Monday, October 9, 2023
Mayo Clinic Minute
Strategies to stay healthy during respiratory virus season DeeDee Stiepan Mayo Clinic News Network Fall and winter are a time when highly contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness usually circulate heavily in communities. Because many of these viruses can lead to serious infection, hospitalization and even death, it’s crucial to arm yourself with strategies that can help prevent illness and keep you and your loved ones safe. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, an infectious diseases expert, outlines some strategies you can use to keep you and your family healthy during respiratory virus season. “Each year we have what we call viral respiratory season where people seem to get colds, and some people get worse infections, including pneumonia,” says Dr. Sampathkumar. See Respiratory on 6
Tribune News Service The viruses responsible for causing most infections in the fall and winter are influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Audit urged UNC to require active shooter training for faculty, staff. It didn’t comply would implement required Korie Dean The Charlotte Observer training specifically for
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill received recommendations in 2020 to require active shooter training for faculty and staff, an audit document obtained by The News & Observer indicates. But three years later, and following two gun-related lockdowns this academic year, the university has not implemented such requirements. The internal audit, which was completed in May 2020, included five recommendations for how the university could improve safety and security before, during and after active shooter or “armed intruder” situations on campus. The first recommendation, which corresponded to the auditor’s observation that the university at that time had “insufficient” active shooter training for university employees, said the university “should consider requiring” faculty and staff to participate in such training to “ensure” they are prepared to respond to such emergencies. The recommendation said such training could also be added to new employee on-boarding processes. But according to information provided to The N&O by the UNC media relations office following the deadly Aug. 28 shooting at the university, there is no required emergency training for faculty at the university. The university provided a response to each recommendation in the 18-page audit, stating it concurred with all of them. Regarding the recommendation for required training, the university’s response stated that it would implement “rigorous training exercises for law enforcement” and “review” other training resources. The response did not directly address whether the university
staff and faculty. Some UNC students recounted to The N&O in the days following the Aug. 28 shooting at the university that they felt their professors were not prepared for the emergency. “I know that not everyone felt as prepared as they may have wanted to, and no system and no response is perfect,” UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz told members of the university Faculty Council at a Sept. 28 meeting, adding that the university would “assess whether more required trainings should be considered.” UNC Police Chief Brian James told The N&O in an interview last month that “it is absolutely best practice to have as many people trained as we possibly can,” but said any mandates for training would need to be decided by university leadership. UNC said in its responses to the audit recommendations that it would act on all of the recommendations by the end of the 2020 calendar year — either by completing them, or by taking steps to review them. UNC spokesperson Erin Spandorf told The N&O by email that the university’s Office of Internal Audit, along with the associate vice chancellor for campus safety and risk management, have been tracking the implementation of the audit’s recommendations since 2020. “Significant efforts have been attained related to addressing identified improvement opportunities; however, the recommendations remain in an open status, with noted progress,” Spandorf said. The university did not address specific questions from The N&O regarding why it has not implemented required training for faculty and staff. Nor did it address whether the training is included in new employee on-boarding. See Audit on 7
Courtesy of Creative Commons There are plenty of shopping options in Stillwater to stock up on decorations for Halloween.
Res-Life safe Halloween decor Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter
the guidelines of OSU Residential Life. Let’s start with a Stillwater favorite, Walmart. The superstore is full of budget-friendly items for students to pick from. A notable Bob Bozarth, first-time item is the $2-$5 mini pumpkins venIt’s almost Halloween at available for purchase. Want to Oklahoma State, so it’s time to get take the mini pumpkin to the next spooky level? After checking out all the Our mission, should we amazing articles, grab some paint choose to accept it, is to find and some O’Colly newspapers, decorations on a budget that fit
and paint your pumpkin! If you want to freak out your friends when they walk in the door, Walmart has a variety of skeletons. The spooktacular props range in price from $2-$30. Grab some command hooks for these festive decorations and pumpkin lights. A string of lights is about $6. Remember to turn off the lights before you leave for class. See Halloween on 8