2009: Year of the Swine

   Though the H1N1 virus swept across North Carolina in 2009-2010, killing 79 in February alone, Methodist University only had two minor cases of H1N1.

Any students showing any signs of the flu—coughing, sneezing, runny nose, fever, etc. were sent to Methodist Health Center controlled by Ron Foster, medical officer of Methodist University, and Sandy Combs, director of Student Health, to undergo testing. Students with any of these symptoms were sent home immediately and students who could not go home were put into isolation rooms, in the Pines Apartments.

“Methodist had wonderful policies about students being excused with the flu,” said Combs.

The Health Center met with the local health department and the hospital at Fort Bragg and began offering vaccinations in October. Clinics were set up to offer students a free vaccination in the Berns Student Center and in the Green and Gold Café three different times. Free vaccinations were also available in the Health Services office at anytime. Hand sanitizer dispensers were installed in all of the buildings for students to use and security published a handout card on what symptoms to look for.

“I got my shot in October and I’m thinking about getting it again,” said Foster.

Because of the measures taken to prevent the spread of H1N1, Methodist has seen an unusually healthy year said Combs.

Despite the optimistic outlook, allergy season tends to  cause a spike in flu cases. Since Methodist is located in one of the worst areas in the nation for seasonal allergies, and precautions against the H1N1 flu will continue as summer approaches.

2010 rocked the world

Since the beginning of 2010 the world has seen quite a bit of devastating seismic activity. The earthquakes began in January where a 7.0 magnitude quake struck Haiti, followed by 8.8 quake in Chile on February 27, and most recently a 7.4 magnitude quake on April 4. Due to the close proximity of all three earthquakes the Methodist University Campus Ministries has planned to start collecting an offering every Wednesday in Chapel starting in the fall semester of 2010. All of the funds raised will go to support international crises. 

There have been three crimes in the last year that smallTALK staff considered worth revisiting. All were committed during the fall semester and have seen a conclusion of some sort. Methodist University administrators have required smallTALK to keep the names of those involved in these cases out of the paper.

In August and September, two female students reported that they were sexually assaulted by male students in two unrelated cases. Campus Police Chief James Philips termed the incidents, “acquaintance assaults,” suggesting that both women knew their accused attackers. In response, the Student Government Association (SGA) and administrators called for peepholes to be installed in the residence halls so that students could see who was at the door before opening it.

Also in August, an attack on a female student by an unidentified man was interrupted by another resident.

December brought a report that chemicals stolen from the Methodist University Chemistry department had turned up by Union County Sheriffs in the car of two Methodist students. This prompted tighter restrictions on access to the chemistry department’s stock room during the spring semester.

 A life can change with a phone call, a plane ticket or a knock at the door.

For someone married to, engaged to or seriously involved with a person in the military, extreme transitions in lifestyle happen at a moment’s notice. A phone call or a knock at the door can mean the unthinkable for the partner of a soldier.

The University of North Carolina and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences examined medical records of 250,000 women married to active-duty soldiers. The study found that women whose husbands were deployed from one to 11 months were more likely to suffer from depressive disorders, sleep disorders, anxiety and acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders.

This study demonstrates that the burden of deployment can severely affect partners as well as soldiers. Having the tools and the ability to manage the stress and emotions of deployment is crucial to overcoming psychological and physical obstacles.

Staci Chiomento, a military spouse for eight years, and a former soldier, recalls the moment when representatives of the U.S. Army knocked on her door to inform her that her husband had been killed in action in Iraq.

  Among the seniors receiving diplomas next month, there will be six unique graduates  who have committed the next eight years to the U. S. Army.

Hilary Nimmo, Jennifer Kiner, Charles Coldiron, Alexander Smith, Todd Sackewitz and Jennifer Farland are all members of the Methodist University Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). In exchange for tuition, a stipend and book money (all paid for by the Army), each has agreed to enter the military as a 2nd Lieutenant and spend at least eight years in active or reserve duty.

Each has their own story, but in each interview they all said the same thing: The Army gives you a different perspective on and appreciation of college opportunities.