Last month, Alan Glass became the director of Student Health and Counseling Services. Glass deserves to be welcomed to campus. However, he also must be prepared for the job that is in store for him. SHCS is saturated with problems, and Glass has the opportunity to play administrative doctor.

There are few things complained about more on this campus than the incompetency of SHCS. Especially during times of rampant disease on campus, SHCS fails to competently serve students. Specific complaints range from having vital signs taken by seemingly untrained students, to encountering such difficulty arranging an appointment that one must wait days before seeing a doctor.

However, for Glass’ benefit, we will concentrate on a few specific concerns. First, there is a great need for a more qualified staff. Though a physician’s assistant has undoubtedly undergone substantial medical training, sick students want to see a doctor who has had extensive experience. Students who make an appointment with a doctor deserve to see an M.D.

Along a similar line, patients have a right to receive the most accurate identification of a patient’s illness possible; it is ridiculous that mono and pregnancy should serve as the default diagnoses. Surprisingly, there have been few diagnosed cases of males suffering from pregnancy.

Another key area in which SHCS can improve is that of ongoing communication with patients. Currently, patients do not receive a call if their strep results come back negative. This breeds uncertainty, and many students call SHCS to verify that their results are negative. SHCS could easily implement a policy of calling with lab results; this will also serve as general follow-up on a patient’s condition.

We must note that recently SHCS has implemented some positive policies. One example is the efficiency of the triage nurses. When students do not have an appointment, they are able to see a triage nurse almost immediately. After an evaluation, the nurse will arrange an appointment for the student.

There is one last thing for Glass to keep in mind. There is talk of the SHCS’s move to the South 40, though details have not been confirmed by the administration. While this move has the potential to improve facilities and provide easier access for residents of the South 40, it should not be viewed as a substitute for better treatment. A snazzy waiting room hardly compensates a patient who suffers from incompetent care.

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