Letter to the Editor: Don’t wait for free HIV test

By , , , and

Editor:

The Feb. 10 article regarding free HIV testing (“HIV testing temporarily free at Student Health Services”) was introduced in a sexually irresponsible manner.

I quote: “Students who think they may have contracted HIV can receive free oral tests today on campus.”

If people expect that they have HIV, they should seek a doctor’s attention, not wait for free testing.

Further, is the testing limited to students who think they may have HIV, or can any student participate?

The fact that I am alive means that I have a certain level of risk for HIV.

Certain behaviors increase those risks more significantly than others, but even a person who has kissed someone has increased those risks.

Anyone who has engaged in any risky behaviors should have regular testing simply to be sexually responsible.

While I applaud the effort to educate people about sexual health, it should be more thought-out.

Leo Tyler

Senior, Psychology