccinated simply to feel safer.
“Obviously, we don’t want to err on the side of not doing enough,” he said.
Members of the Greek system were still stunned by the news of Dieringer’s death, even though they had discussed how to handle a crisis situation just about a week before she died.
Michael Kubas, the Interfraternity vice president of public relations, and Hannah Unkefer, the Panhellenic vice president of public relations, held a meeting Jan. 31 to inform public relations representatives in every Greek chapter about crisis management protocol for incidents such as death, injury or severe injury of a member.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting it would actually happen,” Kubas said. “But I think we tried to get everyone prepared for a situation like this.”
“You try to put yourself in their situation, and you can only imagine how terrible it would be for everybody,” she said.
Kappa Delta members plan to pin pink ribbons over their hearts, and other houses will hang pink sheets in her memory. Pink was Dieringer’s favorite color.
Annie Lagozzino, a sophomore psychology major and member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, said she had been around Dieringer only a week before she died. Her boyfriend and Dieringer’s boyfriend, Kyle Knepper, are in the same fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Lagozzino, who received the antibiotic last year, said she was shocked by Dieringer’s death and offered sympathy for Dieringer’s friends in Kappa Delta and in the residence halls.
“She was really gentle and friendly,” Lagozzino said. “She had a really calm presence about her.”
Abdul Shaikh, the risk management chairman of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said his house was hit hard by the tragedy. He said his fraternity brothers all knew Dieringer well because she came over to the house frequently, and after the news of her death broke out, the members were all concerned.
“Everyone was worried and sad,” Shaikh said. “We didn’t know what [the meningococcal disease] really was, and we went around and bleached the whole house.”
Meghan Crosno, a junior sociology major, said that last year when Dateline ran a program about meningitis, it sparked concern on campus, but then the issue was forgotten. Crosno said the disease deserves more attention.
“They haven’t made a big deal about it,” Crosno said. “This disease can kill you in a short amount of time.”
Jen Kubicki, a sophomore business major, said she and her friends headed to the health center during the weekend, but it was out of the vaccine. So instead, they received the antibiotic at the urgent care division of Peace Health.
“We were expecting the health center to be out of the vaccination,” Kubicki said. “We were scared and concerned, and it was frightening that it actually happened; it wasn’t just something in a movie.”