With the cold, winter weather relentlessly moving into the Champaign-Urbana area, it is inevitable that many students will get sick at some point this season.

The first wave of illnesses comes early in the fall, said Dr. David Lawrance, medical director at McKinley Health Center. The high density of people on campus contributes to the spread of this common cold virus, he said.

“One person with a cold makes two others sick, within a few days, the number doubles, then it doubles again and so on,” Lawrance said. “It doesn’t take very many doublings to produce thousands of sick people.”

Lawrance said usually starting in the early winter, the influenza outbreak erupts. He said there are benefits to getting a flu shot.

“Given the tremendous academic competitiveness of this campus, students would be absolutely foolish not to take advantage of getting a flu shot,” Lawrence said. “Simply getting the shot will let (students) go to class, study better and outperform their classmates who will be waylaid home in bed for three to seven days because they ‘never get the flu’ and didn’t get a shot.”

Despite McKinley Health Center’s distribution of flu shots, many students may choose not to get one or simply get sick anyway. If students are sick and visit McKinley Health Center or any other doctor, they can go to the Office of the Dean of Students and visit the Emergency Dean to get excused from class.

“Because there is such a strong emphasis by both faculty and students on class attendance and the fact that nobody wants to miss a single point for anything, that is part of the reason why we exist,” said Ruth McCauley, associate dean of students.

McCauley said the process at the Office of the Dean of Students is quite simple.

For absences due to illness, students need to provide documentation, either through McKinley Health Center, Dial-A-Nurse or any other doctor, about their issue and the health recommendation. Once verified, students will receive an electronic copy of the letter from the Emergency Dean and can then show this to their professors to be excused from class.

Although the tool of the Emergency Dean exists, not all students utilize it. Some students still choose to go to class sick or simply skip class.

“It was easier for me to tough it out and go to class than to go through the process of the Emergency Dean,” said Emma Goodman, sophomore in LAS. “I’ve heard that the process is extensive and annoying.“

Goodman, who was recently sick with streptococcus, decided to use her excused absences offered through some of her classes rather than going through the Emergency Dean. Once she was put on antibiotics, she started to attend class again.

Despite the commonality of getting the flu in the winter, good hygiene can be a key factor in whether an individual will get sick this winter.

“Washing hands, being careful what one touches and shares, keeping distance from someone who is sick, those are the things that matter for staying well,” Lawrance said.