Dear Campus Advisers,
I wanted to share with you the information being distributed to students about what they should do if they become ill with flu-like illness, given the expectation that we will see increased numbers of H1N1 influenza in fall.
The campus is following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, which include that all members of the campus community who develop flu-like illness should self-isolate until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever or signs of fever. Complete information and recommendations are available at www2.ucsc.edu/healthcenter/healthalert.shtml and www.ucsc.edu/flu.
Faculty have been asked to announce to students early in the term that they should stay home if they have a flu like illness and self-isolate until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever or signs of fever, per the CDC recommendations. Students who are self-isolating should email their instructors promptly to let them know. As you are aware, the Cowell Student Health Center no longer provides medical excuses or documentation for student absences (see senate.ucsc.edu/cep/CEPRptonMedicalExcuses.pdf). Faculty have been asked to use flexibility and good judgment in dealing with student absences in such circumstances.
In addition, a letter with information about the H1N1 flu was sent to all on-campus students from the Cowell Student Health Center, and is available at:
www.ucsc.edu/news_events/img/2009/09/h1n1-letter_move-in-students.pdf.
Best wishes for a healthy fall quarter,
Coordinator of Academic Advising
Division of Undergraduate Education
