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 fARE* ouse Software •Hardware •Accessories tOamSam November 26-2; November 26-27 EHnm^ 1203 WHIumettu St Euguno PAPER DUE? FIND SOMtONf fO TYPE II FOR YOU IN IMf c )DE CIASSIF If DS t f r T I H f't Hf f { r Graphics CONVENIENT, FAST & AFFORDABLE 346 438 1 t i. i • # Ml • * v •« Ki > Dr. Stephen Jay Gould lhiirMi.i\. IHithiIht 2ik1. S:IH» pin Kupcm-'s Mull (Yntcr "Rethinking 'Pattern in History and Evolution" IKugene tickets through Hult Center 687-5000 50% Discount for students. (\v-sponsored In