Our campus has been infected by disease for the past two weeks. According to various news sources, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and Channel 6 ABC Action News, over 100 Villanova students have reported symptoms of a highly contagious and quick-hitting flu-like virus, a norovirus, to the Student Health Center.

Last Friday night ABC Channel 6 featured an extensive news story on the “Villanova Virus.” They interviewed students and cited figures that the University had already reported to state and local health officials.

VEMS told The Villanovan that they’ve been responding to calls reporting symptoms of severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration since last Tuesday. One night last week VEMS responded to an astounding 18 calls, 15 of which were attributed to this virus.

There has been no official number of reported cases released to the community. VEMS said that the number is likely higher than any reported or rumored count because some cases have gone unreported or have been less severe as the virus dies down.

However, when the virus reached its peak, there was one report that hadn’t been issued, and that was one from the University administration to the students. While the virus has been affecting students for about two weeks, there had been no e-mail from the administration warning students about the presence of the virus, advice on how to avoid it or what to do once they get it until after the virus had reached its peak.

The University did send out an e-mail regarding the situation to RAs, but that did not come until Tuesday.

Dr. Mary McGonigle sent an e-mail to the Villanova community, discussing the virus and preventative steps, but it came after the virus had peaked on Jan. 22, not at a time when it was actually helpful to the student body in preventing the virus from spreading as much as it had.

Michelle Broughton, director of Residence Life at Rosemont College, sent an e-mail about the virus at Villanova to the Rosemont student body last Thursday, while our own administration failed to make any similar preventative effort, instead only acting after the illness had begun to die down.

The administration had time enough to talk to the press and health officials about the virus but neglected to inform the group that was actually experiencing the epidemic: its students.

Dozens of e-mails flood our inboxes daily relating to lectures and events that most people do not read, yet we received no timely message relating to an event that affected students whether they liked it or not.

In the future, for similar illnesses or even those more serious, the administration must act quicker for the health and wellbeing of the student body.