Alina Popov
The Student Health Center has canceled HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, previously
scheduled for the week of Oct. 26, in order to prepare for the
relocation of the center to the Student Services Building taking place
later that week.
According to Beth Benne, director of the Student Health Center, two
organizations were scheduled to come on campus and provide free HIV
testing that same week. In addition, the Student Health Center normally
organizes the Being Alive Speakers Bureau to speak in classrooms the
week prior to testing and the week of testing.
“We will be undertaking the enormous task of packing over 4,000 medical
records and the entire health center the week of October 26,” Benne
said. “There is no way we can do it all.”
Nevertheless, the SHC has made arrangements for Being Alive to be
available through speaker requests directly from teachers or clubs,
eliminating the health center as the “middleman,” according to Benne.
Students can always get HIV testing at the health center by paying $9
for a blood test.
“In the spring we will bring our free testing back on campus and resume
our normal activities,” Benne said.