If you were wondering where the line between diligence and idiocy is when it comes to taking precautionary steps to stop Ebola, look no further—a Texas college just rejected two Nigerian applicants because of the virus. It’s not that the students have Ebola, it’s just that they come from a country where other people have had it, apparently. The rejection letter, CNBC reported, begins: “With sincere regret, I must report that Navarro College is not able to offer you acceptance for the Spring 2015 term. Unfortunately, Navarro College is not accepting international students from countries with confirmed Ebola cases.”
The letter appears to have been dated on Oct. 2, two days after the first reported case in the U.S., making Navarro a pioneer of Ebola hysteria. CNBC followed up with the community college, which is 60 miles from Dallas, and was told by the administration: “Our college values its diverse population of international students. This fall we have almost 100 students from Africa. Unfortunately, some students received incorrect information regarding their applications to the institution.”
“While federal officials have urged that colleges take precautions when enrolling students from areas with Ebola, no federal health guidance has suggested across-the-board bans on those from any of those nations,” according to Inside Higher Ed. Nigeria had 20 reported cases of Ebola with eight fatalities, but after more than a month with no new reported cases, if all goes well, the country is set to be declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization next week.
