Ask campus officials about EvCC's swine flu strategy and they are ready with an extensive list of policies and procedures aimed at preventing an epidemic. But, if the question is how EvCC plans to deal with students who do come to class ill, or appear as if they might be ill, the answers become less clear.

Students are beginning to find out that instructors are largely being left to use their own judgment when dealing with suspected flu cases.

While some instructors rely on students remaining home if they are ill, two students describe having been dismissed from class by an instructor they say simply suspected they were ill.

The two students were overheard by this reporter while discussing the event, which occurred on October 26. The students requested anonymity as they feared their instructor would retaliate, and for that reason we are omitting the identity of both the students and the instructor.

The students expressed surprise and anger about the process, stating they were told to leave class because their instructor assumed they were ill when one of the students coughed and another appeared flushed.

According to one of the students, it was strongly suggested the student leave. Both students recounted being warned not to be seen sick on campus. The instructor even "asked me to get checked to see if I had it," the second student stated. Despite not having the flu, the students say they left for fear of difficulties with their teacher.

It is clear that concerns over swine flu are well-founded, as evidenced by the recent outbreak at Washington State University. It is unclear whether instructors should have the responsibility of identifying ill students, and whether they are qualified to do so.

It is also unclear how severe an illness must be for an instructor to take action; the flu has many symptoms in common with other, less serious illnesses. In addition, many of the symptoms of swine flu, such as unusual tiredness, headache, runny nose, aching muscles and loss of appetite, may occur without any illness being present. Such symptoms are difficult for instructors to observe, making it hard for them to consistently identify students that may have the flu.

It is apparent that a campus as large as EvCC cannot expect to remain flu-free for the entire year. But, to date, only the following sentence addresses the complex issue of dealing with ill students on campus. "If a student exhibits signs of flu and is attending class, they are expected to go home," says material emailed to instructors by Sandra Fowler-Hill, vice president of instruction.

The message does not address any other illnesses or how an instructor might successfully distinguish between a cough caused by smoking or irritation, and one caused by swine flu. Indeed, the link provided for instructors only lists fever as the determining factor in deciding how long to stay home.

Students seem no better informed than instructors. Asawin Mahotah, a representative of the Student Senate, reported that the Senate had not received information on how ill students on campus should or would be treated. Instead, he gestured to a hand sanitizing station near the Cafeteria when asked what he had been told about swine flu. "It is our job to inform the students," Mahotah said, yet the only information he had received was on preventing the illness.

When asked if supplies such as facemasks had been stocked, in the event that sick students did show up on campus, Pat Sisneros, vice president of College Services, stated the school had no equipment beyond the standard first-aid kits.

"Since most instructors use Angel, students who are ill have a means of keeping up to date with class work and assignments," says Dottie Krzyzanoski.

However, many instructors only use Angel peripherally, and some do not use it at all. Additionally, certain courses, such as science classes with a lab, can be difficult to impossible to make up. When lecture material is not available online or coursework requires a laboratory or other specialized environment to complete, students who must miss one or more classes may struggle to maintain their grades.

It remains to be seen how well or poorly EvCC will fare as the flu season begins in earnest. One thing that is clear is that students must be prepared to protect their health and their grades against the increasingly visible impact of swine flu.