I’m sick and tired of people being sick and tired.

That’s right. I’m tired of people coughing, sneezing and being obnoxiously filled with germs in class. I have seen students sit through classes with mono, strep throat, the flu, viruses and much more all because their professors allow no excused absences and they don’t want their grade to be dropped by a letter.

Yep, people are sitting in class hocking up a lung because they have no other choice. It’s not right to have little Timmy in here spreading the bubonic plague when the rest of us are trying to learn.

I have had my fair share of professors who were understanding of the medical needs of their students, and I am thankful for that everyday because I have a couple of chronic illnesses. But I have also had many that are not, and honestly, that is ridiculous to me.

Some professors will not even accept excuses from health services because they only take “real doctor’s notes.” I know that professors and the university are trying to prevent students from missing class for trivial reasons. You pay to come here to learn and you can’t do that if you are not in class. That makes perfect sense to me.

However, I think the GSU community needs to be more understanding and care more about the health and well-being of its students. We have all the programs that promote wellness and being healthy, but when it comes down to it, it just seems that on a classroom level many are unconcerned.

If you do come to class sick please just try to be as sanitary as you can possibly be. Stop rubbing snot on your sleeves or your hands. There are tissues for that. Stop breathing your sick breath on me and get a face mask. Stop sneezing and coughing into the open air, and cover your mouth! Then, use hand sanitizer — lots of hand sanitizer. Stop slowly dying in class and take yourself to Health Services. That is your student fees at work. Please use them. Do this for the sake of not only your classmates but yourself.

If something is really wrong, don’t be afraid to talk to your professors, because some can be more understanding than you think, and if they aren’t, the Dean of Students is a good person to talk to. And remember: sure your classes are very important and you paid a lot of money to be in them, but your personal health and well-being trumps them every time because you can’t go to class if you’re dead.