The University administration has recommended that instructors make course materials available online so that students infected with the H1N1 virus may quarantine themselves without missing class material.
The suggestion came after a number of government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommended that teaching resources be available on the Internet for infected students, Student Health Executive Director James Turner said. University administrators then met with the deans of the University's different schools to discuss the recommendation.
"[We're] gonna get each school to be very proactive," said Provost Arthur Garson, recommending that students stay home and look at materials online at the onset of flu-like symptoms, even before diagnosis.
"We talked about honoring the need for students to stay out of class and not sending them for doctor's notes [to have their absences excused]," Turner said.
Turner said infected students have been asked to isolate themselves to prevent the swine flu virus from spreading to individuals, particularly individuals who have the greatest risk of being harmed by the disease, such as those with immunological disorders, post-transplant individuals and people with asthma or diabetes.
"The [people] we worry most about are the most vulnerable individuals, but it is not apparent who they may be," Turner said. "There could be people on these dormitory floors who have these conditions, but since [medical information] is confidential, nobody would know."
For some professors, the recommendation is nothing new. Economics Prof. Edwin Burton said most of his course materials are already posted online.
"I have Powerpoint materials posted online ... and even the reading is posted online," Burton said.
History Prof. Allan Megill also said he agrees with the recommendation. Although Megill began recording his lectures this semester partly to help students who added his course a few weeks into the semester, he soon realized that these recordings also could prove useful for flu-infected students who cannot attend class, he said.
"Every day I have had someone who said they cannot be in class, and generally they have had reasonable excuses," Allan said. "It seems like a no-brainer"
Read More
D.C. baseball legend Ryan Zimmerman to deliver keynote Valedictory address
By Xander Tilock | 7 hours agoFamously nicknamed “Mr. National” for his many contributions to the Washington, D.C. franchise, Zimmerman is considered one of the most successful alumni in Virginia baseball history.
Administrators and faculty paint conflicting pictures of May 4 encampment clearing
By Cecilia Mould and Finn Trainer | 4 days agoThe details contested between the town halls included the clarity of the University’s tent policy and the presence of suspicious individuals at the encampment.
Faculty Senate calls for an external review of May 4 clearing of encampment
By Priya Kommu | 4 days agoSenators had questions about the lack of direct communication between University administrators and the students and faculty present at the encampment.
