Letters to the editor

AIDS awareness

To the Editor:

Thank you for bringing attention to the problem HIV/AIDS poses for Penn's campus in last week's 34th Street Magazine. This problem has unfortunately slipped under the radar screens of many college students and campuses. In February, the first recorded HIV outbreak among college students was reported in North Carolina, where students represented over 20 percent of new HIV cases among 18- to 30-year-olds.

We cannot afford to be apathetic or think this problem only affects others. As a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman said upon the North Carolina outbreak, "Because of the way we pigeonhole people in this society, we don't think of college students as being at risk for HIV. We've been somewhat remiss in focusing on people's sexual identity. It doesn't matter what their sexual identity is, we need to focus on their behaviors." Many students unknowingly engage in risky behaviors. Unfortunately, the Street article left out various resources that can help students identify risky behaviors and provide HIV testing, counseling and treatment.

This Thursday and Friday, as part of AIDS Awareness Week, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will administer testing and counseling on campus from noon until 5 p.m. in the Religious Activities Common of the Graduate Student Center. All testing is free and anonymous, and does not require a blood sample (just a cheek swab). No appointments are necessary, and the process takes 10 to 15 minutes. Students will pick up results in two weeks' time. The event is sponsored by PennVISIONS, the HIV/AIDS awareness group on campus.

In addition, on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Houston Hall, Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health will participate in a sexual health fair with information on safer sex, and at 9 p.m. Civic House is sponsoring a viewing of And the Band Played On, based on the classic book about the first years of the HIV crisis in America. Finally, on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Hamilton College House rooftop lounge, keynote speakers Tony Lombardi and HIV-positive university student Tim Lavigne of the Safe Haven Project Inc. will discuss living with HIV on a college campus and their outreach to HIV-positive children.

An extensive list of testing sites and HIV resources is available on the Office of Health Education's Web site: www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/. OHE's primary referral for HIV testing is the Mazzoni Center, located at 12th and Chestnut streets, which is the oldest test site in the city and provides free, anonymous HIV testing and testing for other sexually transmitted infections on a sliding scale. We encourage everyone to utilize these resources to assess your own risk and get tested, if necessary.

Lauren Rogal and Zoe Harris

Co-Presidents, PennVISIONS

Fran de la Torre, President

Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health

Susan Villari, Director

Office of Health Education

Compassion for Mosher?

To the Editor:

When an individual knowingly commits a crime and exploits others, do they deserve compassion? The most they deserve is support so that they can cease committing crimes. The views expressed in the letter from professor Goodman ("Compassion for a tragedy,"The Daily Pennsylvanian, 3/19/04) calling on the University to express compassion for "the terribly unfortunate turn of events in [Paul Mosher's] life" seem to be misplaced compassion.

Child pornography is not a victimless crime, and compassion ought to be reserved for the exploited victims. Furthermore, calling Paul Mosher's crime and conviction a "tragedy" and "unfortunate" implies that he did nothing to cause the events leading to his fate. On the contrary, his conviction on these charges implies that he intentionally committed these crimes.

Shawn Aster

GAS '05

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.