My pledgebrothers are dying. A deadly epidemic has swept the campus at an alarming rate and we are unable to fight back. Before, I’d questioned whether the reports were true or just a means of the government trying to control with fear. Every case had been in some relatively far-off city and I was certain that around the nation, people were getting similar reports but nobody actually knew anyone who had it. Even if I’d heard someone talk about someone who had it, it was always a friend of a roommate’s cousin who played varsity soccer and was healthy as a mule, or something vague of the like. It’s highly contagious and I’m pretty sure it’s spread through bites and scratches. Although I’m concerned about my classes and love my pledgebrothers, I’m ready to board up in a room somewhere with canned beans and Twinkies and wait till it all dies out. I never thought I’d have to apply lessons I learned from Resident Evil and Dawn of the Dead…

 

In one such case, as I’ve heard it told, my pledgebrother actually became infected from the vaccine. He went to receive the live vaccine (vaccines can be made using either dead or weakened strains of a virus in order to initiate an immune response). He immediately became drowsy and weakened, but the most unusual of his symptoms were the fever induced delusions he experienced Saturday night. I was not there, but have heard from multiple accounts that he began ranting about the most random things (many of which are not appropriate for young readers). He and several others in the house have been sent home until they recover or are no longer contagious.

 

 As it now stands, about 1/4 of my house has become ill and 8 have been confirmed to have H1N1. To my knowledge, nobody is so concerned as to actually board up in a room, but having so many indisposed hinders not only our ability to do pledge activities, but also means that we have to make adjustments to how things are done around the house. We have been forced to take on multiple house jobs, limit the number and severity of group hugs, and now we have to shower EVERY day…I don’t know if I can take it much longer. Furthermore, I have just learned that we are quarantining the sick in a single room and unlocking the door only to give them meals. Things have finally escalated to a pseudo-state of emergency and some are almost really frightened for their social lives!