Mariel Surprenant ’26

by Mariel Surprenant ’26 on September 18, 2025

On Monday, I started feeling sick. On Tuesday, I tested positive for COVID-19. On Wednesday, I went to urgent care. Not once during my illness did I consider going to the Student Health Center here at Providence College. Why? Because they don’t give doctor’s notes. 

The main page of the PC Student Health Center’s website reads, “The Providence College Student Health Center, along with most college health centers nationwide, does not provide verification of illness or notes to students requesting a medical excuse for classes or exams.” This Student Health Center policy is harmful to students and their health by forcing ill students to leave campus to obtain the costly medical care they need. 

During my recent illness, my professors were very understanding of my condition. However, throughout my three years here at PC, I’ve had numerous professors who have not been. Especially during exam season, professors will not excuse your absence without a written doctor’s note. I even had one professor who claimed that all absences were “inexcusable,” and even an absence with a doctor’s note would result in a docking of your grade. Therefore, when a student is sick enough to miss class, it is more than understandable that they would like a doctor’s note to prevent their health from negatively affecting their grades. But where to go? Not the Student Health Center. 

Instead, students must find a doctor off-campus willing to see them. At PC, where 91 percent of students hail from outside of Rhode Island, this is not as easy as going home to your own doctor. Most doctors will not accept patients who are not their own, so instead, students are forced to walk into urgent cares or emergency rooms around the city. This puts a strain on the healthcare systems residents use, while neglecting to fully utilize the resources students pay for at PC. These alternatives are often costly and differ in their acceptance of student insurance plans. For example, I recently paid $350 for an urgent care visit in Rhode Island. Low-income and out-of-state students are especially burdened by these unnecessary healthcare costs. 

Furthermore, sick students must find their own way to access care, rather than simply walking across campus. Underclassmen at PC are not permitted to have cars, leaving them with limited options when illness strikes. Relying on an Uber or public transportation not only poses logistical challenges, but also risks spreading infection to others. Even upperclassmen face uncertainty, as having a car on campus is not guaranteed, making off-campus healthcare access unreliable for many. 

The best option for student health and well-being would be the ability to go to the Student Health Center for both healthcare and an accompanying doctor’s note. The Student Health Center, a service we pay for as part of our over $65,000 tuition bill, should be able to provide the care that students need, when they need it, and as they need it. As learning is rightly one of students’ main priorities, the Student Health Center here at PC needs to be able to provide doctor’s notes to the students it promises to care for.