THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRIARY 9, 2009
NEWS
3A
HEALTH
Event offers free AIDS tests at Union for Valentine's Day Groups to provide oral swab tests to staff and students Tuesday
BY DAVID UGARTE
dugarte@kansan.com
With Valentine's Day in a few days, people can choose from a variety of gifts to give their sweet-hearts, including the gift of knowledge. Devin Moss, Memphis graduate student, is hosting an event offering free, non-blood HIV tests for KU faculty, staff and students Tuesday at the Kansas Union.
The free event, "True Love is a Valentine's Day AIDS Test" is meant to inspire people to get tested for the HIV virus, Moss said.
"I decided on the name because I personally feel the best gift of love is proving to someone that you love them enough to keep them safe and healthy," Moss said.
The event, hosted by the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, is sponsored by Queens and Allies, OUTLaws and Allies, and the Douglas County AIDS Project. The Douglas County AIDS Project contacted Moss to plan a day when people could take advantage of the free service and get tested.
"I personally get a sense of comfort from individuals knowing their HIV status," Moss said. "I believe that if you are sexually active or involved in other risky behaviors, you should know your status."
Sara Schwermer, Spring Hm third-year law student and president of OUTLaws and Allies, said the group was sponsoring the event because it believed education about HIV and AIDS was important to have on any campus and for any individual, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Schwermer said offering the testing with such easy access meant there was no excuse for not getting tested.
"Unless you know the background of every sexual partner and use protection every time, it could happen to you. Not to frighten anyone, but just go get tested," Schwermer said. "Personally, comforts me that people find out good or bad whether they have HIV/AIDS. And god forbid they are infected, they can be careful not to spread it to others."
Darryl Monteau, Lawrence graduate student, said she thought it was important for students to use
resources like AIDS testing, as the opportunities allowed students to gain knowledge and fight against AIDS.
"I do feel that it should be offered at no cost or minimal costs to students if at all possible." Monteau said. "Unfortunately, students are often oblivious or think they are invincible in the sense that 'it won't ever happen to me.'"
The test offered on Tuesday consists of a free oral swab. The test is less intrusive than the common blood test, and completely confidential. People who submit to the test usually find out the results within a week. The Douglas County AIDS Project oversees the results and contacts the people tested individually.
"If you are sexually active, you should want to know your status and your partners' status as to protect each other," Moss said. "Being healthy is important and knowing your HIV status will only add to your confidence that you are in good health. It is fun to know your status."
—Edited by Liz Schubauer
ECONOMY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Students at New Hampshire Technical Institute walk to class in Concord, N.H., Thursday. Across the country, community colleges are reporting unprecedented enrollment increases driven by laid-off older workers and students looking for a bigger, quicker bang for their buck.
Community college enrollment increasing but tuition doesn't make up for state cuts
BY DAVIDTIRRELL-WYSOCKI
Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. — College freshman Elizabeth Hebert's choice of a four-year school suddenly got too expensive. George Haseline already has a business degree, but he concluded after several layoffs that he needed more training to get work.
So, in the middle of this school year, both landed at New Hampshire Technical Institute, which, like other community colleges across the country, has suddenly grown a lot more crowded.
Tuition covers just 25 percent of the cost of education in Maine's system. Other community colleges vary, but all depend on counties or states that in many cases are cutting their funding.
president of Maine's community college system.
"Community colleges are built on access, so for us to turn someone away is like a surgeon saying 'I won't operate on someone who is having a heart attack,'" said Norma Kent, spokeswoman at the American Association of Community Colleges.
But community colleges aren't exactly cheering in this down economy: Tuition doesn't come close to covering costs, and the state funds that used to make up the difference are drying up.
The two-year schools are reporting unprecedented enrollment increases this semester, driven by students from traditional colleges seeking more bang for their buck and by laid-off older workers.
"People can't understand, with more customers, why that isn't good news," said John Fitzsimmons.
Sebelius
BY JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press
Gov. Sebelius considered for White House position
POLITICS
private administration deliberations.
WASHINGTON - Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is near the top of President Barack Obama's list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department, at least partially on the strength of her long and close working relationship with the president, a senior administration official said.
Other candidates, including former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta, remain
Obama searches for candidate to help with health care plan
Advocacy groups like the consumer watchdog role Sebelius played as insurance commissioner for eight years before she became governor.
in the mix. A decision is not imminent, a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss
Sebelius, 60, signed on early with the Obama campaign, backing his candidacy over that of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination and now secretary of state. Sebelius worked tirelessly for Obama's bid and was a top surrogate to women's groups, especially after Republicans picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as their vice presidential nominee.
A Kansas Democrat close to Sebelius said she had not spoken about the post in recent days but appeared to remain a strong con-
spokesman
tender. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not officially authorized to speak for the governor.
The loss of Daschle has many worried about the fate of any quick action on health care reform, one of Obama's top early priorities and a complex legislative effort that seemed to require the heft of someone like Daschle to push it through. As a result, most believed Obama needed to move quickly to replace Daschle, and yet the White House was so committed to that pick that it had little in the way of a backup list when he dropped out.
admission he had not paid all his taxes, including on a car and driver, since leaving Congress as a Democratic leader.
Sebelius would be Obama's second choice for the slot. Former Sen. Tom Daschle had to withdraw his name amid an
White House Reid Cherlin said Saturday no decision had been made.
It took Obama almost a month to find a new commerce secretary nominee when his first pick dropped out. He named GOP Sen. Judd Gregg last week, the same day Daschle withdrew, to replace New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who had stepped aside for the post in early January amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.
A Kansas Democrat close to Sebelius said she had not spoken about the post in recent days but appeared to remain a strong contender.
Those close to the White House also mentioned Podesta as a candidate. The leader of Obama's transition team and head of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, he was the fourth and final chief of staff to serve President Bill Clinton.
The two-term governor remains popular in her state and comes from a strong political family. Her father, John Gilligan, was a Democratic governor of Ohio in the early 1970s, and her late
Sebelius' trip was planned before Daschle bowed out as nominee for health secretary as a result of fallout from about $140,000 in back taxes and interest he paid last month.
Sebelius was in Washington last week to give a pair of speeches, one on clean energy jobs and the other at the National Education Association. She also met at the Ritz Carlton hotel with Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, one of the president's top advisers and confidantes.
father in law, Keith Sebelius, was a Republican congressman from Kansas for 12 years.
December that she had removed herself from consideration for a Washington job, citing Kansas' budget problems that needed her attention.
Her name had been floated for several Cabinet posts right after Obama won in November, but she announced in early
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was another candidate, although some advocacy groups were lining up to oppose the Democratic governor. He remains under consideration but was not as likely as Sebelius to make the final cut, the senior official said.
O