I’d like to address a serious topic that inflicts millions of students across the nation each year: Senioritis. It’s a real disease. Naysayers will talk it down, saying it’s just a side effect of lazy students with nothing but the beach on their brains. But it’s an epidemic that typically reaches its peak after an extended hiatus from school.

The disease is strongest as tired vacationers return to class, weak from partying and trying to shake off hangovers. Then it strikes–it mixes with the warm spring air and infiltrates our minds, causing thoughts of summer splendors, of late nights with no homework and long mornings spent in bed. It clouds the mind, reducing concentration and weakening our resolve to get things done.

I have been a long-time sufferer of Senioritis. I haven’t been officially diagnosed (I don’t trust doctors), but I’m sure it’s the reason I’d rather waste hours on Netflix or spend my afternoons basking in the warm sun than finishing my super-important projects. My disease is much more progressed than others, unfortunately. As a fifth-year super senior, my immune system simply couldn’t handle the virus. And with graduation just around the corner, there wasn’t much hope for me to begin with.

But I’m going to fight it. Senioritis sufferers need to band together to overcome this sickness and finish the semester strong. We can have our own awareness week, 5K run, wristbands, anything to keep our minds off of the stress that is final exams and semester-end projects.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Senioritis, know you’re not alone. There are millions of others in your situation each year, and together we can make the world realize we need to be taken seriously. We will wear our ribbons and T-shirts proudly around campus, proving to others that yes, although we are suffering, we will overcome. We will succeed.