On Feb. 22, the Student Assembly convened and unanimously passed Resolution 29, officially marking the start of a series of actions aimed at bringing free HIV testing back to the Cornell campus. Until the fall of 2005, Gannet had offered the test for free, but because of cuts in state funding, it has since added a testing charge of $25.
“Charging for the Elisa [HIV] test has negative and widespread implications,” said Calvin Selth ’07. “Anything that is an extra obstacle for a student wanting to take the test is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.”
The S.A. is hoping to get the endorsement of the University Assembly, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Employee Assembly regarding this issue. Columbia University and Yale University currently offer the test for free.
“For a university health service to offer free testing says a lot about the school’s priorities,” Selth said.