Sickness is starting to spread through campus like wildfire. Coughs and sneezes have taken over the usual hum of conversation in most buildings. Classes have been a little slimmer due to student’s absences.

The fear of getting sick has become prominent. Why should you be afraid of getting sick?

Getting sick means lying in bed in your pj’s with warm soup and TV. But what does getting sick really mean?

Getting sick means a pile of homework and class assignments missed while watching Golden Girls all day.

Illness means wasted absences we could have used to skip class. Mostly being sick gives more anxiety than sniffles.

Personally, I enjoy a good day of playing hooky. My mother instilled that in me at an early age. One day of each school year I got to skip school and do whatever I wanted.

I don’t condone skipping class regularly. My personal rule is never skip class until after midterms. Which usually is broken three weeks into the semester. But I digress.

So Warhawks, to save your sick days to make them skip days, follow these simple steps. Because the only thing I want to catch this semester is lunch and a movie instead of going to statistics.

A rested body is a healthy body. A student having too many all nighters will eventually have a lower immune system. In the case of multiple, back to back all nighters, get that immune system up.

Get in those eight hours of sleep. If that seems impossible, try to plan naps or times to rest throughout your day.

Staying hydrated is the easiest thing to keep your body moving through this sick season. We all know the rule, eight glasses a day.

Vitamins are a must for any and all students. Not only does it keep you healthy, they are now providing grownups like us the option of gummy vitamins. How considerate of them.

Emergen-C has always been a sacred miracle potion to my singer friends and in the first sign of a cold they swear by Zicam.

Hand sanitizer is always a good thing to think about when leaving the computers in a lab such as in the library or Student Success Center. However, don’t go overboard on that stuff.

If you are like me and need your room to be around 68° to slumber than move the fan away from your face so scratchy throats aren’t an issue.

Another alteration to your nightly routine comes in the form of a humidifier.

For those who are already sick and wouldn’t wish it upon your own worst enemy be considerate to others. Use the vampire cough technique. Pull your imaginary cape up in front of your face and cough into your arm.

Most importantly if you are sick, stay home. This is how illness spreads. You have time to makeup assignments.

Don’t wipe out the whole campus population because you didn’t want to miss the second discussion of Beowulf, we all know what happens.

Now am I saying that skipping class makes the schoolwork and homework you missed magically disappear? No.

‘The difference between sick days and skip days are that we have the freedom to choose our skip days.