THE UNIVERSITY HAIRY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008
NEWS
HEALTH
3A
Expert urges HIV testing
Study reveals number of people with STDs was underestimated
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
Students at the University may want to consider taking another test this semester after the release of a recent study.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the number of new HIV infections occurring in the U.S. each year was underestimated.
The report cited about 56,300 new cases of HIV in 2006, the most recent data available. The number itself was nearly 40 percent higher than what had previously been reported by the CDC. Officials from the CDC said the new number was a result of better statistical methods and did not represent an increase in the actual number of new infections.
The number of new cases each year goes relatively unnoticed among young adults, who are among those most affected by the disease.
Ken Sarber, health educator for Student Health Services, said the disease didn't rank high on the list of students' concerns.
"They seem to think that it's a disease of the past," Sarber said. "They're not worried about it."
Stacey Burton, education and
KANSAN.COM
Find out how blood is tested for STDs in a photo gallery.
outreach coordinator for the Douglas County AIDS Project, or DCAP, said the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS is just one reason why people don't get tested.
"It's looked at as an unclean, unsanitary disease," Burton said. "People think you have to participate in something dirty to get it. But it's not just in Africa. It's not the poor orphans. It's the people you sit next to in church or in class."
Watkins Memorial Health Center deals with STI testing. Patricia Denning, physician and chief of staff at Watkins, said the center administered 618 HIV tests in 2007, which accounted for 2.5 percent of all lab tests given.
Denning said the center did everything it could to make students feel comfortable.
She said students could request the sex of their doctor for appointments discussing personal issues to make them more comfortable. Students can call a specific number to make appointments for confidential testing. Denning said
people usually didn't get tested because they were afraid of getting a positive test result.
"It's hard to say over the phone, I think I have an STI," Denning said. "But for people to have an infection and not address it — potentially passing it to another person — I think that's a very serious problem."
Watkins charges a fee testing. The fee comes at a discounted price because student fees included in tuition support the center. Denning said it was generally among the lowest testing prices found in the area.
The Douglas County Aids Project also offers HIV testing. DCAP administers the tests for free during regular clinic hours with scheduled appointments, but students would have to travel off campus to be tested.
Burton said treatment for people living with the disease was around $25,000 a year.
Denning said that one way to combat the spread of the disease was through increased awareness. She said that Student Health Services did well providing information to students, but that there was always room for improvement.
Edited by Arthur Hur
Shaymarie Genosky/KANSAN
25 begin election campaigns
Freshmen to elect candidates to fill seats in Student Senate
BY HALEY JONES
hjones@kansan.com
Student Senate elections for freshmen senators are under way at the University once again.
This year, 25 freshmen candidates are crossing their fingers in hopes of being elected to Student Senate. Campaigning began last Monday for the five open freshmen seats.
Justin Hitt, Topека freshman, and Alanna Seymour, Shawnee freshman, chalk outside of the Union Thursday. Candidates will continue to campaign for Student Senate into early next week. Freshmen elections will be Sept. 9 and 10.
Mason Heilman, Lawrencejunior and Student Executive Committee chairman, said the freshmen elections provided an early opportunity to get involved in the student government.
STUDENT SENATE
"They take that knowledge and experience to other activities they are involved in." Heilman said.
He said even if students didn't stay involved with Student Senate, the elections informed them about Senate.
Heilman said freshmen who did not win one of the senator spots had
the opportunity to run for one of five associate senator spots on the five standing committees. He said the number of candidates running in this year's freshmen election was average.
Heilman said campaigning was off to a slow start because freshmen were hesitant to chalk because of the rain. He said he expected to see more chalking and filers up early next week.
"Each election has five really ambitious people who are out there the first couple of days," Heilman said. "Other ones see what they're doing and start emulating that."
Heilman said campaigning was not regulated for freshman elections because they were smaller and more focused on networking with other freshmen.
Charlie Flanders, Shawnee freshman and Senate candidate, said he wanted to get involved, meet people and understand how student government worked.
Ian McGonigle, Wichita freshman and Senate candidate, said he wanted to make a difference in students' lives.
Justin Hitt, Shawnee freshman and Senate candidate, said he was running because he liked the idea of playing a role in campus decision making. Hitt said he thought
Student Senate was a powerful organization on campus.
"I want to go into politics at some point, and I figured this would be a good place to start," he said.
"I saw my friends in leadership in high school, and I thought that was something I wanted to get involved in when I came to college." McGonnie said.
Freshman elections will be Sept.
9 and 10. Freshmen can vote online
at www.studentsenate.ku.edu.
Winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 in the Big 12 room in the Kansas Union.
Edited by Brieun Scott