Starting in grade school, students are taught to wash their hands every time they use the bathroom, blow their noses, touch something yucky, and before and after eating.  However, this important twenty second step to infection prevention has been lost to many students. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, ninety-seven percent of females say that they wash and ninety-two percent of males say that they wash, but only seventy-five percent of females and fifty-eight percent of males actually do wash their hands. The Center for Disease Control says, “Hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection.” The Office of Student Affairs agrees, and has pushed for students to wash more frequently to help ward off “the plague” that has taken over campus. Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Kathy Wagoner said, “One of the best ways to prevent illness is to wash frequently and thoroughly.” To aid in fending off sickness the Office of Student Affairs has posted fliers in dorm bathrooms, and is constantly asking the resident life staff to remind their residents to wash.  Living, studying, working and practicing with so many people daily should encourage the Monmouth College community to wash frequently, but it doesn’t appear to be effective motivation. 

A study in Detroit found that people who wash their hands at least four times a day had a twenty-five percent less chance of getting a cold and a fifty-two percent less chance of having an upset stomach. Four times a day may seem like a lot, but, when you  think in terms of washing every time one uses the restroom and before every meal, this really is not a lot. The Minnesota Health Department also advises that a work desk, refrigerator, keyboard, light switch, and pens and pencils are some of the best places for germs to hide. If one thinks about how many times a day one or many of these objects are touched and how many germs are on each object, that is a lot of potential sickness on those fingertips. 

There are over two hundred and twenty-nine thousand germs on a faucet handle and twenty-one thousand germs on every square inch per desk space.  There are six steps to washing one’s hands correctly.  The first is to wet hands with warm running water, then comes the soap.  Next, rub hands together for about twenty seconds, covering all areas of the hands; rinse the hands and dry with a paper towel or towel. Finally, turn off the faucet and open the door with the same paper towel or towel to avoid contaminating your freshly cleaned hands.

Every season, the Office of Student Affairs pushes student awareness of sickness prevention.  This season has been no different, but it appears that this season has gone on longer, and had more intense symptoms. Wagoner also encourages people who are feeling sick to, “immediately seek medical attention if they feel ill.” The school also provides a complimentary taxi cab service to the hospital and to the pharmacy for students. 

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