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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1990)
The Battalion OPINION Ji Friday, August 31,1990 Opinion Page Editor Elien Hobbs 8451 j ^ — Fr AIDS education sorely needed to stop disease lexas A&M President William Mobley put the emphasis on education when announcing the University’s AIDS policy Monday. Education is the issue, and it is badly needed. Indeed, research •eenis to indicate that many freshmen are woefully ignorant of even the basic fa< is about the disease. Dr. Karl Hursey, of the psychology dt partment, surveyed 508 A&M students in regard to their sexual behavior and attitudes. He presented a preliminary version of his results at a m< eting of the Brazos Valley AIDS foundation this Jeff Farmer Columnist summer. He found that !>hough well over half of the students were sexually active, many of them knew little about AIDS. Here I present a few of the items he shared at the meeting. Six-and-a-half percent of the students believed that vitamins and a proper diet could significantly help prevent AIDS. Gosh. Pei haps we should contact these folks to find out what other things vitamins can do. infection) perfectly healthy.You cannot tell, by looking at anyone, including yourself, whether the HIV is in that person’s body. Period. This next one is A few facts ... How about not having sex with people who look like they might have AIDS? Just about two-thirds ot the students (68 pea cent) agreed that such a measure could he lp prevent AIDS. I found this almost AIDS is a fatal disease, caused b\ HIV. This virus is spread by sexual contact, sharing needles, or f rom mother to child dur ing pregnancy. To be completely safe avoid am activity that brings you into contact with the blood, semen or blood products of another person. If you are sexually active you c an significantly reduce your risk by always using a condom with a water- biased lubricant and nonoxinol-9 whenever you engage in vaginal or anal intercourse. Although oral sex is not an ef ficient mode <>f - transmission, using a condom can reduce your risk in this as well. I hese measures are also effective against other STD’s. Always use a clean needle for injections. The Health Education Center of the A.P. Beutel Health Center offers programs on AIDS, HIV infection, STD’s, Safe Sex in the *96's, and other health-related issues to classes and student organizations. (ion tact Dr. Erika Gonzalez-Lima, Co ordinator, 845-1341. For further information about AIDS, call the National AIDS Hotline 1-800-342-2437 . For local information about testing or other issues, call 690-A1DS just as amazing. 73 percent of ihosc surveyed said that avoiding people who might be gay could help prevent AIDS. More than half thought this would be a very eff ective measure. Good grief . Sitting next to a gay person in class may mean that you could catch a cold if they have one, or get your world view broadened, but it won’t expose you to AIDS. As Dr. Hursey said, what is scary about these results is not just that students are ignorant, but that much of what they think they know is v\ l ong. People are much more likely to make a bad decision based on incorrect information than on no infoi mation at all. Folks who think that all they need to do is understand the facts. If this were one of those surveys about geography or politics that we are always hearing about, the results might be funny. As it is, it’s not. The median age of persons answering the sur vey was 19; i.e., most were freshmen. This shows, for one thing, just what a rotten job high schools are doing in educating their students about AIDS. (Many high schools, due to parental pressure, do almost nothing.) Sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS) are a ser ious threat ter the college population Half of all STD’s each vear occur in people under the age of 25. Unfortunately (in some sense) AIDS does not show up right away. So by the time someone who contracted HIV inf ection in college at tually develops symptoms of A1 DS, they are Six-and-a-half percent of the students believed that vitamins and a proper diet could significantly help prevent AIDS. Gosh. Perhaps we should contact these folks to find out what other things vitamins can do. ByT OT Tl Will 1 ieal i re usually far away. Since college students don’t see their friends getting sick, they think they are immune. A significant number of AI DS-related deathsan the 20-29 age group; given theti® takes this disease to progress,itis assume that most of these peoplen inlet ted by their early 20s. I he murders in Gainesville involving a handful of studentsare ret ei\ mg national attention (asperl thev should). But it's a safe bet t|i AI DS is a much bigger threat (thou delayed one) on any campus of significant size. That’s whythe progi ams announced by President Mobley on Monday are vital. AndilJ why we should all take responsibiliti educate ourselves and our friends 1 simply a matter of survival. Jeff Farmer is a graduate studnlt ■ l0St mathematics. Jable luild “T ievf' aid i Tl loot' idde mild Tl ice a Di MARSltlZS &\<y?o hcvstdn Tower ...there’s a guy in here demandingf {$30 million and a parachute... unbelievable. Let me state here for the record: HIV is mostly spread by people who look (and are, but for H1 V “avoid gays’’ (whatever that means) are a lot more, likely? to engage in risky sexual behavior than are those who Or State Attention all readers: The Batt wants your input Most of you new folks have probably figured out by now that 1 he Battalion is Texas A&M’s student newspaper. Most of you old hands have seen The Batt before and maybe think you've figured us out. Well, we’ve changed a little. With a few new features, we've increased communication with you, our readers. When you pick up The Battalion, you won’t just see what a lot of journalism majors and newspaper types think is interesting. You’ll read about what students are interested in, what your f riends are saying, how your peers'feel about t uri ent issues. Here are a few examples: The Batt Poll — The results of our telephone survey. The Batt Poll, will appear in the paper every other Wednesday, starting Sept. 12. You may have seen the poll at the end of the Spring