With swine flu infecting an increasing number of students, chemistry professor Tom Dyke used the beginning of his Chemistry 221 class Wednesday to tell his students about the precautions he will take to make sure their academics won’t be hurt if they catch the H1N1 virus.
Then he spent the rest of the period educating them about H1N1’s biochemistry.
“I like people to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Dyke said. “See, in chemistry we actually will spend a lot of time on basic things that are not always the most exciting. With this, they can see why chemistry is important and how there is a lot of biochemistry there.”
After reading the syllabus, Dyke spent the rest of the class time explaining the “biochemistry side” of the virus, starting with graphics depicting a flying pig. His lecture covered background from where the virus comes from to how the students can make a difference by immersing themselves in chemistry.
“This is a virus that can complicate our lives,” Dyke said.
University student JJ Jelmini agreed.
“It is good to understand what is causing all the fuss,” Jelmini said. “Most of my professors are making exceptions. They don’t want kids coming in with it and making other people sick.”
Dyke is taking precautions with his Chemistry 221 students, asking them to say at home if they are sick and to stay there until 24 hours after their flu breaks.
“I can’t tell exactly what we’re going to do, but if you are sick, follow the University’s guidelines and I will absolutely work out some arrangement with you,” he told them.
Dyke stressed that if students contacts him saying they are unable to make a class, he will work out arrangements that “won’t penalize them for not coming to class.”
University spokesperson Phil Weiler said a memo went out to faculty and staff in early September, advising them to take the same precautions as students, knowing “we all could experience the flu.”
“We are telling professors to self-isolate themselves (if they are sick),” Weiler said. “Don’t go to sporting events, the gym, class or even work.”
One cause for concern for professors, though, is classes with mandatory attendance policies. Weiler said that missing classes, especially in language and math courses, “could have a detrimental impact on the ability for student to learn.”
“We asked professors to take (swine flu) into consideration,” Weiler said. “This was something critical that we could amend for the fall term.”
One tool that some professors are taking advantage of is Blackboard. Like Dyke, math instructor Tammy Nezol is using the online program to help all her students stay involved and up-to-date with the class schedule.
“Since late work is not accepted, most terms I drop two quiz and or homework scores,” Nezol said. “This term I have raised the number to five so that students can stay home and recover. I have also activated the discussion board on Blackboard so that students can ask questions even when they are home sick.”
Math professor Scott Fallstrom said he may turn to Blackboard’s features, too, in case student absence becomes widespread.
Fallstrom is enforcing similar relaxed policies for his Math 106 classes, allowing students leniency if they do fall ill to swine flu and need to miss his class. In case of an outbreak, Fallstrom said he will not enforce his mandatory attendance policy.
“Students will not be docked for attendance issues, and up to two weeks, or five total assignments, will be dropped for all students,” Fallstrom said, “whether they are infected with the flu or not.”
Fallstrom hopes these provisions will encourage students to stay home if they are sick.
“We aren’t asking professors to do away with their policies,” Weiler said. “We will evaluate the situation term-by-term and be flexible when needed.”
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