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Sean Coleman was a kind person who was always goofing around and cracking jokes, friends say.

“If we were in a bad mood, he’d always be the one telling us to buck-up,” sophomore David Recine said.

Coleman, 19, was a sophomore who died Sunday at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire of complications related to bacterial meningitis.

Meningitis – which is caused by a bacterium that can produce an infection of a person’s bloodstream, spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain – is contagious but not through general contact, said Richard Kark, medical supervisor for UW-Eau Claire Health Services. “It’s very, very, very hard to catch,” he said.

Coleman is the second student at UW-Eau Claire to die from bacterial meningitis this academic year. In November 2001, junior Amber Krenz died after showing symptoms of the disease. Krenz was not a dorm resident and lived with her family in Eau Claire. Coleman was a resident of Katharine Thomas Hall. The deaths are not connected because they were so far apart, Kark said.

Health Services offered the antibiotic Cipro for free to students in Thomas Hall, recommending the precautionary measure especially to those who lived on Coleman’s wing, Kark said.

Of the 140 men and women living in Thomas Hall, 65 students received the antibiotic as of Monday morning, said Director of Health Services Laura Chellman.

A prescription for Cipro is available at Health Services for other students who may have had close contact with Coleman, she said.

Coleman’s girlfriend and EMT officials who responded to a call Sunday at Thomas Hall were treated with the antibiotic, said David Backstrom, director of public safety. Coleman’s father was at Sacred Heart Sunday, but it is not known how many family members were treated.

University officials informed Thomas Hall residents of Coleman’s death at a meeting at 9 p.m. Sunday, said Chuck Major, director of housing. They explained the medical realities of meningitis, offered the antibiotic treatment and answered questions, he said, adding that counselors also met with students who were dealing with Coleman’s death.

A certain number of people in a population carry the disease in a lining of their nose and never get sick, Kark said. “Why certain people get sick from this we don’t know.”

Students in a dorm are susceptible to meningitis because they live in a small area with many people, Chellman said. But the disease is rare and even with direct contact, the chances of contracting meningitis are very low, Kark said. Only about 10 to 15 percent of meningitis cases are fatal, he said. According to Health Services, in 1998-99, 83 cases of meningitis were reported among college students nationwide and six of those students died.

Coleman was a 2000 graduate of Rib Lake High School and was a sophomore majoring in computer science.

“He was a very kind person,” said freshman Kyle Peterson, Coleman’s roommate. “He would always listen to problems. He was a pretty quite guy usually.” Coleman always had good things to say about people and always had a huge grin on his face, Peterson said. Coleman’s RA, sophomore Adam Roub, said he was a kind and gentle person. “He was one of those guys that was nice from the start – a nice, decent honest guy.

“In the last two months of his life he was filled with more joy and happiness than I had ever seen in him,” Roub said. “The kid enjoyed life; he went out on top.”

Peterson said Coleman was involved in Student Impact and Bible study in Katharine Thomas Hall.

“He told me one time that Bible study was a special time for him,” Roub said. “He said that he had found a place where people would really listen to him.”

Coleman also worked at the computer help desk in Towers and was a weekend janitor in Katharine Thomas Hall.

“He was probably one of my favorite people on campus,” Recine said.

Services are today at Butala Funeral Home and Crematory in Sycamore, Ill. Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m. with the funeral service immediately following. A ceremony will also be held at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Ecumenical Religious Center.