With the flu season in its peak, students remain vigilant against the threat of illness.

Darren Rindt does his best to keep healthy habits, such as washing his hands often.

“I try to use my height to my advantage. I push doors with my hands around 6 feet high so that I avoid the high hand-traffic area,” said Rindt, a senior criminal justice major.

Rindt also avoids his friends while they are sick, trying to keep from contracting the disease.

“But when I do get sick, I usually try to tough it out because I can miss so much in one day. I’ve been lucky enough to never be sick on a test day,” Rindt said.

Rindt said that missing some classes or a test can be unavoidable when too sick to make it.

“Go to health clinic on campus and get a note to give to your professor, or you can always go puke in your professors office so he will believe you,” Rindt said.

Rindt said that there are signs as to when a bug or disease are going to be bad. When the sniffles or coughs get passed through a class, Rindt said that he feels like “everyone is out to get me.”

Kali Gaar said that living off campus during the germy seasons allow her to avoid getting sick too often.

“I’m not as exposed to what passes through the dorms,” said Gaar, freshman education major.

Gaar said that she never allows herself to get too sick, staying vaccinated and taking regular trips to the doctor.

“Usually I feel like I want to surround myself in a protective bubble. The last thing I need is to get sick,” Gaar said.

According to Gaar keeping warm and actively avoiding illness is the key to staying healthy.

“I wear thick socks, even though I prefer flip flops. I always make sure to stay warm when it is this cold outside all the time,” Gaar said. “If I do get sick I still go to class as long as I am not contagious.”

Gaar said that keeping others in mind when you are sick is important, as you can inadvertantly give them whatever you might have.

“We have to look out for one another,” Gaar said.

Proper sanitation and care of personal objects can help prevent contraction of diseases. Avoiding sharing food or drink with someone who is possibly sick will help students beat the season and come out unscathed.

According to the CDC website, students who wash their dishes where they wash their hands and brush their teeth are more likely to get sick.

Students should thoroughly clean bathrooms once a week in an effort to keep germs at a minimum.