Staying home and being hygienic when sick are incredibly important. Graphic by Anna Gritzenbach. 

MAKENNA CULVER | MULTIMEDIA REPORTER | mculver1@butler.edu 

Have you ever heard of the freshman flu? The back-to-school bug? Are any of the numerous names for the sicknesses that always seem to hit you at the most inconvenient times familiar to you? Newsflash: they are preventable.

There is one major solution that many people forget is even an option — stay home. If you have a fever, an awful cough or you feel nauseous, it’s not that difficult to stay home. Not only does it help to speed up your healing process, but it can also protect those around you. Going out when sick doesn’t make you tough or dedicated; it makes you part of the problem.

To be clear, I am not telling you to skip class every time you have slight allergies. What I am saying is that when you are truly ill, the smartest decision is to stay home. 

I’m also not just referring to class. This applies to other activities you may have going on as well. Sometimes it is best to call out of work. The smart move may be to cancel the plans with friends. Overall, everyone is better off staying out of social situations when sick.

First-year health sciences major Joey Elzer shared his opinion on how going out sick is bad not only for you, but for those around you. 

“You can get others sick and you can also worsen your symptoms,” Elzer said

The idea that productivity should come at any cost is not only outdated — it’s dangerous. We’ve learned in recent years how quickly viruses can spread, and we always seem to forget. Just five short years ago, staying home wasn’t an option; it was a mandate, and when others defied that mandate, the consequences were severe. Many died because people chose not to stay home. The pandemic forced us to stay home when sick, and if there is any practice from that era that should carry over, it’s that one.

Of course, not everyone has the privilege to take time off. That’s a failure of policy. The idea that you can only miss so many classes is incredibly flawed. We shouldn’t have to choose between our health and an education. There are so many more virtual resources we could be utilizing instead of forcing sick people to come to class.

This lack of policy is also incredibly dangerous for health care workers. When there is an illness that begins to spread, especially in a small area, hospitals can become inundated with people. This can be incredibly detrimental to various types of healthcare workers.

First-year pre-pharmacy student Titan Traester explained how people going out sick affects pharmacists in particular.

 “[Pharmacists are] touching medicine and it gets prescribed or given out to somebody else,” Traester said. “… It can cause the whole pharmacy to shut down.”

This idea is not uncommon amongst students who are studying health care. Many of these students begin to see the negative implications of their actions when they begin to learn more about public health, disease prevention and patient care.

Junior health sciences major Aidan Vogt spoke on the fact that his perspective has changed since he chose his major. 

“As a pre-health student, my views have changed drastically on illness,” Vogt said.  “I understand how your illness affects other people. You have a responsibility when you’re sick to make sure you contain your sickness. Although it may not be your fault if you are sick, it definitely is when you get other people sick.”

Vogt emphasized that preventing the spread of illness isn’t always about staying home entirely, but is more so about being responsible. 

“I highly encourage people when they’re sick to either take the necessary precautions, such as taking proper medication to reduce symptoms or masking up when going to class,” Vogt said. “If you don’t want to do these things, it’s important to keep your illness home and stay away from others.”

That sense of accountability is exactly what’s needed to create a healthier campus environment. Individual actions — choosing to wear a mask, rescheduling plans or even just emailing a professor — can go a long way in protecting vulnerable classmates, staff and the broader community.

At the end of the day, staying home when you’re sick isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of respect. Respect for your classmates, your professors, your coworkers and the countless others who may be affected by your decision to “push through” an illness. 

While it’s easy to feel pressure to keep up with school or the anxiety about maintaining a social life, the long-term consequences of spreading illness far outweigh the short-term benefits of showing up.

As we continue to move forward in a world still shaped by recent public health crises, it’s time to rethink what it means to be responsible. Taking care of yourself is taking care of others. 

Whether it’s staying home or simply being honest about how you’re feeling, every small action counts. The culture of pushing through sickness needs to be replaced with one that prioritizes health, empathy and collective well-being.