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CAAP spreads
HIV awareness
Community AIDS Awareness Project
(CAAP) will provide free HIV testing on Nov.
5 with professionals from Triad Health Project
and the Guilford County Health Department.
HIV testing is particularly important as the
domestic AIDS pandemic no longer holds the
nation's attention. With the answers to many
of the initially terrifying questions about AIDS
and with the lack of media attention in deci
mated communities, many Americans consid
er the disease to be a problem solely for other
countries.
But with 30,000 North Carolinians HIV
positive and 2,000 of them in Guilford County,
this misconception is incorrect and dangerous.
Twenty-one percent of infected individuals
in the United States do not know their status.
Most college students are sexually active and
many engage in risky sexual behavior. The
need for accurate prevention information and
testing services remains critical in decreasing
the disease's spread and keeping students
healthy.
At Guilford, GAAP works hard to fight the
apathetic viewpoint many young Americans
take towards AIDS. CAAP members volunteer
with the Triad Health Project, an organization
that does AIDS prevention and cares for indi
viduals living with HIV/AIDS.
Through this volunteer work, CAAP mem
bers have an important perspective of the val
ue of AIDS prevention and of the actual impact
of an AIDS diagnosis on a person's life. Their
insight serves as a valuable reminder of AIDS'
severity, especially considering the insular na
ture of the Guilford bubble.
To take advantage of CAAP's free HIV test
ing, go to the Gareer and Community Learn
ing Center from 1 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 5. The test
ing is completely confidential. Students meet
privately with a counselor, who will return in
three weeks to discuss the results.
Though AIDS research has come a long
way, there is still no cure. Prevention plays a
critical role in reducing the spread of the dis
ease. Despite our cultural,desensitization to
the disease, AIDS continues to destroy lives
and communities.
Ignoring the problem only creates unneces
sary deaths. If you are sexually active, take an
active role in keeping yourself and your part
ners healthy. No one else will.
Free HIV Testing
Wed., Nov. 5
I -5 p.m.
e
in the
Career and Community
Learning Center
Protect Yourself!
"Become more"... specific
When checking my e-mail over fall break,
I noticed the words "become more" printed
in bold at the top right comer of the Guilford
home page. "Become more," I thought. "Be
come more what?"
Little did I know, "Become more" is our
current slogan, adopted by admissions near
ly two years ago. Taglines such as "Become
more" and "Guilford got me there!" are used
as a part of the promotion for the college and
for student recmitment.
Marketing tactics aside, I think it's im
portant that we ask ourselves what message
this slogan sends to prospective students
who are considering attending Guilford.
At the bottom of some alumni profiles on
the Web site is a blurb about how "become
more" manifests itself in the Guilford com
munity.
According to Guilford.edu, "Guilford
College provides a positive, transformative
experience in the Quaker tradition for stu
dents of all ages."
"For me it should be a Zen Quaker para
dox," said Max Carter, campus ministry co
ordinator and director of the Friends Center.
"In the Quaker tradition you become more
by becoming less — less concerned with
wealth and material."
By using the tagline "become more," are
we really becoming less? Is Guilford empha
sizing our Quaker values of community, di
versity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice
and stewardship when recruiting potential
students?
"The approach that our traditional ad
mission staff and CCE areas have used to
promote Guilford is to tell the stories of, in
most cases, recent alumni," said Ty Buck
ner, senior director of communications and
marketing, "with the stories reflecting what
world view. They interact with individuals
from all sectors of society, expanding their
cultural understanding. At Guilford, every
student shares one path: they each become
more."
As a senior beginning to figure out my
own life's purpose, and what my next step
will be, I reflect on my past four years at
Guilford. Have I become more? I guess that
depends on your definition.
Have I grown as an individual? Most
As a senior beginning to figure out my own life's purpose, and what
my next step will be, I reflect on my past four years at Guilford.
Have I become more? I guess that depends on your definition.
we call outcomes. The product of a Guilford
education."
These outcomes that Buckner refers to
are the recent graduates, both GGE and tra
ditional, profiled on the current homepage
and throughout the Web site. Students pro
filed include, a current equity capital mar
kets analyst for Wachovia, a Doctor of veteri
nary medicine candidate at Mississippi State
University and a middle school secretary.
