<p>CPU - did you play before, or just take it up? My D is playing club rugby this fall - a new thing for her. Their first match is tomorrow.</p>
<p>I’m interested in your safety tips, bucasmom. Since DH is half way across the county I have been totally out of the loop with this in terms of running out to by mouthguards, etc. I didn’t even think to ask if she had all that stuff. I guess I have to cross my fingers for tomorrow.</p>
<p>Most rugby positions don’t need scrum caps and I can’t imagine any club level rugby team letting anyone play without mouth guards so she should be fine. I had S get a custom mouth guard at the dentist in the summer (he has a funny bite and tends to bite through the mouth guards you get at Dick’s). The only other bizarre bit of equipment is just for the tallest person on the team (the jumper) and that involves medical tape, electrical tape, and tampons (even for the guys). </p>
<p>Rugby is a little different. I think that is why our curious and challenge seeking kids are drawn to it!</p>
<p>saintfan I’ve been dying to play since freshman year. There were no teams in my area. good luck to your D! I love it so much. What is she (forward, back?) cheek to cheek tackling is the safest but I find it hard to actually do that. I was never in a face to face position with an opponent. My tackles were more of a hug/both of us drop to the ground (to not get penalized for throwing the person). And staying low during contact is really key. Safe for all involved. </p>
<p>The reason I was hit was because our opponent had a lot of rookies who still needed more practice. We have one of the strongest rookie groups in our history. I was rucking (basically a contest for the ball after someone’s been tackled. Supposed to be no more than 3 people (our coach said if it takes more than that, let them have it because we can’t have the field empty) per team in a line facing eachother), fell in the chaos, and a girl from the opposing team came in from the side (not allowed whatsoever) and hit me (kicked?) in the head. Did not realize it until 8hrs later when my head was hurting at the site of impact. </p>
<p>I’m a forward (so no avoiding tackling or being tackled-if I ever have the ball) but I’m not in a position that requires a scrum cap (which don’t protect against head contact.)</p>
<p>Bucasmom- our jumpers are short and light (I’m a jumper). Some are tall but most of us are short. And we don’t use equipment like that. The tallest players on our team are lifters and centers(I think it’s called center). I really want to watch a men’s game. We’re trying to arrange a men’s vs women’s wrap-around game.</p>
<p>Such a sad loss for the NU community and the Maddula family. I was hoping for a happier ending.</p>
<p>Rugby is a sport that I barely understand. The folks I know who have played it, love the sport and the community that surrounds it. </p>
<p>It sounds like we’ll have a beautiful fall weekend here, I think we may have to go out in search of some Honeycrisp apples. Our children claim that Minnesota Honeycrisps are the best, so I’ve actually sent a care package with apples to my D in previous years. It hasn’t been a good year for them so they’re rather pricy.</p>
<p>Kargaro and rushedmom - I’m so sorry your kids are sick. I can relate - I just got a call from S who has an infected tooth that is swelling up and really painful all of a sudden. It stinks not being there. :(</p>
<p>Sorry to hear of our babies that are sick, injured or healing … it’s so hard to hear about these things when we’re not there. 
</p>
<p>My hope is that they all learn their way through making appointments on their own, using their insurance cards, and taking meds or rest as required so that they can be better ready for future semesters.</p>
<p>Hope everyone gets well soon!</p>
<p>FLU SHOTS</p>
<p>Do you all advise your kids to take flu shots? If yes, do you ask them to take it in the college campus? What are the pros and cons of these vaccines? Does it really help - any side effects? Do all the students normally take it every year? When?</p>
<p>PN - I’ve had an infected tooth - hopefully your guy can get it taken care of ASAP. I remember calling hubby from school and having him insist on getting me an appt for that night when I had mine - and I’m the type that rarely goes to the doctor or dentist…</p>
<p>I also hope those with the more common colds and flus feel better soon. They’re never fun.</p>
<p>I’ve been pondering the flu shot myself. For the first time since I can remember we school employees can get one for free at a local clinic who wants to support their public education. I’ve never had one before, nor had the flu in many, many years. It’s kind of tempting, but I just don’t know if I want one.</p>
<p>Are there pros and cons?</p>
<p>I’ve had my kids get flu shots for the last several years. They were available early this year, so my S had one in August, before he left for college. I would highly recommend these for kids on college campuses since infections can spread pretty easily through dorms. My kids have never had any side effects and neither has ever had the flu.</p>
<p>I do not take flu shots myself and I am in the medical profession. My opinion is that the people who should get the shot are people who are at the risk of dying from getting the flu. Thus, elderly people, immunocompromised people, very chronically ill people etc. I think vaccines are best for diseases that could be very dangerous or life threatening (hflu, mengiococcal, HPV, tetanus). (I would take the shot if I was in ER or another speciality where I could spread the flu to other elderly or infirmed people). There are many respiratory illnesses that a person can get in the winter and the flu is only one of them. Additionally, the flu vaccine is just a well educated guess of which one will be the one to spread over from Asia, but you could be infected with a different strain of influenza. As for the pro to the flu shot, the flu can take someone out of commission for 7-10 days, and you won’t give anyone the flu. Additionally, with many students in cramped quarters, maybe they are more likely to get the flu than if they were at home? I don’t know.</p>
<p>Though I do not take the flu shot, I only contract the flu maybe every 10 years or so, so this influences my opinion. Additionally, my kids seldom get the flu (influenza virus). Usually we just get colds (rhinovirus along with many other viruses). Even when we “likely” got the avian flu (other relatives tested postitive and we all got sick at the same time and were in close quarters due to holidays), it lasted maybe 5 days or so.</p>
<p>I think the flu shot is a good idea for students…they are in a crowded, germy environment in both high school and college, which increases their likelihood of getting sick.</p>
<p>And getting sick for a week or so can wreak real havoc on grades. Doesn’t it seem that no one gets really sick at a time when there aren’t any serious consequences? I know my kids always seem to get sick the week they have two papers, a presentation, a lab and a couple of exams on the schedule. And even if the professors let them have extensions, it just doubles or triples the workload while they are still trying to get back on their feet.</p>
<p>Hi All,
I’m sorry so many kids are getting sick, we’re just getting started with the season though, hopefully they’ll all get better quickly.
