Look at the hands of the person who borrowed your pen in class. Chances are those hands weren’t washed after your classmate used the bathroom.

Only three-quarters of adults wash their hands after bathroom use, according to the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).

Your classroom pal taking notes with your pen very well could be in the unwashed one quarter.

Disturbing. But that’s reality on campus. Every day, I see someone leave a bathroom stall without stopping for water and soap.

I’ve tried to make excuses for people. Maybe they were secretly checking their stocks in the stall during class? Maybe they were too embarrassed to call their mothers in the open and had to hide so they could tell them of their love?

It’s really, really simple. Soap, water, scrub, rub then clean. It’s magic: you are ready to reenter society.

“Hand washing is a simple thing to do and it’s the best way to prevent infection and illness,” cautions the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

You think washing your hands is useless when you have to then touch the germ-covered door knob? Grab a paper towel and use it to open the door.

You don’t have enough time to wash? It takes only seconds to wash your hands properly.

More disgusting news: only a third of those interviewed in a study by ASM and ASD said they wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.

As H1N1 spreads across campus, observing proper hygiene is essential to minimize the spread of the disease. The University Health Center confirmed 275 UGA students have the disease. More than 3,200 people have died from H1N1 internationally since April according to the World Trade Organization. Still think proper hygiene is not a big deal? So think of the rest of us. You not only are unhygienic to not wash your hands. You are irresponsible. If you don’t care about yourself, at least think about the health of others.

No matter how much we want an excuse to skip classes, being quarantined from society and single handily furloughing professors is not in our best interest.

So here are some small tips to stay H1N1 free:

� Wash your hands regularly and properly. Even if you did not use the bathroom, sneeze or cough, everything you touch has germs that can possibly make you sick.

� Cough or sneeze in the crook of your arm instead of your hands. This lessens the transfer of germs from your hands to the surfaces and people you touch.

� Avoid touching your mouth, eyes or nose. Illnesses are spread when germs transfer from your hands to these areas.

� Do not come to class or work if you are sick.

� Carry a packet of tissues and a bottle of hand sanitizer if possible.

� Open double doors by pushing them open with your body weight instead of your hands.

� Maintain good health practices. Exercise, get proper nutrition and enough sleep, minimize stress and drink plenty of fluids to strengthen your body’s immune system.

So take a couple of seconds and wash your hands.

And your pen? Let your classmate keep it.

- Yasmin Yonis is a junior from Lawrenceville majoring in newspapers and international affairs