There was an incredibly high turnout at Smith’s recent Meningitis B vaccine clinic. However, immediately after, students reported feelings of distress and reduced mental capacity to complete routine tasks. This included difficulty understanding classroom material and performing in school.
On multiple occasions, campus officials spotted students running around the Elm Street area during late hours of the night screaming, “Why?! WHY!?” at the sky. Dining staff reported observing students eating more than usual as they “foraged food for the academic hurricane to come in the weeks ahead.”
One house community reported seeing multiple seniors banging their heads against the dinner tables in an attempt to discern whether they were living in a dream or if this was truly their reality.
A Smith Student told the Sophian that she was unable to control speaking to the passenger next to her on her flight home after spring break, asking if she was going to “the happy place.” Flight attendants were alerted to her unusual behavior, and she was monitored for the remainder of the flight.
Health officials have no clear explanation for these strange side effects.
There is speculation that the pollen from the bulbs in bloom around campus had a reaction with ingredients in the vaccine, producing the unforeseen effects.
It is also possible that Smith students were reacting to their new exposure to the elements. With the unending Neilson construction and the recent extraction of a tree in Seelye Lawn, Smith students have been exposed to the elements much more than they are used to. The vaccine might have further exacerbated the disorientation they were experiencing.
As many Smith students will be off-campus when the second part of the vaccine is required, readers can depend on the Sophian report updates on any odd behavior.
