University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: April 15, 2004

By DONNA BUDNIEWSKI
Reporter Assistant Editor

To date, about 94 percent of UB students have complied with the new public health law requiring them to be educated about meningococcal disease and the availability of the meningococcal vaccine, Frank Carnevale, director of student health services, told the Faculty Senate Executive Committee yesterday.

The law requires that colleges and universities demonstrate that students have been educated about the disease. Students carrying more than six credit hours per semester must submit a signed form to UB indicating that they either have had the meningococcal meningitis immunization within the past 10 years or have read or have had explained to them an attached meningococcal meningitis fact sheet and have decided not to obtain the vaccine. If students fail to submit a response form, a check stop can be placed on their records and they will be barred from registering for classes for the next semester.

Carnevale explained that the easiest way for students to comply with the requirement is to log onto MyUB, click on the Meningitis Information Response Form (located in the "Need to Know" area) and submit the form via the Web by clicking on "submit." A message of successful submission will appear, which can be printed. Students need only complete the form once to remain compliant during their time at UB, he said.

While getting the vaccine is not mandated by law, student education about the disease and the existence of a vaccine is required, he noted. The health forms students must submit and information about the disease can be found at http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/shs/student-health/immunization. shtml#FORMS. Students entering UB under the age of 18 must have the forms filled out and submitted by a parent or guardian. The deadline for students to comply for the 2003-04 academic year was Feb. 1. Students who have had their accounts check-stopped can still comply by submitting the form electronically, which automatically removes the check-stop, Carnevale said.

Bacterial meningitis is potentially fatal, he explained, and contracted in much the same way as the flu—via airborne water droplets and physical contact. College students living in dorms and individuals exposed to active and passive tobacco smoke are at a higher risk for contracting the disease. Simply sharing a drink or a cigarette can put one at risk for infection. Common early symptoms include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rash and lethargy.

All of the things our mothers told us about good hygiene are true, Carnevale said, adding that frequent hand washing is an important deterrent to disease.

Students interested in obtaining the vaccine can contact Student Health Services at 829-3316. The cost of the vaccine is $70. The UB Student Health Insurance Plan does not cover the cost of the vaccine, but other insurance plans may cover the cost. Students are advised to check with their particular plan.

In other business, Elizabeth Lidano, director of the Office of Judicial Affairs, updated the FSEC on the role of the Student Wide Judiciary (SWJ) in dealing with student behavioral issues.

Students who have violated university rules and regulations must appear before the SWJ, which has the authority to impose a variety of sanctions in response to charges against a student if the student has been found responsible for any violation, Lidano said. An extensive description of the SWJ's jurisdiction, its role and function at the university, the rights of victims and the accused, and possible sanctions levied by the SWJ can be found at http://www.ub-judiciary.buffalo.edu/swj.shtml.

More parent involvement in student behavioral issues seems to be a recent trend, noted Lidano, as well as students becoming more uncooperative with authority figures. Other trends she described are students being more open about drug use, more students entering UB on medication for mental health problems and more students possessing anger-management problems and a sense of entitlement as a "paying customer" of the university. Lidano also said students are more likely to engage the services of a lawyer for even minor behavioral issues.