Commentary by Savana Staggs

Oct. 6, 2015

Many students on campus are well-aware: Whitewater is a breeding ground for ailments. With thousands of students coming together at the beginning of the semester, germs are passed around, shared and are infecting hundreds.

I, like many, was a victim of these new germs. After receiving emails about Mumps, word of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and seeing hundreds of my fellow students missing class or coughing into their sleeves, I decided it was time to do something. I made an appointment with University Counsel and Health Services (UCHS).

On the date of my appointment, I went to check in. There was an issue with my appointment, which I had made online that day. Perhaps it was me that mis-scheduled my appointment, but the ladies at the service window were less than helpful.

After figuring out that I in fact did not have an appointment that day, I scheduled for an appointment. With a different doctor. And a 40-minute wait.

As if the wait and change in doctors wasn’t enough, I was asked repeated questions about the nature of my visit in front of a waiting room full of my peers. I was forced to explain the exact issues I was having in front of a group of listening students. Apparently, HIPAA doesn’t matter on this campus (To the waiting room onlookers: sorry for the graphic description). I left.

A campus health center is something that all students should be comfortable utilizing, and for me, UCHS was far from comforting or convenient. Luckily, I have a car in Whitewater and was able to drive the 45 minutes home to see my general practitioner for the 20-minute appointment I needed.

My experience with UCHS taught me a valuable lesson: Don’t get sick; we don’t help.