September 16, 2009

Dear Wheeling Jesuit Parent(s):

We are sure that you are aware that the spread of the H1N1 flu virus (also known as Swine Flu) has become an issue of concern on college campuses across the country. At the time of this writing, please know that Wheeling Jesuit has no confirmed cases of H1N1 flu on campus; however, we know that this particular flu virus spreads quickly and easily among the college-aged population. As such, we are focused on preparations to best manage the spread of this or any other type of flu virus that might come our way; this includes monitoring outbreaks locally and on other campuses and having our own immediate response plan, if needed. While we hope for the best, the reality is that Wheeling Jesuit, like every other college campus, may eventually have students and employees ill with H1N1 flu.

Throughout this semester, you can find the latest information about our H1N1 preparations on our main website at www.wju.edu. We hope that you will take advantage of this site and that you will encourage your student to do the same. Updates will be posted as necessary, daily should we have an outbreak on campus. Your student has also already received emails about awareness of the H1N1 concern and suggestions for prevention by practicing good hygiene methods; if you would like to be included on future emails, please send your email address to me at christineog@wju.edu; I will include you on a parent listserv to receive these updates.

We need your help to limit and stop any future spread of H1N1 on campus; the most effective way to do this is for students with flu symptoms to immediately let us know when they are ill and for these students to not be on campus. Infected persons will likely be sick for 5-7 days; after this time, they can resume activities as usual. Should some students become ill with flu symptoms, we will be asking families who are within at least a half day’s drive from Wheeling to take their students home to recover more comfortably there. Students with the flu who are unable to go home will be moved temporarily to a “sick room” on campus; doing so will isolate ill students from well students and allow us to provide better assistance and support for ill students.

If your student becomes ill with the flu, they should not attend class for 5-7 days. Their faculty will stay in touch with via email and Blackboard and will make the necessary arrangements for your students to make up class work missed while they are ill and in isolation; this will enable students to stay current in their classes while they are recovering. Students should not feel pressured to come back to the classroom until they are flu symptom and medication free for 24 hours; a student’s early return may cause infection to other students and employees.

Keeping students with suspected cases of H1N1 flu in isolation is recommended by the Center for Disease Control, our state and local health departments, and other universities that have already experienced outbreaks. Colleges are finding this particular strain of flu very difficult to contain when ill students are not isolated from well students. Again, you can find additional information and the most updated information about H1N1 preparations at Wheeling Jesuit on www.wju.edu; we expect that Wheeling Jesuit’s status regarding H1N1 cases on campus may change at any time.

As always, we appreciate your continued support and value the partnership that we share in your son or daughter’s education; please stay in touch to let us know if there are other ways that we can better partner for student’s success and good health while at Wheeling Jesuit.

Sincerely,

Christine

Christine A. Ohl-Gigliotti, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Development
Wheeling Jesuit University
316 Washington Avenue
Wheeling, WV 26003
christineog@wju.edu  
304-243-2350 (phone)
304-243-2352 (fax)