By sharing their diverse stories with pro
spective students, Buckner hopes that "be
come more" is seen by students as a chal
lenge as well as a reflection of what their
experience at Guilford can be.
The bottom of many alumni profiles read,
"(Guilford students) engage the community
outside of the classroom, expanding their
certainly. Have I expanded my world view
by interacting with students of different
religious, ethnic, regional and national
backgrounds? Yes. Have I engaged in the
community outside the classroom through
internships and community service? Defi
nitely. I'm not saying that Guilford is by any
means perfect. I'm not even sure that there
was an entirely unified stance on what stu
dents we should be, and are, attracting to
our institution by creating this ultimately
vague slogan.
But above all, I believe that Guilford can
be a transformative place. It is a place that
has helped me develop into a more con
fident and socially conscious individual.
Have I become more, though? I think you'll
have to be more specific.
Today's Lesson: Health insurance worries
Most situations in life,
whether big or small, come with
a downside and an upside.
For instance, in February, I
was happy and relieved that my
divorce was finalized.
The upside of that meant that
an unhappy 15-year marriage
ended.
The downside made me wor
ry, because according to North
Carolina law, my health insur
ance also ended.
I'm self-employed, so mini
mal coverage health insurance
was going to cost me close to
$200 a month. I decided to join
the ranks of the uninsured and
take a risk rather than opt to
forego groceries, heat, or gas for
my car.
The upside: my children and
I were well-fed, warm, and mo
bile.
The downside: there was al
ways a nagging fear of "what
if."
A glimmer of hope came
when I found a CCE health in
surance survey in my mailbox
in the spring of 2008 asking if I
would be interested in a student
insurance plan. I filled out my
survey and encouraged others
to do the same.
According to Rita Serotkin,
CCE dean of students, there
was not a definitive reason why
health insurance had never been
offered to adults. She said that it
was a subject that had not been
discussed during her time at
Guilford.
Serotkin said that a student
stopped her and asked if some
and Boothby, the administration
began their search for the carrier
with the right price and right
coverage. UnitedHealthCare
won the bid.
CCE students were given the
opportunity to enroll through
an obscure form received in the
mail. I usually read everything
closely, so thankfully I noticed
that it was offered.
There was no brochure or
information about the cover
age. The only information pro-
A glimmer of hope came when I found a CCE
health insurance survey in my mailbox.
type of coverage could be of
fered for CCE students. Serotkin
took the request to Guilford's
president, Kent Chabotar, and
Jerry Boothby, vice president for
finance and administration.
Chabotar and Boothby
thought that this was an idea
that should be pursued if enough
students were interested in the
coverage. The survey was used
to find out how many students
would be interested in health in
surance through Guilford.
The results from the survey
showed sufficient interest, so
with approval frorri. Chabotar
vided was that the cost was only
$369.00 for twelve months of
coverage.
Even though I wasn't sure
what was covered, I thought
this unknown something would
be worth more than the known
nothing!
I finally did receive my cov
erage information and found
that it was well worth the cost.
I don't have well visits, but
there are certain health screen
ings covered along with most
sick visits to a hospital or a phy
sician. It's definitely' coverage
that 'takes away the 'nagging'
fear.
There were not many stu
dents who enrolled in the insur
ance plan and Serotkin believes
this was due to the lack of in
formation and lack of publicity.
She stated that in the future she
would love to see more students
benefit from the insurance.
Serotkin said, "If it benefits
any student, then it is a good
thing ... The insurance gives
them a way to take care of them
selves without a huge financial
hardship."
CCE students can enroll at
any time during the year, add
ing this to their Guilford bill.
The cost is pro-rated based on
the number of months of cover
age and the expense can be cov
ered by financial aid.
If you have an interest in the
coverage, UnitedHealthGare has
finally provided the insurance
brochures to the CCE office. If
you like to see what you are get
ting before you pay, then drop
by Hendricks Hall to pick up
more information.
As usual, life gives us ups
and downs. The upside to this:
thanks to Guilford, I'm no lon
ger an uninsured statistic. The
downside: I graduate in May,
so I'll lose the coverage. The up
side: I graduate in May, and I'll
worry about the rest later.'