On-off night/Page 9
Monday, December 2,2002
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104,Issue 65
40 MILLION infections and counting
MMaac mp .— « ■■■ ■ ..—— -
George Bridges KRT
Protesters demonstrated for more money for Al DS research and treatment in front of the White House on Tuesday. Police arrested the group
after they tied themselves together with chains and blocked the sidewalk. Sunday was World AIDS Day.
A ■■ ■* ~
Little hope exists
in South Africa
World AIDS Day
Ann Hellmuth
The Orlando Sentinel (KRT)
SOWETO, South Africa—A tiny tornado named Vuyiswa
barrels through the orphanage door, squealing with delight as
she launches herself into the lap of a young woman chatting
to a group of children.
“How is my angel?” pediatrician Carolyn Bolton asks as
the 8-year-old, almost submerged by a purple-and-white
backpack, snuggles blissfully into her arms.
Then the 30-year-old doctor listens carefully as Vuyiswa
excitedly describes her day at school. Only weeks earlier,
complications from HIV infection had nearly killed the child,
whose list of illnesses include chronic lung problems, menin
gitis and bronchial pneumonia.
Vuyiswa is one of 30 residents of Bethesda House, a Salvation
Army shelter for HIV/AIDS children in this vast black town
ship of 1.5 million people on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Voluminous medical files have become the scrapbooks of
their lives, chronicling not first words or faltering steps, but
the constant chest infections, fevers, meningitis, brushes
with death and the fierce will to live.
Turn to Research, page 3
Hiv Alliance tries to make
testing more comfortable
World AIDS Day
Jillian Daley
Family/Health/Education Reporter
Eugene’s HIV Alliance Inc. is se
questered in a small, white house, set
back from the street.
Inside, there are a few chairs and a
small collection of first-floor offices ,
with blinds covering glass doors. Papers
are piled everywhere in messy stacks.
Condoms instead of candies sit in a
bowl on the reception desk. The staff say
they try to extend the warmest welcome
they can to anyone who comes by.
Many come in to be tested at the
1966 Garden Ave. location, one place
in Lane County people can go if they
are at risk for HIV infection.
They sit in the waiting area, listening
for their name to be called.
They go into an office with a staff
member to take a test — a simple oral
swab will determine if they are infected
with HIV.
Some may return to HIV Alliance for
their results to discover, weeks later,
that they have tested positive.
People around the world share simi
lar experiences when they are tested
for the virus.
There are more than 4,000 people
with AIDS in Oregon, and about three
times this number are infected with
HIV. On a wider scale, more than
700,000 Americans have AIDS and
roughly 40 million people worldwide
are infected with HIV.
The HIV Alliance recognized World
AIDS Day on Sunday, a day which hon
ors those who have died from AIDS,
raises awareness and encourages ongo
ing research and support for those who
suffer from the disease.
At its heart, the 14-year-old event en
capsulates a larger, long-standing strug
gle, in which workers and volunteers at
the HIV Alliance are involved every
day. The nonprofit group offers free
HIV testing and counseling.
Testers mostly concentrate on mak
Turn to HIV, page 7
Emerald
HIV Alliance board member Dwight Collins speaks at the World AIDS
Day ceremony at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection on Sunday.
Local clinics
offer testing
for students,
community
World AIDS Day
Kera Abraham
Freelance Reporter
According to the Centers for Dis
ease Control and Prevention, young
adults are the fastest-growing group of
HIV-positive people in the United
States. At least half of newly reported
HIV infections are among people
younger than 25.
Testing is available at several places
in the Eugene area. University Health
Center Nurse Practitioner Colleen
Jones said at the health center, stu
dents must see a medical practition
er and go through counseling before
getting tested. About 800 students
were tested on campus last year.
Testing at the health center costs
Turn to Testing, page 8
UO looks to recruit, retain minorities
The University hopes to draw and retain
more ethnic minorities with programs
Danielle Gillespie
Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter
The University has been developing new re
cruitment programs and finding ways to draw
more students of color to campus. Figures for
fall 2002 show that enrollment has reached an
all-time high, and a larger number of ethnic mi
norities is attending the University. However,
the percentage of students who identify as eth
nic minorities actually has declined.
University officials have focused on retaining
students of color who are already attending the
University, while also drawing in new students
through programs that they hope generate en
thusiasm for potential college attendees.
“The recruitment of underrepresented stu
dents is basically the same activities, but at a
more concentrated level because we are trying
to reach students outside the communication
loop,” Office of Admissions Multicultural Re
cruiter Tomas Hulick Baiza said.
The Office of Admissions has been hosting
Connections, a program developed last year to
give students of color and first-generation stu
dents more attention through a series of day
long orientation sessions and campus tours at
the University. The office has nine Connection
events scheduled for this year, and many peo
ple are making trips from out-of-state to attend.
“I happy to say that it’s a well-known
event,” Hulick Baiza said. “It’s gratifying; we
didn’t know if it would actually stay a program.”
Because Connections is only in its second
year, there is no data to show its effectiveness
at this time. But the University will begin to see
the program’s results soon, when high school
juniors and seniors start applying for colleges,
Hulick Baiza said.
Last spring, the Office of Admissions hosted
Embracing the Future, an event welcoming lo
cal students of color who have been admitted;
however, the office is unsure if it will host this
event again because of funding issues, Hulick
Baiza said.
Turn to Recruit, page 8
Weather
Today: High 50, Low 33,
morning fog, then partly sunny
Tuesday: High 50, Low 37,
morning tog, then partly sunny
Looking ahead
Tuesday Conservative talk radio
shows seen as a nationwide trend
Wednesday Find out how to use
state law to stop telemarketers