In April 1995, a Harvard student, who wishes to remain anonymous, decided to get an HIV test.

His roommate, a member of AIDS Education and Outreach (AEO), advised him to get an anonymous test at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) rather than go to University Health Services (UHS) to get a confidential test.

The student had decided to be tested for HIV when his relationship with his girlfriend of three months became more intimate.

"You did what?" his girlfriend exclaimed in disgust when he admitted that twice the previous fall, he had gotten drunk and had unprotected sex with women he'd never met before.

The two agreed he should be tested for HIV before taking their relationship any further.

But his schedule, like most Harvard students, was overflowing with extracurricular activities. Between school, sports and ROTC, he had no time during working hours to take a 30-minute T ride to MGH, get tested and ride back. He was forced to wait until reading period in May.

But now, Harvard students desiring an anonymous HIV test no longer have to seek out local hospitals. As of Nov. 18, UHS is offering anonymous HIV testing in addition to confidential testing.

"The freedom to choose between anonymous or confidential testing is important especially in terms of discrimination," says Sarah E. Dryden '97, who became aware of the distinction when she took Bagnoud Professor of Health and Human Rights Jonathan M. Mann's course, General Education 103: "AIDS, Health, and Human Rights," in 1995.

The UHS anonymous testing program is the result of more than a year and a half of research and campaigning by campus AIDS activists.

Since the start of the program, anonymous testing sessions at UHS have been fully booked, and pre-test counseling appointments have spilled into January, says Carie Ullman Michael, assistant director for clinical operations at UHS.

As of Thursday, 17 appointments had been scheduled and 15 were kept in the first two and a half weeks of anonymous testing. Only one person waived the $10 fee, according to Michael.

Most students admit they don't know the differences between confidential and anonymous testing, according to two random surveys done by members of AIDS Education and Outreach several years ago.

Why Anonymous Testing at Harvard?

According to a 1994 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publication on HIV testing, results of confidential testing "are known only to the person who is being tested and the immediate group of people who provide care and prevention services for that person. "The same guidelines define anonymous as "without any identification."

"Confidential means the results are written on your permanent medical record," says Tobias B. Kasper '97, former co-director of Peer Contraceptive Counselors (PCC), a member of the UHS task force on HIV policies and a volunteer at AIDS Action Committee in Boston.