Before anonymous testing was implemented, UHS offered confidential testing.
"A confidential test is attached to your medical record," Karp says.
"There was always the possibility that it could be the source of some future discrimination."
When an individual is tested anonymously, a pseudonym is used by the patient and by the staff, and the only marking on the test is a number.
Patients have reported satisfaction with the administration of anonymous testing, giving the service an average of 4.87 points on a scale of one to five and 98.3 per cent said they would refer someone to UHS for anonymous testing.
"When I went in for my test, I wasn't very willing to talk about my sexual history [with the counsellor],"says a senior who was recently tested at UHS. "But he was very effective, and now I am able to isolate the incidents where I was at risk. That's a good thing."
"I used New York as my code word," he says. "Now there is nothing to attach me to the test."
The most frequently cited reason for seeking an anonymous test was "self-referral" while 30 percent pointed to a new relationship and six percent to a change in contraceptive method.
"It just makes sense now to be careful," says the recently-tested senior. "My girlfriend and I felt it was a necessary."
"I felt that I would be okay," he says, "but when I read the word 'negative' I was so relieved."
UHS will release formal findings on the first year of testing later this year. According to Frazier, the task force plans to continue studying the state of AIDS education and resourcs on campus and will issue further recommendations on reducing high-risk behavior among students.
In a related effort, an AEO sub committee has completed a survey of condom availability on campus and plans to issue recommendations, Frazier says.
Students can make appointments to be tested by calling 495-2139 or call the Center for Wellness and Health Communication for information at 495-9649. Clinic hours are Monday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
--Elizabeth S. Zuckerman contributed to the reporting of this story.