By Martha Dolan
Cornell can be a demanding place, both academically and emotionally. It is not uncommon for students to pull all-nighters in the Cocktail Lounge or drink multiple caffeinated beverages a day just to get by. The constant pressure of prelims, presentations and essays are never-ending, and the Cornell lifestyle can prove to be extremely taxing at times – one thing that is guaranteed to make it worse, the frat flu.
Picture this: after a long week spent cramming for an exam, going to coffee chats and attending meetings, it’s time to unwind. What better way to blow off steam than going to a frat party? The flashing lights, blaring music and sticky floors seem to have a unique way of allowing you to temporarily forget about the perpetual whirlwind of stress that this school guarantees.
In turn of nourishing your social life for a weekend, the impending illness that most catch after a weekend spent at parties is nearly inevitable. However, it brings me solace knowing that I am not the only one feeling this way. Especially during the winter months, sickness seems to run rampant through campus, as lecture halls echo with coughs and sniffles. Commonly known as the “frat flu,” this familiar ailment has essentially become a Cornell epidemic.
A typical Friday night can include walking into a packed frat basement, hugging people I haven’t talked to since orientation week, singing my heart out to "Mr. Brightside" and sharing a late night snack from Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC) with my friends. While it all seems worth it in the moment, sometimes I wonder if it is justifiable when I know that one ailment or another will leave me questioning my decisions for the rest of the week.
The frat flu proves to be an entire experience, on top of the physical burden that it ensures. It usually starts by waking up after a night out, head pounding, voice gone and a slight feeling of regret. As you check your text messages from the previous night to make sure you didn’t send anything cryptic, the realization sets in that you’ve caught the frat flu once more. I have felt this many times before, as I text my mom that — yet again — I’m sick. “I must have the weakest immune system in the world,” I proclaim. It wasn’t until recently that I noticed a pattern. I typically tend to get sick at the beginning of the week, following a weekend of parties.
In particular, Zeta Psi, known to some as the “freshman frat,” always seems to hit my friends and I the hardest the week following. The basement that’s usually filled to the brim always proves to be a fun time, but the extremely close quarters becomes an ideal breeding ground for the frat flu. This paired with a lack of sleep and hydration becomes a perfect combination for the mysterious illness to escalate.
Symptoms of the frat flu include but are not limited to exhaustion, a stuffy nose from breathing in the questionable frat basement air, body aches from dancing and a sore throat from shouting over the blasting music. There is no doubt that these various afflictions make even the most simple of tasks feel impossible. It becomes a little harder to keep your eyes open while finishing that problem set, and you find yourself yearning for your bed during your morning classes.
Since the frat flu is such a common experience among Cornell students, a question of prevention arises. While it may never be completely avoidable, there are certain measures one can take to mitigate the symptoms and boost your immunity. For starters, Liquid IV and Emergen-C packets have been my life savers this semester, and a drawer full of Dayquil and cough drops never hurts. Additionally, I always abide by the rest and reset rule. Sometimes the most beneficial way to cure the sickness is to simply sleep it off. Take a weekend off, turn on your favorite comfort show, and recharge. Your immune system probably needs a break — trust me.
While in the moment it feels like the world is out to get you, the shared experience and camaraderie that comes with catching the frat flu is a rite of passage in any college freshman’s life. Unfortunately, it will get to you, no matter how careful you are. At the end of the day, it’s just a part of the experience, and evidence of a weekend well spent. Take it as a badge of honor, as it may even build character — or your immune system, for that matter.
As the weekend approaches you ask yourself the age-old question: is it worth it? Maybe you should stay in, drink some tea and catch up on sleep. Or maybe you’ll rally one more time with your friends. No matter your decision, the frat flu is an endless cycle. It’s a never-ending loop of fun, regret and recovery. While it may seem miserable at the time, hopefully it will provide you with a repertoire of stories to tell your kids one day.
Martha Dolan is a first-year in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at mmd289@cornell.edu.
