Sixty students took advantage of free HIV testing sponsored by the Brown chapter of the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS in Leung Gallery on Monday.
GAIA organized and ran the event with financial support from Queer Alliance, the Office of the President, Health Services, the Department of Community Health and the Department of Africana Studies. The tests were administered by volunteers from AIDS Care Ocean State.
"Our goal is to have HIV testing become a routine part of yearly medical checkups," said GAIA President Jeanne Tong '10. Health Services also offers such testing, but charges a fee, which makes students less likely to get tested, she said.
"Once we sent out all the e-mails to the various departments and offices, it was relatively easy to get funding," Tong said.
GAIA began holding a free testing day each semester starting in the fall of 2006, Tong said, adding that the testings have drawn an average of 100 students. One hundred tests were ordered for Monday's event, though fewer than that participated. The remaining tests will be used in the fall.
"I was a little worried that we didn't publicize as much as we usually do," Tong said. "But the students who really needed the service came."
To cut costs, this year's tests were performed using blood from a finger prick, which is cheaper than the the oral swab method that was previously used. The total budget for this semester's event was $1,100, or $11 per test, Tong said.
To be tested, students had to fill out confidential paperwork and were asked to use their first name or a pseudonym to identify themselves. After the blood sample was taken, the results were available in about 15 minutes, Tong said.
If a student tests positive, Tong said, "we provide brochures on psychiatric services through Brown and places in Providence where they can get help."
"We try to provide them with a resource," she said.
