Workshop emphasizes realities of AIDS
By Freya Horn
fo* Oregon Q&ly £ m#r.tk,1
Students can find information
about AIDS in health pamphlets,
news articles and other media,
but just knowing the cut-and-drv
facts may not lx> enough to curb
the spread of the disease,
That's why the "Not lust
Another AIDS Workshop" Inst
weekend sought to help students
assess their personal attitudes,
values and behaviors.
Students attending the work
shop said the psychosocial
approach of the two-day work
shop is what it lakes to translate
knowledge into a change in
behavior.
"It had a real impact on me."
said Beverly Camat. a junior in
general science. “I'm sure we
hear about AIDS almost every
day, but it just doesn’t register.”
At times, the workshop gave
the students a hard dose of real
ity to help drive home the mes
sage that their decisions about sex
are a matter of lifo and death.
Dr. Robert McAllister, the HIV
program manager for Oregon's
State Health Division, presented
some jolting statistics to the
workshop's approximately 100
students.
An April 1993 study estimat
ed that as many as 10,000 Ore
gonians are HIV positive, but
many an; unaware they carry the
virus. McAllister said, because
their flu-like symptoms go away
after a couple of days.
"Their immune systems art
fighting (the virus) tooth and
nail." he said.
But after an average nine-year
incubation period, the immune
system collapses. This is when
HIV becomes AIDS.
Only a small percentage of the
total infet ted population has the
full-blown disease, he said So
far. about AIDS cases have
been diagnosed in Oregon
Meanwhile. I ho ( enters lor
Disease Control and Prevention
estimate that college students run
a nne-in-500 risk, of infix tion and
that about 20 percent of people
with AIDS in the United States
are between the ages of 20 and
23.
These statistics were given a
human face when a guest speak
er talked about his battle against
the virus
Kent, who wanted to keep his
last name anonymous, was diag
nosed with AIDS when a drop in
his immunity level was coupled
with a bronchial veast infix tion.
By definition, full-blown AIDS
means an HIV-positive person
has a T-cell i ount below 200 and
has had at least one related sii k
ness, he said In the past, he has
had symptoms such as severe
night sweats. unrelenting
headaches, chronic diarrhea and
frequent fevers.
Kent also discussed the e< o
nomic hardship he has faced.
Fortunately. Oregon is one of the
few states that has a high-risk
health insurance pool, he said,
but he still has to pay 20 percent
of his $1,000 monthly health bill.
Despite these medical con
cerns, Kent did not look sick or
emaciated.
"Do I look like I have AIDS?
No. I don’t. So protect yourself,
because you really can’t make
judgment calls," he said.
During the early 1080s. many
people in the gay community
were in denial about the seri
ousness of AIDS, and now het
erosexuals may Ixi going through
the same phase of denial, he said
The latest trend in the disease’s
spread mav indicate that denial
is indeed a fee tor For example,
the rate of infer tion is growing
fastest among heterosexual
women. Mi Allisler said
The denial also seems to he
prevalent anions college stu
dents A r»*t ent study found that
50 percent of 272 University of
Wis» onsm students said they did
not practice safer sex because
they "just knew” their partners
were not infected
A skit addressing this prob
lem was performed by peer
health advisers at the workshop
One of the characters talked
about a to worker who didn't
practu e safer sex because he
dates only '‘respectable’'
women
"A lot of people think they can
choose a type of person who
won't have HIV. but this is a
myth." said Jensen l ing, the peer
health adviser who wrote the
script.
Some people ignore the seri
ousness of the risk even if they
know a lot about the disease. Ling
said, because they convince
themselves it won't happen to
them
"But it can happen to any
body.'' he said.
While bringing these attitudes
into the limelight, the skit also
showed how it is possible to
overcome the embarrassment that
hinders communication about
safer sex.
"It's basically the American
attitude to not talk about sex."
said Tony I lov. also a [>eer health
adviser in the performance
"Sun1, it's an uni omfortable sub
ject, but it you’re going to have
sex. you're going to have to talk
about it.”
Another uspei t of the yvork
shop attempted to slum students
that safer sex does not have to lie
cumbersome
"Safety should make mtimai v
even Iwtter. said Sarah ( .hart/,
a health edui ator with Planned
Parenthood. She iutrodui ed a
variety of condoms that sported
Advisers dramatize AIDS issues
By Freya Horn
For me Oregon Ctefriy E meraki
With World AIDS Day coming Dec. I, four poor
health advisers are gearing up for a day of guerril
la theater.
They will spring up out of nowhere, bringing
AIDS awareness to unsuspecting audiences all
around campus.
"We've been wanting to do this for a long time."
said Annie Dochnohl. the University's peer health
advising coordinator.
Now, for the first term ever, a group of peer
advisers has made that desire a reality
Although the peer health advising program has
existed for eight years, "it takes bold, aggressive
students" to tackle a difficult subject like AIDS.
Dochnahl said.
Jensen Ling, a senior in chemistry, wrote the
script as a way of promoting open communication
about safer sex
"It gets tin- message .h ross without being pedan
tic," Dochnahl said
Thu scenario opens witli two people on their
third date Bet ause it's still early in their relation
ship, they are hesitant when it comes to talking
about safer sex Meanwhile, two |>eer advisers play
the part of their inner voices, so the audience
knows what they are really thinking "We re trying
to show students it's OK to talk about safer sex and
to say I care enough about you to let you know I in
coni erned about where we're going,' l ing said
"Take responsibility for your life" is the bottom
line message of the skit, peer health adviser lony
Hoy said.
The roving troupe performed for its largest audi
ence yet at the Nov 20 "Not Just Another AIDS
Workshop ." Its next performance will lie near the
AIDS information table in the KMU on World
AIDS Day
names siu h as The Tuxedo. The
Kough Kider Stud. I’he Manilla
and Kiss of Mint
Some of these i ondoms i mile
luhruated with spermii uh'. hut
some do not Students at the
workshop learned that a latex
1 oildom 1 an he ()8 percent effec
live in preventing transmission
of HIV if it's lubricated with .1
spermicide, and it can lie 'to per
cent effective if it's supplement
ed with spnmiii idal foam
However, effectiveness < an
drop to 50 percent in real life
situations, m cording to a study
condui ted h\ Health l)v< isionx,
a private research organization
Why ' Hot ause they are used
improperly.
Chart/, showed the students
how to avoid the perils of con
doni use However, she said the
biggest pitfall is when condoms
are used inconsistentIv. or not at
all
While the workshop w.is a
forum for a multitude of AIDS
related issues, students seemed
to leave with one message in par
titular.
The bottom line is. you have
to t.ike responsibility for your
self,'' said Carol Hjork, .1 senior
in psvi hologv "It doesn't real
ly matter how mm h AIDS-aware
ness education people have it
they don’t actually < liange their
liehay ior "
GIANT
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