Mechanical engineering senior Yash Kankaria eats a bagel on Sept. 20, 2015, inside the cafeteria in Case Hall. Kankaria has morning classes and usually eats breakfast before classes. "It's really crowded here, so it does get a bit frantic," Kankaria said.
Michigan State University health officials have received reports of some students experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, which could be a result of eating in the dining halls.
A response was sent out to the South Neighborhood Service Team indicating some students feeling ill after eating in Brody and Case Halls. It urged staff to have students immediately contact the University Sanitarian if they believe they are sick as a result of eating on campus.
Shortly after, the University Physician, David Weismantel, MD, M.S., sent an email out to MSU faculty, staff and students.
“At this time, there is no reason to believe the illness of foodborne. The Ingham County Health Department is aware of the cases reported at MSU and is monitoring the situation.”
Some students accused MSU of serving food that resulted in food poisoning and Eat at State has been replying via Twitter.
"These gastrointestinal symptoms are something the broader Greater Lansing region is dealing with," Dan Olsen, Michigan State deputy spokesperson, said via email. “Knowing that, we are encouraging our MSU community to practice proper hand hygiene to help protect themselves and others, and avoid unnecessary contact with others if they are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms."
Olsen said the university is taking precautionary measures, which include changing out self-service utensils in residence halls and dining facilities as well as sanitizing common areas and touchpoints every half hour.
If you're unable to get food from the dining hall because of an illness, Eat at State is allowing students to designate another student to pick up food for them from dining halls.
Any students showing symptoms should contact Olin Health Center to schedule an appointment for treatment. Students should also avoid contact with others.
The Ingham County Health Department could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
This is a developing story. In our reporting, we'll focus on credible information from officials and other authorities and do our best to correct any inaccuracies. We'll continue to update this story, check back for more updates and keep up with us on Twitter @thesnews.
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