By Jessica Schambach staff reporter Could you be HIV-positive? That's the question posted around campus and possibly in the minds of some TCU students. To help those students find the answer, Catholic Charities/Pediatric AIDS will provide free confidential testing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in the Student Center Lounge as part of the 12th Annual World AIDS Day. "A lot of people are afraid to get tested for certain reasons," said Matt Townsend, president of TCU Triangle, a group that strives to educate others about health, wellness and sexuality. "But doctors recommend that sexually active people get tested at least every two years." Townsend said getting tested at the start of a six-month period, not being exposed to risk factors and getting tested at the end of six months will ensure a correct result. The tests are 99 percent accurate and will consist of a finger prick, he said. Townsend said a private testing room was not available, but the lounge will be divided, and tests will be conducted behind partitions. "We're making every possible effort to protect the privacy of those who do get tested," he said. "The information will be confidential, but I can certainly understand how some people wouldn't go. We'll have contact information if they want to go somewhere else." Katie Cline, a freshman business major, said free HIV testing on campus is a good idea and that privacy should not be an issue. "It's a nice option to have for people who think they need to be tested," she said. "I don't think people will care as much because they're not going to be scoped out by their friends." Karolina Kundo, a sophomore international communications major, said although some people might be discouraged because the procedure is not completely private, it is still important to be tested. "I don't think it's something you should be ashamed of," she said. "A lot of people are having sex, and there's a possibility that you might be infected. If you're sexually active, you definitely need to get tested. I think it's a really good idea." Townsend said a contact person will be available to meet students at their discretion later this week, since results cannot be given over the phone. Along with HIV testing, volunteers from TCU Triangle, Student Allies, Leftist Students Union and students from Nursing 10131, an HIV/AIDS facts and issues course, will set up an informational table in the Student Center Lounge. A panel discussion will also be held in the Lounge from noon to 1 p.m., featuring guests from AIDS Interfaith, the Samaritan House and other AIDS educated organizations.
Jessica Schambach
By Matt Welnack staff reporter The Order of Omega will kick off the holiday season with the Tree Lighting at 10 p.m. tonight in front of Sadler Hall. Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari and his wife Jan Ferrari will arrive in a horse-drawn carriage along with Howard and Mildred Payne, who will play Santa and Mrs. Claus. Ferrari will turn on the lights on the 20-foot Christmas tree and the lights that decorate Sadler Hall. The TCU Orchestra will play an ensemble of holiday music at the lighting ceremony. "I think it is a good opportunity to promote community among TCU students as we come together to kick off the holiday season," said Lisa Jenkins, vice president of programming for Order of Omega . Order of Omega president John Horton, a senior pre-med biology major, said he looks forward to the tree lighting every year. "It's the first thing that really makes it Christmas for me," Horton said. "It is a time for student camaraderie." He said one of the unique things about the ceremony is that it is one of the few campus-wide activities that is free and open to everyone. The holiday tree lighting also marks the end of the Bank One Spirit of Christmas campaign. Students who picked up a wish card will bring their wrapped gifts to the ceremony. After the ceremony, people at the tree lighting will form a human chain to load the gifts onto a truck to take to Bank One. The gifts will be distributed by Child Protective Services on Christmas morning, Jenkins said. Jenkins, a senior business management major, said students can pick up wish cards in the Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or they can bring unwrapped gifts to the ceremony. She said the unwrapped gifts students bring to the ceremony will go to the Women's Haven of Tarrant County, Inc. Order of Omega has been working with Bank One since 1980 to provide presents to children that are less fortunate. Fourteen members of Order of Omega will read the college version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The Junior Panhellenic, composed of entirely freshmen, will hand out awards for the Light the Campus competition. There are three separate awards for residence halls, fraternity houses and sorority houses. Hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies will be served afterward. Jenkins said the ceremony will last about 45 minutes.
Matt Welnack
By Tealy Dippel staff reporter The House of Student Representatives voted Tuesday to dissolve the Residential Concerns Committee in an effort to better serve off-campus students. The committee, which was formed this semester as an ad hoc committee, will now be replaced by two subcommittees under the Student Concerns Committee. One subcommittee will be for on-campus students and the other for off-campus students. Jason Cordova, chairman of the Elections and Regulations Committee, said the committee did not serve the need they expected it to serve. "Having the Residential Concerns Committee as an ad hoc committee was off balance because we underrepresented off-campus students," Cordova said. "The student body can be better served with two subcommittees." Greg Skasko, chairman of the Residential Concerns Committee, said he is not disappointed by the decision because of the work his committee has done this semester. He said work including swipe cards for dormitories, caller ID and extended visitation, will be passed on to next semester. "The committee is being dissolved to better off-campus students in terms of giving them equal representation in House," Skasko said. Although there have been informal meetings of off-campus representatives, the new off-campus subcommittee will give them a more direct voice in student concerns, Skasko said. "The decision is not a loss because the committee will now be filtered through the Student Concerns Committee," he said. The two different subcommittees will be led by two subchairpersons who will be interviewed and recommended by Ben Jenkins, president-elect and Sara Donaldson, House vice president-elect. The subchairpersons will then be decided by Marcus Kain, chairman of the Student Concerns Committee. House members also unanimously passed a bill to change House bylaws and the standing rules. The bill focuses on the new constitutional changes in House structure and procedures and includes House attendance requirements. The bill changes the attendance requirement for House members from four absences to three absences, which extends to both House and committee meetings. The bill also makes changes in the number of hours designated to the president to decide on legislative vetoes. Instead of limiting the number to 72 hours, the president now has 96 hours to decide whether or not to veto a bill. Changes will go into effect next semester. In other House news, members unanimously voted to have a plenary session next meeting. There will be no new legislation or business to discuss.
Tealy Dippel |
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