Sick students need more flexibility
As I sat in the waiting area at the Wellness Center clinic last week, I realized just how much being sick sucks. I had awaked that day with a sore throat, a raging cough and a pounding headache. The doctor informed me I didn’t have a cold. No, no, I wasn’t getting off that easy. I had a bacterial infection.
As if a Fargo winter couldn’t get any worse, colds and flus are thrown into the mix.
He prescribed me pills and sent me on my way. He told me to buy some Robitussen and Sudafed. Combined with a tall glass of Tang, that would be my diet for the next few days. As I stopped at the drug store, I began to ponder the small list of benefits to being sick.
In elementary school, being sick was awesome. No school, no worries. It was basically an all-day movie and Popsicle marathon. Homework could wait for a few days since your older sibling would bring home a small stack of worksheets with your name on them. Besides, you’re sick, you’re in no condition to do long division and learn pronouns.
In college, however, getting sick takes on a different form. Nobody is there to heat your soup, pick up your homework or take your temperature. Teachers aren’t quite as understanding either. You can’t make up tests as easily or turn in late assignments. So what are your options? You can either show up to a test feeling like crap and probably get a little more than half the questions correct, or stay at home and get a zero.
This is why I think teachers in college should be a little more lenient with sick students. Allow students to stay home if they’re sick. No sense telling them to show up for a test when they could be spreading contagious airborne viruses. It’s ridiculous.
What do teachers want anyway? Obviously I would show up if I could. It’s not a question of motivation. I’m not exactly getting away with anything.
I’d be willing to submit a picture of myself laying on the couch with a blanket feeling like crap so my professors would know I’m not out partying. Or how about a weight reading to show how many pounds I’ve shed in the last few days because I couldn’t swallow solid food.
I miss the days when getting sick was like a holiday. There’s no pressure, your only worry was to get better. But when it comes to college classes and assignment due dates, the only reassurance you’ll get from teachers is, “I don’t care if you’re sick, because in accordance with Nazi policy, the paper is due today.”
There’s no leniency. What’s the other option? Not getting sick? Last time I checked, I don’t live in a bubble.
There isn’t much college students can do when illness strikes. All they can hope for is a box of popsicles and a lot of orange juice will make for a quick recovery.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum