Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 29, 2006, edition 1 / Page 2
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■ Page 2 NEWS Sept. 29, 2006 www.guilfordian.com Greensboro. N.C. Condom dispensers proposed to help CAP STDs ByAdra Cooper | staff writer If you're the eleventh student to go to the health office for condoms today, you're probably out of luck. On Sept. 20, College Aids Prevention (CAP) proposed the installment of 12 on- campus condom dispensers to Community Senate because of the limited contraceptive options for residential students. "We are proposing to install condom dispensers in the men's and women's bath rooms on the first floors of the dorms and in the laundry rooms of the apartments," said senior Erin Bums, member of CAP. "Guilford has had a lot of problems with securing a condom source," Bums ex plained. Part of the reason why condoms are dif ficult to come by on campus is because of a lack of funding. The health center does not have a budget for condoms, which allots them to only give a certain amount every day. Guilford used to receive condoms from the non-profit agency Triad Health Project. Recently, the organization has stopped pro viding condoms because it could no longer afford to supply to a private college. "One benefit of condom dispensers is that they would pay for themselves," Bums said. "TTie money placed into the machines would be used to purchase more condoms." "Condom dispensers are a good, consis tent source," Bums added. "They ensure that condoms are both affordable and avail able to students." Even without condom dispensers, stu dents currently have some means of obtain ing condoms on campus. "We put out 8-10 (condoms) per day in the container (in the health office)," said Helen Rice, director of Student Health, in an e-mail. "If we put out more than that, they take them all by the handfuls. (But) if any one asks we always give them one." However, in the likelihood that more than 10 Guilford students engage in sex ev eryday, where does this lead the unlucky 11th student to look for condoms? "We give most of the condoms to Sandy Bowles, who passes them out to RAs to give out," Rice said. The sexual awareness-themed Cobb House recently conducted a Guilford stu dent sexual health and behavior survey that polled 146 traditional students. Of the par ticipants, 65 were female, 57 were male and 24 did not specify their gender. The survey showed that 42 percent of women and 39 percent of men reported feel ing uncomfortable approaching their RAs for condoms. Of the sexually active women who took the survey, 41 percent of them said that they would have sex without a condom if one was not immediately available. "It's important that college kids have access to condoms in order to increase the chances of safe sex," said junior Katherine Rossini, house manager of Cobb. "However, we simply don't have enough resources to facilitate this." Placing condom dispensers in residential halls would give students a 24-hour source of condoms. The dispensers would also al low students to obtain condoms anony mously, therefore eliminating the embar rassment of asking another person. Of all the students Cobb House polled in its survey, 76 percent of students said that they would use condom dispensers if they were in stalled on campus. Condom dispensers seem like a viable option for a relatively cheap, secure source for contraceptives. However, the proposal is still in the very early stages. "If dispensers are installed, it won't be imtil a few months down the road," Bums said. "We still need to get the approval of the administration, which will be much harder than the approval of the senate." The administration may disapprove of the installment of condom dispensers be cause of the school's image. At the senate meeting, some senate members raised ques tions as to how the parents of prospective students would react if they saw or knew of condom dispensers on campus. Many of the students at the meeting agreed that the appearance of the school should be secondary when regarding the health and wellbeing of students. "It's the responsibility of the school to give students the resources to engage in safe and healthy sex," Rossini said. SPARTAN’ SPARTANr' ' if I Former president speaks at Guilford Continued from page i be their voice," Robinson said. "While I was there, I saw things like a man trying to shave his face — but he had two hooks instead of hands." In 2002, Robinson left her post in the U.N. "When I left the office I was happy that it was in a much stron ger position," she said. Robinson then moved to New York to begin her human rights campaign. Real izing ffights: The Ethical Globaliza tion Initiative. "I only need one set of statistics to drive home how cmel the modem world is when it comes to human rights: 30,000 chil dren under 5 die every day from preventable dis ease and himger," Robinson said. Realizing Rights strives to make sustainable impacts on human rights issues. Their goal is to invoke systemic changes in governments, policy making, and socially accepted be liefs. "When it comes to change, it is important to recognize that if you want to make a sustainable differ ence, you have to do it in a sustain able way," Robinson said. Two days before she gave her Bryan Series lecture, Robinson was in Mozambique attending a meet ing on sexual health issues, rape Landry Haarmann/Guilfordian and sexual violence in small com munities. She provided the statis tic that girls in sub-Saharan Africa between 15 and 24 years old are six times more likely ffian males to be HIV-positive. "The ideological refusal to talk is killing women and children ev ery day," she said. "They are pow erless." The purpose of the meeting was to create and empower local women-nm organizations with knowledge and education so that they can in turn educate others in their community. "It doesn't mean much for a white western woman to come in and say 'you need to stop what you're doing," Robinson said. "But it means something com ing from a local woman." Establishing locally run or ganizations and empowering local women creates a lasting, systemic change, the kind of change Robin son and Realizing Rights work to achieve. Robinson acknowledged that college students have an excel lent record of direct service that provides short-term relief for hu man rights issues. She went on to explain what students can do and how students can get involved in making long term impacts in their community and the world. "In the past few years, America has been blind to much of the suf fering and injustice in the world," said first-year Spencer Musick. "Robinson pointed out not only the problems, but practical solu tions that we, as worldly-conscious college students, must consider. Robinson said the sim plest way young people can make a difference is by supporting fair trade businesses and ethical pur chasing policies. "There are good organizations out there that make positive im pacts," Robinson said. "You are enriched if you know you have duties to the community and do something about it." She cited Making Trade Fair, Amnesty International, and Ox- fam as important, ethical groups for students to support in the fight against human rights violations. "Oxfam and Amnesty are or ganizing a small arms campaign against the real weapons of mass destruction," Robinson said. "The machine guns and weapons that originate in the western, rich coun tries and make their way into the wrong hands." At the end of the lecture. Presi dent Kent Chabotar presented Robinson with the first Bryan Se ries Presidential Award. The award acknowledges the speaker's com mitment to one of Guilford's seven core values. Chabotar said that of these, Robinson represents Justice. "I thought the Mary Robinson lecture was a really great experi ence," said junior Sophie Kanter. "It was amazing to see a woman who had been in such high posi tions, and who was so aware of the gender and race issues that are prevalent in our world today." The Guilfordian Editor In Chief Matt Haselton mhaselto@guilford. edu Managing Editor Jeremy Bante jbante@guilford.edu Business Manager Sarah Adkisson sadkisso@guilford.edu Section Editors News Editor Josh Cohen jcohen@guilford.edu World & Nation Editor Pascale Vallee pvallee@guilford.edu Features Editors Dylan Grayson dgrayson@guilf ord. edu Genevieve Holmes ghohnes@guilford.edu SubscTi^ions To receive The Guilfordian in your mailbox, send an e- mail with your name and King, Founders or Hendricks Hall box number to: GuilfordianDist® guilford.edu Forum Editor Laird Allen lallen@guilford.edu Sports Editor Matt Goldman mgoIdman@guilford. edu Photo Editor Ben Lancaster blancast@guiiford.edu Layout Editors Dan Etter detter@guiiford.edu Lisa Oros loros@guilford.edu Kate Selby kselby@guilford.edu staff Writers Katie Bailey Joe Battaglia Joanna Bernstein Jake Blumgart Bryan Cahall Charlie Qay Adra Cooper BenDedman Denise Fisher Robbie Fisher Ashley Hardiman Juliana Janisch Grayson Lyles Jamie Metrick Pete McGuire Laura Milot Joe Overby Kip Reynolds Alysia Sawchyn Steven Tutterow Caryn Washington Megan Wise Senior Writers Nasi Easton Photo Staff Meredith Fore Landry Haarmarm Dan Katzman Julian Kennedy David Kosbob Faculty Advisor Jeff Jeske Adverfiserhehts To advertise in The Guilfordian, e-mail an inquiry to: GuilfordiairAds® guilford.edu Letters Submit all letters to: Guilfordian® guilford.edu. 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