So I should be happy today as S is home for the weekend, except the circumstances aren’t good.
The RM situation came to a head last night.
They had to fill out the RM agreement and got into a fight when the RM refused to take it seriously. It ended in the RM threatening to punch my S.<br>
My S then went to the RA to report the situation. Long story short, after the campus police left (RA must call them when there’s a threat of violence), someone just over the RA’s head showed up and managed to convince my S that it will be in his best interest to leave for the weekend as the RM refused to go and they obviously could not at that point leave them alone in the room.
There will be a hearing on Monday to decide which of them must move. My S was not given any details of when the meeting will be so we have no idea when he will be allowed back in his room.<br>
I do not think this situation was handled properly, if my S was the one threatened why was he the one to leave? Anyhow, I’m fighting my instincts to get involved and will see what happens on Monday.</p>
<p>Hugs from here Elka. That situation sounds pretty bad. I hope they can do something about the other guy and don’t just give him free range.</p>
<p>Flu shot - pros and cons:
[Should</a> You Get the Flu Shot?](<a href=“http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives07ML4P1A10.html]Should”>http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives07ML4P1A10.html)</p>
<p>Hope it helps you with your decision.</p>
<p>wow Elka! </p>
<p>Any chance you can be on campus, as a resource if needed? There is just nothing about a room mate agreement that should cause that level of disagreement.</p>
<p>I hope things are resolved quickly on monday.</p>
<p>Pediatrician here. The flu shot is a no brainer from my perspective. Young people living together-- prime place for an outbreak. No, healthy young people don’t die from influenza (though the H1N1 was an exception to this-- a dear friend’s 11 year old D died that year), but “true flu” is a nasty nasty disease. And someone said in another thread-- you wish you’d get hit by a truck because it would be over faster. Thinking that my D might get that ill unnecessarily makes me shudder. Not to mention the impact on classes, grades, etc. I’m not going to argue this (that’s been done on another thread and we’ve talked about this a lot in our group here), and everyone should make their own decision. But imo the risk/benefit ratio so very clearly favors the vaccine that it makes it moot.</p>
<p>Elka— boy. How stressful for you and your S. Let us know what happens.</p>
<p>Elka…</p>
<p>I am so sorry your son (and you!) are going through this.</p>
<p>Why did they have your son leave, and not the RM? The RM was the one making the threats!</p>
<p>if your son wants to stay on the floor because he likes the other students, I would send a quick email to the RA and the housing department, and anyone else you can think of, saying that if the RM has not been moved by Sunday at % pm, there will be charges against him filed with the regular police.</p>
<p>The reason I suggest this is that otherwise it might be easier for them to tell your son to move, as the RM is there all weekend.</p>
<p>Of course, if your son prefers to move, that isn’t a problem. Although you might want to specify that he get a single–you don’t know the history of anyone he might get moved in with, either–it could be another person who is difficult to get along with.</p>
<p>Had to make a point about the link from student4ever:) about flu shots. That source was doing fine until we got to the 10 times the risk of Alzheimer’s disease from 5 consecutive flu shots. </p>
<p>The doctor who cited that is not reputable as noted in the below link.</p>
<p>[Respectful</a> Insolence (a.k.a. “Orac Knows”): Bill Maher: Anti-vax wingnut](<a href=“http://oracknows.blogspot.com/2005/12/bill-maher-anti-vax-wingnut.html]Respectful”>Bill Maher: Anti-vax wingnut)</p>
<p>The rest of the pros and cons are worth considering.</p>
<p>Flu shots and all medical interventions are about risk versus benefits. While in all the years my son was in HS I did not have him get a flu shot, he already has had 2 colds. He is an amazing hand washer and rarely ever got sick. Due to the exposure of being in the dorm, I will have him get a flu shot this year. </p>
<p>That sound so stressful Elka- as if acclimating to freshman year wasn’t stressful enough</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughts everyone.
I really am itching to get involved but DS is adamant that we wait for outcome of the meeting on Monday. He feels that as he is the elected house representitive for his dorm there’s a good chance that he will be allowed to stay. Also if the story is related correctly to the board by the RA there should be more than enough reason to find in my S’s favor.
The reason my S left is that he was convinced that it would add to his case to take the high road as his RM was unwilling and the discussion had gone on for 3 hours and he’d had enough.
I’m using this as a learning experience for now having an adult child. I must say I’m not liking it :-(</p>