The C.E. Jeffers Sports Center was closed for several hours Jan. 7 and 8 for cleaning as a preventative action against the spread of a potential bacteria.
“As a precautionary measure for possible bacteria, the gym was closed last Wednesday afternoon through Thursday mid-morning,” said Director of Athletics John Nelson. “During that time, Campus Care staff conducted a thorough cleaning of the facility.
“It is our first and foremost responsibility in high use areas like the gym to provide a clean and healthy environment. We want our students and athletes to not only be safe but feel safe.”
The closure initially sparked some unease among students as rumors attributed the closing to an outbreak of MRSA, a treatment-resistant staph infection.
Mikayla Mueller, a freshman who had a staph infection in high school, said she has been “taking extra precaution not to go the gym. I don’t want to get it again.”
Director of Health Services Janie Vohland said the cleaning was routine. “If someone has a nosebleed in the bathroom, we clean it. We do anything we can to contain a virus.”
Vohland said staph infections are common on college campuses, but treatable with medication. “It’s not scary,” she said.
“Your best defense” against infections like staph or strep throat, Vohland said, is “your immune system. Keep yourself healthy.”