Well, the swine flu – sorry, H1N1 – is back after a brief respite in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to the American College Health Association, students with flu-like symptoms are already beginning to show up in college health centers, although it is largely unknown whether the ill have the H1N1 virus. The ACHA will be issuing weekly flu-tracking surveillance at college campuses.

The Capital Times reports that MATC-Madison has already seen a handful of confirmed H1N1 cases among its student body. UW-Madison recently said University Health Services has begun seeing more patients than usual for this time of year with flu-like symptoms. See more from the Capital Times.

The possibility of a widespread flu outbreak has left colleges and their faculty and staffs struggling with some difficult questions.

Chief among these are the handling of student absences. How are students with the flu – and presumably house-bound – to stay on top of course assignments and the like? Will there be a push to increase the amount of course material online for access by flu-ridden student? If so, who is to do that extra work and how will they be compensated for it?

And what about those courses – labs, clinical, etc. – that don’t easily lend themselves to online learning?

Speaking of clinicals, what if contagious students in programs like Nursing fall below the number of clinical hours needed to complete the course?

How will colleges handle students flirting with the “Incomplete?” Some degree of leniency to be expected – but is that a decision made by the instructor or by the college? If the latter, what does that mean for academic freedom?

The Centers for Disease Control and US Department of Education released H1N1 guidelines for higher education institutions. But these largely amount to a dose of common sense, leaving colleges and their employees to wrestle with some of the thorny questions raised above.

Will colleges craft policies with more specific guidelines? And, if so, what is the role for employees in shaping these decisions – either through the bargaining process or otherwise?

More resources:

State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Center for Disease Control