Spring Break
Administration and Student Union not in same place on free STI testing
by Sarah Bayer
Assistant Arts Editor
News | 4/8/08
Posted online at 3:36 AM EST on 4/8/08
A policy that would institute free screening for sexually transmitted infections this fall at the Health Center awaits an uncertain fate this summer due to its large expense and uneven demand, Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said.
Under a plan spearheaded by Class of 2010 Senator Jenna Brofsky in consultation with University and Health Center administrators, money for a battery of five STI tests would be allotted in the University's contract with Health Center operator Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. The budget will be re-negotiated this summer.
The Health Center offered free STI testing until 2003, when the service "became really costly, and there wasn't a consistent usage," according to Brofsky. She hopes to implement a trial year of the testing to measure student support.
Based on information about the previous program, Brofsky estimates the cost to the University at about $200 per student, or $59,000 a year.
"I rather doubt that the University or [Beth Israel Deaconess] are going to be willing to put up the $50K to $80K it would take to create a program that is already covered by most students' health plans," Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.
"We do have a financial constraint," acknowledged Brofsky. "We just have to see what we can give up in order to get this."
Brofsky spearheaded the effort to bring the service back to campus. The idea "came up again and again" in conversations with constituents, she says. Some students felt uncomfortable getting tested for STIs because the charges appear on their parents' insurance bills.
The Student Union conducted an ongoing online survey beginning March 6, which Brofsky described as "pretty conclusive" in establishing support for free STI testing. Of 391 responses to the Union's survey, 303 students said they would likely take advantage of the service if it was provided free of charge.
Under a plan spearheaded by Class of 2010 Senator Jenna Brofsky in consultation with University and Health Center administrators, money for a battery of five STI tests would be allotted in the University's contract with Health Center operator Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. The budget will be re-negotiated this summer.
The Health Center offered free STI testing until 2003, when the service "became really costly, and there wasn't a consistent usage," according to Brofsky. She hopes to implement a trial year of the testing to measure student support.
Based on information about the previous program, Brofsky estimates the cost to the University at about $200 per student, or $59,000 a year.
"I rather doubt that the University or [Beth Israel Deaconess] are going to be willing to put up the $50K to $80K it would take to create a program that is already covered by most students' health plans," Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.
"We do have a financial constraint," acknowledged Brofsky. "We just have to see what we can give up in order to get this."
Brofsky spearheaded the effort to bring the service back to campus. The idea "came up again and again" in conversations with constituents, she says. Some students felt uncomfortable getting tested for STIs because the charges appear on their parents' insurance bills.
The Student Union conducted an ongoing online survey beginning March 6, which Brofsky described as "pretty conclusive" in establishing support for free STI testing. Of 391 responses to the Union's survey, 303 students said they would likely take advantage of the service if it was provided free of charge.
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