Inland colleges are warning graduating seniors to be on the alert for flu-like symptoms after commencement ceremonies, because the events might attract people from areas hardest hit by the SARS outbreak.

College officials say they are following precautionary guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has told colleges and universities that there is no need to cancel events or gatherings that will attract people from SARS-affected areas.

However, the CDC has said colleges should let students and employees know, perhaps by e-mail, how to prevent the spread of SARS, a pneumonia-like illness thought to have originated in China that has killed more than 750 people worldwide. China, Hong Kong and Toronto have been most affected so far.

UC Riverside, where nearly half the students are of Asian descent, and Cal State San Bernardino sent informational letters to seniors who will participate in graduation ceremonies. The University of Redlands sent an e-mail to employees and seniors.

"In no way do we want to appear unwelcoming to guests at such a happy occasion, but we did want to at least give people the information that they might need," said Deborah McCoy, director of the UCR Health Center. "Our position is that we want to follow the CDC guidelines very closely."

Guests advised

UCR's letter instructs students to tell guests visiting from SARS-affected areas that they should seek medical attention immediately if they develop any flu-like symptoms while in the United States.

"Please inform your visitors from SARS affected areas that they will be given travel advisory information upon arrival in the U.S., and they will be expected to follow these guidelines," the letter says. "If guests begin to feel symptoms during the ceremony such as fever, coughing, or respiratory difficulty, please urge them to remove themselves from the crowd . . . "

People attending an outdoor graduation ceremony are very unlikely to contract SARS, according to Barbara Cole, director of disease control at the Riverside County Department of Public Health. She said people should not panic if they see someone coughing.

"It could be a cold or allergies or any number of things," said Cole, who added that sending a letter or e-mail to students is a reasonable approach to SARS prevention. "We've asked how close would you need to be to someone, and (the CDC's) position is that even in a hospital waiting room, if you are there with someone for short periods of time, it's not a risk."

Will Salinas, a UCR senior from Los Angeles, said he found the letter unnerving, but he doesn't plan to skip his graduation ceremony in two weeks.

"Probably my parents are going to be more aware of the people sitting around them, especially since we have such a large Asian population," said Salinas, 23.

UCR senior Reyna Diaz fears the letter will cause discrimination against Asians.

"This whole SARS thing is blown out of proportion," said Diaz, who is getting her degree in Chicano studies. "It's a way to target the Asian community and the immigrant communities."

It's a reality

Some Asian students said they don't think the SARS warnings unfairly target Asian people. Ching Tu, a UCR freshman from Taiwan, said the reality is that Asian countries have had the worst outbreaks.

Andrew Cheng, also a freshman from Taiwan, said even Asians are concerned about travel to and from that part of the world right now.

"My friend just came back from Taiwan and I was like, 'Don't talk to me,' " Cheng said. "No one wants to catch it. (The letter) is for people's safety."

Colleges have been grappling with how to balance SARS prevention efforts with sensitivity to people from Asian countries. UC Berkeley at one point issued a ban on students from SARS-affected countries for its summer session, but the campus relaxed the policy because it appeared Berkeley no longer welcomed Asians.

Other colleges, including the California State University system, have suspended overseas study programs in SARS countries. The Cal State system might restore the programs next fall, but officials are waiting to see if the SARS situation gets better or worse, said Colleen Bentley-Adler, Cal State spokeswoman.

Cal State San Bernardino's student population is 6 percent Asian.

The University of California has asked all of its 10 campuses to make sure visitors from SARS areas are aware of how to monitor their health for SARS symptoms, and where to go for help should they develop any.

"I think what UCR is doing and what the UC is doing is trying to make SARS prevention a community effort," said Hanan Eisenman, spokesman for University of California President Richard Atkinson.