The plague: the good, the bad and the ugly
Last week, students of the University of Regina were swarmed with notifications regarding a gastrointestinal virus, also known as norovirus, which was sweeping across campus like a plague. The likeliest cause for the spread of the virus is the appalling lack of cleanliness at the U of R, and the negligence of many of the food establishments at our school.
The brunt of this fiasco is going to fall down on the school administration, and justifiably so. The reality of the situation we now find ourselves in is that the school’s facilities and food establishments are cesspools of bacteria and sickness, which has been ignored until this point of crisis. I believe this shows an astounding lack of responsibility by the U of R administration, and it greatly affects the well being of students and staff around the school. Earlier in the school year, food establishments like Tim Horton’s failed numerous health inspections, showing the lack of care put into the upkeep of the places that so many students and staff visit every day for their coffee and donut needs. I feel like those in charge should’ve seen a problem like this coming from a mile away, but didn’t take enough precaution to prevent it from putting a stranglehold on our school. It seems that our school has been making a habit of ignoring potentially major problems, until they actually become major crises that they can’t keep under control. Just see our “Leak of the Week” section.
Despite all this vitriol, I do have some good things to say about how the administration handled the crisis once it had already spread. It might not be ideal, but the U of R handled the situation well, making sure that the information was out as soon as possible, and easily accessible. Maybe our university’s administration has bit of a daredevil complex, getting as close as possible to disaster, only to pull out all the emergency stops at the last minute. However, the goal shouldn’t be containing an issue like this, but handling it before it gets out of control. Some of the measures that were put out were like fighting a forest fire with a squirt bottle. Take action against the situation before half of our students are at home puking out all of their insides.
My final point is directed toward the students of our university, and a plea for them to remain informed and aware of what is going on around our school. Our school sometimes has a problem with transparency, and making sure that students are as informed as they should be. Information about the failings of our food establishments have been available for months now and one should take that information and make educated decisions with it. Maybe avoid that morning run to Tim Horton’s, because their food isn’t exactly trustworthy. Save yourself some money, some time, and maybe your health as well.
