Daily Trojan Editorial

When you pay the price to know the truth

Hats off to the University Health Center for offering HIV/AIDS testing to every member of the university community. Hats off to those who take the opportunity to get tested to find out for sure, either way. Hats off to the people who work in the center, calming the nerves of everyone who gets tested. [ ]Shame on the system which charges $20 to get tested. Shame on the system that has decided the health of our young people is unimportant. Shame on the students who won't spend the money anyway. [ ]It is certainly admirable that this university offers efficient, effective HIV/AIDS testing. [ ]But how many students are not getting tested because they do not want to pay the 20 bones to get tested for something they have a very small chance of having? [ ]We cannot trivialize our health because of monetary constraints. [ ]Out of the 500 people tested each year at the Health Center, one or two people are actually diagnosed with HIV. [ ]Sure, it is easy, after reading these statistics, to think that those people who were diagnosed last year and the year before at the health center could never be you. [ ]It is easy to rationalize you and your partner not using a condom just that one night for whatever reason. [ ]It is easy to convince yourself that nothing you have ever done has put you at risk for HIV. [ ]And even if you have never done anything that may have put you at risk, there is still no way that you could sure. [ ]But no one ever thinks they are the one in danger. Clich, but true. [ ]A sociology or psychology major might say all of these emotions are merely fears manifesting themselves into rationalization. A biology major might be able to speculate on how close we are to a cure. A business major might say that getting tested now will reduce costs later. A political science major might comment on the differing opinions on the AIDS virus between political parties. A journalism major might discuss how public opinion of AIDS has shifted because of the image the media has portrayed. [ ]Yet no matter what your major is, where your interests lie or what your personal contentions mandate, every single last one of us could potentially contract the HIV. All of us are at risk, in one way or the other. No one is immune. [ ]Set aside your fears. Forget your rationalizations. [ ]On Condom Awareness Day Wednesday, think about your safety; be responsible for it. Educate yourself on the risks and the treatments. Spend some time watching artists with AIDS create sidewalk drawings in the center of campus. Pay tribute to those living with AIDS and those who have died of illnesses caused by the virus. Pick up some free condoms. [ ]And more importantly, make an appointment to spend the $20 and get tested.