As the winter chill is replaced with spring sun, the possibility of illness is still prevalent, as the University of Oregon Health Center confirmed a case of mumps on campus in late March.

The infected student contracted mumps off-campus and has since been cleared of the illness.  Though campus appears to be clear of mumps, there have been several other reports of mumps in the community within the last few weeks, according to the Lane County Public Health Department website.

Mumps is a contagious disease spread by contact with contaminated items, coughing, sneezing or unwashed hands. Symptoms can range from tiredness and loss of appetite to swelling of the salivary glands, located under the ears.

Dr. Richard Brunader of the UO Health Center said the issue identifying mumps symptoms is that they generally do not surface until two days after the initial infection. Such symptoms include a headache, muscle aches, fever, loss of appetite and swelling of the glands below the ears.

Most illnesses spread in groups, so he recommends that people take extra precautions when in large groups in condensed areas, no matter if a person claims to be healthy or not.  To avoid infection of any kind, students should avoid sharing drinks, being in close contact with someone who is not feeling well and should wash their hands as frequently as possible.

“Initially it can feel like you just don’t feel well because it’s nothing specific,” said Brunader. “If you have concerning symptoms, please let us know.”

A child displaying swollen salivary glands from mumps. (Creative Commons)

Though mumps may no longer be a pressing threat on UO’s campus, Brunader urges students to watch their general health as the season changes.

“Springtime is coming, so people start having problems with asthma and hayfever,” Brunader said. He cautions people to ensure their inhalers are not empty, which he says is a common problem of his patients.

Visit the health center for an examination or to inquire about how to ensure a healthy spring term.

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University of Oregon’s neighbor Oregon State University confirmed its third case of Meningitis last week, and the UO Health Center has under-taken another effort to alert students of the dangers of the disease.

OSU stated on its website that the outbreak is not an emergency, but health authorities suggest students keep close tabs on their health throughout the end of winter term.

According to Oregon Public Health, UO experienced its own outbreak in 2015, with seven documented cases and one resulting in death. The outbreak was followed with mass vaccinations for incoming UO students, which UO Health Center Medical Director Dr. Richard Brunader claims has helped reduce the number of cases.

Though meningitis is potentially life-threatening, it is not an extremely common or easily contracted disease.

“It is not a very prevalent thing,” said Brunader. “Its transmissibility is not that great.”

Brunader described meningitis as a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. There are nine subtypes of the disease, and the one that is currently being handled is type B.

Symptoms of Meningitis are often difficult to distinguish from a common cold or flu, according to Brunader, and can consist of fever, drowsiness, headache, stiff muscle aches or rash. Over time the disease progresses and the symptoms become more abnormal.

In order to avoid contracting Meningitis, students should avoid close contact with others who are feeling unwell. This includes sharing drinks, exchanging saliva and smoking. Students living in residence halls are most susceptible to contracting the virus and are advised to wash their hands as frequently as possible.

“Everybody is sick all the time,” said Brunader. “But if this seems different, it’s better for us to look than to guess.”

Meningitis B and ACWY vaccinations are available at the UO Health Center. For more information, visit https://healthcenter.uoregon.edu/meningitis.

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Correction: The initial story that was posted online at 9:44 am on March 8 has been preserved at the bottom of this correction. Some of the content may have been misleading.

The tweet from UO that Sleeping Giant used to confirm UO’s blocking of ads from Breitbart’s website did not state that UO-affiliated ads will no longer appear there, only that the university is working “to fix this.”

Sleeping Giants, an activist group, confirmed this morning that University of Oregon advertisements will no longer appear on alt-right website Breitbart.

According to The Sleeping Giants, a progressive group dedicated to the halt of discriminatory news sites, UO has joined a list of over 1,000 companies and institutions that have blocked Breitbart from their media buy.  

The initial news of UO ads on Breitbart’s controversial website struck many students and faculty as an issue, as well as a threat to the safe space that UO has worked to create over the years.

Many people reached out through Twitter, and were met with the response from the university that the ads worked through an algorithm, and a solution would soon be worked out with the university’s media buyers.

CONFIRMED: The University of Oregon @uoregon has blocked Breitbart from their media buy! Go Ducks!

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) March 8, 2017

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To be a Republican on the University of Oregon campus is against the norm, and the UO College Republicans are no strangers to backlash for their political beliefs and actions.  

On Feb. 16 in Lillis Hall, the College Republicans held their weekly meeting, only this particular meeting came with anticipation of open voiced opposition from Eugene’s anti-fascist group, Antifa. College Republicans were told that Antifa would be at their meeting via Facebook.

Earlier in the day Antifa had shared a post from the College Republican’s Facebook page that asked about bringing Milo Yiannopoulos, the controversial journalist and former Breitbart editor, to speak at the university.

“Eugene-Springfield: Shut this down before it starts,” Antifa commented.

“It makes me want to gather more of the community and show that we’re here and our voice matters just as much as theirs,” club chairman Justin Myhre said in regards to the comments from Antifa. “Your voice does matter, but so does ours.”

Last week’s meeting had the largest turnout all term. Members believed that anticipation of the possible clash was the cause for the large turnout. Despite multiple Facebook comments, Antifa never showed, and the College Republicans held a normal, yet slightly more popular meeting.

Club member Nicholas Duerst is not a regular at the meetings, but was encouraged by friends to attend this particular meeting to see how the evening might pan out.

“I figured it would be cool to see what’s up,” said Duerst,  “and if they do come it will be kind of like entertainment.”

Myhre wants to create a space for UO conservatives to come together and share their beliefs with like-minded individuals.

“There’s LGBT members, there’s people of color, international students — I love that,” said Myhre. “That’s where all the knowledge is. They help us flourish. Without them, we wouldn’t be a club, we’d just be a bunch of white people, and that’s not the face that I want for the republican party in the future.”

The main controversy surrounded possible efforts to bring Yiannopoulos back to UO’s campus. Yiannopoulos spoke on campus last May. Earlier this month Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak at UC Berkeley, but protests from university students and community members ended up canceling the event. Yiannopoulos received widespread criticism for his recent comments on pedophilia, which lost him his most recent book deal. He resigned from Breitbart on Tuesday. He made the controversial comments after the College Republicans meeting.

UO senior and College Republican member Samantha Smith says they will not be inviting Yiannopoulos anymore and are looking to bring in Ben Shapiro instead.

Eugene Antifa’s goal is to shut down any cases of white supremacy, racism or overall intolerance in the community, and publicly posted on their Facebook page urging members to rally together at Thursday’s College Republicans meeting in order to prevent the invitation of Yiannopoulos.

“If they come to our meetings and have a lively discussion I would love that,” said Myhre. “I would love to entertain a discussion.”

The University of Oregon College Republicans meet every Thursday in Lillis 175 at 6 p.m., and welcome discussion from students off all backgrounds. Antifa can be found on Facebook and Twitter @EugeneAntifa.

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