The swift and unexpected death of 18-year-old Andrea Robinson of Cleveland Heights was "almost the exact same scenario" that befell Erin, a freshman at Eastern Michigan University when she was struck in 1997, Krejny said.

 Since then, the Valley View mother has worked to spread the word about meningitis and to get laws passed so more young people will be vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccination for college freshmen living in dormitories -- one of the groups at increased risk. But Ohio, like most other states, does not require it. nce then, the Valley View mother has worked to spread the word about meningitis and to get laws passed so more young people will be vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccination for college freshmen living in dormitories -- one of the groups at increased risk. But Ohio, like most other states, does not require it.

Instead, state law says students who want to live on campus must sign a form stating whether they've been immunized against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B.

But nothing happens if the student says he hasn't had the shots. In fact, the college forms often emphasize with capital letters that the housing assignment will not be affected by a "no" answer.

A bill introduced in the state legislature two years ago would change that, making the meningitis vaccination mandatory for college students who live on campus, though waivers would be issued for religious or medical reasons. Similar laws exist in fewer than a dozen states, including Louisiana, Kansas and Connecticut.

The Senate passed the bill unanimously last year, but it has not yet been voted on in the House. Krejny has testified twice on its behalf.

"It's been two years now where our kids could have been protected in college, and they weren't," she said. "This doesn't have to happen."

Ohio had 211 cases of meningococcal disease from 2005 to 2009, resulting in at least 20 deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

"For the past couple of years, we have seen roughly 40 cases [each year]," said Dr. Mary Diorio, the assistant state epidemiologist at ODH. "Almost all of the cases are what we call sporadic."

About 38 percent of Ohio adolescents ages 13-17 have been vaccinated, according to the CDC, slightly less than the U.S. average of 42 percent.

More get immunized as they start their college years. An annual survey by the American College Health Association indicated 62 percent of U.S. college students have been vaccinated.

"The vaccination is very effective for four of five types of meningitis," said Dr. James Turner, who heads the association as well as the department of student health at the University of Virginia.

There is no vaccination yet for the fifth strain, which accounted for about 30 percent of the meningitis cases reported in Ohio over the past five years.

Also, since the current vaccine has been used only since 2005, the duration of effectiveness hasn't been pinned down yet. That means the need for or timing of a booster dose hasn't been determined.

But Turner is still a strong advocate of getting the vaccine.

"There's no downside as far as I'm concerned," he said. "It's a very rare but a terrible disease when it occurs, with a mortality rate of up to 15 percent. And 20 percent of those who survive have serious complications, such as amputations, kidney failure and neurological damage.

"It's definitely worth the $120 or so you'd pay, and many insurance plans cover it."

Nikki Lamendola of Westlake will be doing her part to persuade fellow students at Ohio University. Andrea Robinson was her roommate.

She and other friends of Robinson want to use e-mails, fliers and perhaps talks with incoming freshmen to emphasize the importance of getting immunized. She said she got her shot because her doctor recommended it and her mother wanted her covered.

"I never thought anything would happen to me or anyone close to me," she said. "But then it did."

Robinson was "the best person you could have to live with," Lamendola added. "She was so smart. She was going to go somewhere in life."