After dispensing the H1N1 vaccine to Miami University students, the new task of Student Health Services (SHS) will be teaming up with the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Leadership to work on regulating sorority recruitment in January 2010.
Gail Walenga, assistant vice president for student health and wellness, said SHS met with the Cliff Alexander Office to discuss guidelines and recommendations of how to prevent the spread of infection.
Walenga specified that the germs causing H1N1 were of main concern. She said the Cliff Alexander Office is providing helpful tips to Miami sorority chapters regarding potential new members that contract an illness preventing participation in sorority rush.
"The recommendations are coming from the Cliff Alexander Office, but the suggestions we have given are the same suggestions we have given all students," Walgena said. "Reduce physical contact, make sure to wash your hands a lot, don't share drinks, don't share any utensils such as forks, cups, spoons; it's the same basic things that we have told everyone on campus."
April Robles, director of Greek affairs in the Cliff Alexander Office, said she met with Walenga to discuss SHS' suggestions and has provided sorority chapters on campus with precautions they could use during recruitment.
"Cliff Notes are basically just suggestions for all the chapters, they are really just highlighting suggestions for making sure the campus community is safe." Robles said of the Cliff Note e-mails Greek life members receive containing news concerning fraternities and sororities on campus.
According to Robles, the Cliff Alexander Office has been in contact with all the chapters and has asked how each plans to deal with a potential new member who comes down with an illness during recruitment and may or may not be able to complete rush.
"We're just getting the chapters to commit and to think about if a woman does not attend a round of rush due to an illness, in what ways can they still connect that student to the chapter so that she has an idea what the chapter has to offer and vice versa," Robles said. "They know what the potential new member may bring so that they can make useful decisions."
Walenga said the Cliff Alexander Office is responsible for conveying the recommendations from SHS to the chapters and then the chapters can decide whether or not they wish to accept the recommendations or not.
According to Kathleen Choka, Chi Omega chapter president, anyone who comes down with H1N1 will receive the same consideration as anyone else.
"Unfortunately, it will be harder for our chapter to get to know the potential new member if she is missing parties, which could indirectly hurt her in the process," Choka said. "This just means every round she does make it to will be that much more important."
According to Stephanie Walker, Zeta Tau Alpha's recruitment chair, her chapter would work with girls who become ill on a case-by-case basis.
"If it was a friend of a friend or someone personally knew her and we knew her personality, we would discuss as a chapter if we would like to have her back," Walker said. "The same for if we do not know her, I would ask the chapter to decide if they would like her to come back. I feel by discussing the issue with the chapter to decide whether or not we will invite the woman back, we will get a pretty clear idea of whether or not this girl would be a fit for our chapter."
With the fear of so many germs being spread though the recruitment process, Walenga said the most effective way to prevent any serious outbreak would be for students to address their sickness and get help from SHS.
"If you're sick, don't participate," Walenga said.
