Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl showed up to my dorm room because I was hallucinating from a temperature of 102 Fahrenheit when I got Covid-19 at Knox for the first time.
It was the spring of 2022, and I had returned from a Union Board ball, when my body started violently shivering and I wondered if it was the midwestern cold or I was getting sick. Body ache kicked in soon and I realized the cold wasn’t probably so bad and I had finally been conquered by Covid-19.
But I was an international student without insurance, who was getting sick on a Saturday night and Health Services was not to open until 8 AM on Monday. Perhaps I would have been able to find a concrete answer and also get help needed if Health Services were open longer or if we had at-home Covid-19 tests available around campus.
I spent that weekend isolating myself. There was no way to get tested off campus because I would still have to ask someone to drive me and that would put them at risk of catching the infection. Sunday night, my fever shot up so high that I met Chuck and was terrified to my core.
Finally two years later, Health Services has introduced Covid-19 tests in the C-store, which is open longer than Health Services. The Student Senate also announced having Plan B and contraceptives and first-aid kits for students around campus in more accessible locations and outside the hours of Health Services.
However, isn’t it time the college reconsidered the Health Services hours? Especially for international students as they have to navigate the US healthcare system and the world of private insurance. Closing Health Services on weekends and after 4:30 PM on weekdays makes it harder for them to access affordable healthcare.
Additionally, the Office of International Student Services needs to be doing more to accommodate international students and help them navigate the complexities of health insurance so they can have secure healthcare off campus when Health Services is closed on weekends and during the night on weekdays. Why does it ultimately fall on the student to jump through hoops just to have basic health care?
