When a student arrives at the fifth floor testing site, the counselor, a specialist from Cambridge City Hospital, takes him to a private room where she conducts the pre-test counseling. She conducts a standard questionnaire of risk assessment, asking questions like: Why do you want to be tested for HIV? Have you ever used intravenous drugs? Have you ever had anal sex?

The student receives a bar code, which is his only form of identification. He must bring it back to get the test results.

In the post-test appointment, the student talks to the same counselor. If a student feels he is not ready to know the test results he may choose to return later. When the student decides to see the results, the counselor shows them to him with no previous knowledge of their status; they see the results together for the first time.

Students are assessed a $10 fee, which can be waived for those who are unable to pay.

The fee is the "last point of contention," according to Marco B. Simons '97, director for Social Responsibility for the Undergraduate Council.

Michael insists the issue is "not on the table with the task force." However, other members of the task force continue to express their conviction that the testing should be free.

The fee is not meant to defray the total cost of the program to UHS, which the task force report estimated to be $32,004 annually.

UHS administrators decided to absorb the cost, but to impose the fee in the interest of cost effectiveness. Acting on models provided by other universities offering anonymous HIV testing, such as the University of California at San Diego, UHS imposed a fee to maintain a low "Did Not Keep Appointment" rate, according to Michael.

Other members of the task force said they support the fee because they hope students will make an investment in the process and not treat the program frivolously.

The Undergraduate Council passed a bill this fall allocating $1,000 to cover the costs of the first 100 students to be tested, according to Simons.

But Frazier believes "HIV is more serious than a raffle," adding that the council's allocation would be more useful if spent on a needs basis, to cover those students who need to waive the fee.

Still, Simons is adamant in his position for free testing. "In my opinion, we should make it as easy as possible for any student to get an HIV test," he says.

He says that the current nature of HIV services at UHS -- in which confidential testing is free and anonymous testing requires a fee -- creates the perception that UHS is essentially charging for anonymity.

Confronting Discrimination

For some, the advantages of anonymous HIV testing have proven invaluable in the effort to combat HIV- and AIDS-related discrimination on a broader scale.