In Houston Hall, a girl on a cell phone paced while consulting her mom about getting the preventative treatment for meningitis.
This was a common sight Saturday morning, as over 3,000 students received the antibiotic supplied by University and City public health officials over the weekend, according to University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman.
After the University announced last week that three students were hospitalized due to a meningococcal infection, it cancelled all official and student-sponsored parties this past weekend - since the common link among the cases was reported to be the Greek system, according to the update. The University plans to resume normal operations today.
Some students, however, are wary of a quick return to routine.
"I don't really want to go to a big lecture class tomorrow and sit with a bunch of people," said College freshman Anthony Adler. "It's more scary than anything else, but we can't really do anything about it."
College freshman Kelly McCarthy agreed with Adler.
"I'm concerned about the lack of information and not knowing the names of the students involved," she said.
Other students agreed that returning to classes and other activities without more official information on the cases makes them uneasy.
McCarthy, however, said she opted not to get the antibiotic since she had not attended any Greek parties in the time leading up to the cases and her sorority had not been affected.
Wharton freshman Greg Van Roten said he decided to get the antibiotic because he recently recovered from mononucleosis. "I didn't know whether it would have any effect on my immune system," he said. "I just wanted to be cautious."
Student responses range from avoiding parties or events this weekend to labeling and not reusing plastic Solo cups.
College freshman Monika Wasik said she has been paying attention but is not overly worried about the recent cases.
"There's been a lot of craze about it," she said, adding that she hasn't had much contact with the Greek system lately.
Wasik did note that the weekly Sunday brunch in McClelland Hall in Ware College House had been cancelled as a precaution.
Although College freshman Sarah Morrissey is not in a sorority, she said she took the antibiotic because she lives in close quarters in Ware.
"A lot of people on my hall are in a fraternity or sorority, so I didn't want to take any chances," she said.
The AlliedBarton security guard manning the Upper Quadrangle gate admitted that he was especially nervous, since he had meningitis when he was 14 and thought students might just ignore the symptoms.
"I'm worried that some kids will start feeling bad and just take an Advil to shrug it off."
College houses and fraternity parties aren't the only places students are at risk.
An employee at David Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, who said he has not yet been instructed to take additional precautions, noted that employees wear gloves and wipe down machines on a regular basis to avoid spreading bacteria.
Given the widespread response and speculations regarding the meningitis outbreaks, students appear alert and conscious of the situation.
One freshman, a self-described hypochondriac who wished to remain anonymous, admitted that he had been holed up in his room for the past 48 hours and living off of Campusfood.com.
"Why take the risk when you don't have to?" he shrugged.