semester or during the summer — it’s the one with the pie graphs. The poll always includes two questions, chosen by the editor (that’s me), on a current topic. The purpose is to find out bow A&M students feel about certain issues. About 400 students are randomly called by a machine each time, and they respond to the questions by punching in numbers. We asked and here’s what you said — This is another feature designed to sample average student opinion. Starting next week for the fall semester, a reporter and photographer will approach on campus ten random people and ask them fot opinions on a current topic, flie people’s answers and their photographs will appear in The Battalion every other Wednesday, probably on Page 3. An advantage to this type of survey is participants are allowed to express their thoughts rather than answer a multiple choice question. “We asked and here’s what you said’’ began this summer and was well received. BATTIPS — BA I TIPS is an easy way for readers to submit story ideas to T he Battalion. By calling 845-3315 and leaving a message on our machine, anyone can propose a story about an interesting student or faculty member, something different or disturbing on campus, an upcoming event or even a rumor they heard about the Aggies joining the NFL. We’ll look into it. Yes, these tips do turn into actual stories. Several stories this summer were prompted by messages from readers, and a story in today’s paper was the result of a BAT IIP. T he BAT T IPS number runs every day in tfie paper in a little box. Please call with your ideas, but please don't call and leave messages about events you want to appear in What’s Up. What’s Up submissions must be made in person. Which brings me to the next category ... What’s Up and In Advance — What’s Up runs every day, and it’s a list of meetings, special lectures or other events occurring on campus. To get an item in What’s Up for your organization, come to the Batt newsroom (216 Reed McDonald) and fill out a form. You must submit the form three days in advance of when you want it to appear in the paper. Because of the enormous number of entries we receive and limited space, we unfortunately cannot guarantee every entry will run. But we do try. In Advance usually runs two or three times a week and is similar to What’s Up, but more in-depth. Background information about mass- appeal events, such as concerts or lectures by visiting experts, makes In Advanc e an informative guide to what’s coming to campus. Ideas for In Advance entries should be directed to our city editot, I lolly Bet ka, at 845-3316. Again, we t aimot guarantee every enti v will run. Salutes —- Salutes is something 1 be Battalion published in the past, and it has recently been brought back. Every Friday, the Salutes box will announce awards and honors received by A&M students, fac ulty, staff err organizations. Please let us know if you or someone you know has done something pr aiseworthy, and we'll put it in print. For Salutes entries, come to 216 Reed McDonald, fill out a Salutes form and drop it in the big wooden box at the f ront. Be sure to bring submit entries by T uesday to appear in Friday’s paper. think soinet lung you read on the page is completely st upid, write and tell us. 11 the letter is longandwell u i it ten, it may become a Reader’s ( )pimcm column. All letters should be mailed to I be Batt or delivered to the opinion editor, Ellen Hobbs,in 216 Reed McDonald. cliee; Prod to be Kr small man) nets f In Quai most T from Cattli The Opinion’Page— You all know what that is; you’re reading it. Page 2, the place where Aggies tell other Aggies that abortion is wrong, killing trees is wrong, parking is horrible and Highway 6 runs both ways. Page 2 is a forum for ideas and opinions on an infinite var iety of issues. It is probably the most important way that you — the reader •— participate in the paper. If you have an opinion to express or you The Batt Staff — E nough about these occasional submissions. What about people who want to work for I he Batt? Any student may apply for a staff position, even non-journadism majors. I’m an economics major,the managing editor is a computer scienc e majoi and none of the opinion columnists are journalism majors. If you want to work for The Batt, though, you’re probably too lateior tli is semester — f all staff was hired in April. Applications will be available in November for the Spring 1991 semester. That’s the short version of The Battalion And You. T he Battalionis not just any newspaper, it’syom newspapei So contact BATTIPS, write a letter to the editor, answert| questions if you’re called by The Ban Poll — communication and understanding at A&M can only improve if you do. mogc other duct Chasi Th The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Cindy McMillian, Editor Timm Doolen, Managing Editor Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor Holly Becka, Gity Editor Kathy Cox, Kristin North, News Editors Nadja Sabawala, Sports Editor Eric Roalson, Art Director Lisa Ann Robertson, Lifestyles Editor Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-sup porting newspaper operated as a commu nity service to Texas A&M and Bryan- Colfege Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the au thor, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regu lar semesters, except for holiday and ex amination periods. Newsroom: 845-3313. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semes ter, $40 per school year and $50 per full year: 845-2611. Advertising rates fur nished on request: 845-2696. Our address: The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, Col lege Station, I X 77843-11 1 1. Second class postage paid at College Station, I X 77843. POST MASTER: Send address changes to The Baftalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX 77843-4111. Adventures In Cartooning by Don Atkinson Jt Do VCO URt/e R COPY OF 2 Ui/6 CREW'6 "AS [NASTY RS TNEY WffNNft (you PNDW, UMD6P. DlFFeRENT ClZCUMSTfiNCOS, z would me vewuNcsD THOM PS S6K/5T AND ZWMTGPe. BUT WWW USTEhim 70 TH£M, X'M SOPFDPXiMQ FP££ t SPOeCH! X DON'T tXICN me \ TO FOOL GUILTY ABOUT CMJWIUG LYRICS TMT JDcOPWe W0N6N. ISN'T THIS A ( ANOTHER. CXAMPLf OF HOVi WELL CEN50RSHIP \Noms IN owmcR.