Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAllergy-ridden students combat hazards of university living
By Jennie Kushlish
Posted: 9/6/05, 10:10 PM EST Section: Pulp
"People do anything to get out of housing," Reuter said. "My friend faked a heart problem to park in Booth's garage rather than at Manley."
Meg Hart lived on both North and South Campus throughout her junior year, despite countless allergies.
She arrived at Booth Hall freshman year armed with a new hypoallergenic mattress and doctor's orders to vacuum her room every two to three days. When she didn't keep her space clean, the mold and dust that collected would trigger allergic reactions.
Hart, an interior design major, was prepared to Swiffer her way to easy breathing. But she knew she couldn't prevent randomly assigned roommates from irritating those and other allergies.
Hart recalled two instances where food left on common room tables - a perk for most college students - caused allergic reactions. One roommate picked apples and left them out on display. For three months, Hart quietly kept her distance from the apples' skin, which ranks relatively low on her list of aversions.
She also avoided the common room when her roommates' bowl of pistachios, nuts she's "deathly allergic to," caused allergic reactions.
"I didn't ask them to move it," Hart said with a laugh, "because they ate them quickly.
"It's just something I live with. It's not something everyone has to deal with, so why should they have to cater to me?"
As sensitive as Hart is to her roommates, some of her sensitivities are too difficult to ignore. A roommate's hamster called their common room its home for a mere three days, before Hart grew tired of confining herself to an adjoining bedroom.
Hart says she has been lucky to live with considerate roommates - some who tease playfully and others with similar allergies. This year, the six roommates sharing her off-campus house pitched in for an initial round of "extreme cleaning." Hart's parents led the charge, wiping down the walls and bleaching the bathroom.
"You take your allergy pill, your eye drops and your nasal spray and you're fine," Hart said.
Meg Hart lived on both North and South Campus throughout her junior year, despite countless allergies.
She arrived at Booth Hall freshman year armed with a new hypoallergenic mattress and doctor's orders to vacuum her room every two to three days. When she didn't keep her space clean, the mold and dust that collected would trigger allergic reactions.
Hart, an interior design major, was prepared to Swiffer her way to easy breathing. But she knew she couldn't prevent randomly assigned roommates from irritating those and other allergies.
Hart recalled two instances where food left on common room tables - a perk for most college students - caused allergic reactions. One roommate picked apples and left them out on display. For three months, Hart quietly kept her distance from the apples' skin, which ranks relatively low on her list of aversions.
She also avoided the common room when her roommates' bowl of pistachios, nuts she's "deathly allergic to," caused allergic reactions.
"I didn't ask them to move it," Hart said with a laugh, "because they ate them quickly.
"It's just something I live with. It's not something everyone has to deal with, so why should they have to cater to me?"
As sensitive as Hart is to her roommates, some of her sensitivities are too difficult to ignore. A roommate's hamster called their common room its home for a mere three days, before Hart grew tired of confining herself to an adjoining bedroom.
Hart says she has been lucky to live with considerate roommates - some who tease playfully and others with similar allergies. This year, the six roommates sharing her off-campus house pitched in for an initial round of "extreme cleaning." Hart's parents led the charge, wiping down the walls and bleaching the bathroom.
"You take your allergy pill, your eye drops and your nasal spray and you're fine," Hart said.
