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Kent Stater HIV/AIDS in Ohio: THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015
Treatment, prevention and awareness Brenna Parker Health Reporter According to the Ohio Department of Health, one in five people are living with HIV and don’t know it. The department's most recent figures from 2009-2013 show HIV steadily rose among young adults in the state of Ohio. Kent State associate professor and HIV specialist Dianne Kerr said students do not visibly see HIV and AIDS because it is very difficult today to tell if someone has the disease. People in the U.S. do not notice cases of HIV or AIDS as much as the initial introduction in the 1980s because it was more common to see infected people that were thin and sickly. “I don’t think we realize the scope of it, or see the countries that have been most affected,” Kerr said. “When the epidemic first hit, half of gay men and hemophiliacs had it and were dying from it.” Kerr said the rise in HIV/AIDS among young adult can be attributed to students not getting tested and not practicing safe sex. According to Kerr, the infection rate for HIV has stayed the same at about 50,000 new cases a year, but for homosexual men, heterosexual African-American women and young adults these groups are seeing an increase. Since the beginning of the epidemic, nearly 78 million people have contracted HIV and close to 39 million have died of AIDS-related causes. The majority of these cases are located in sub-Saharan Africa. “In many parts of Africa, if a woman does not breastfeed her baby it would starve,” Kerr said. “But breast milk, we know, transmits HIV.” President George W. Bush initiated the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This government initiative is a commitment to combat the disease internationally. According to PEPFAR, its investments also help alleviate the suffering from other diseases across the global health spectrum and promote a shared responsibility among donors and partner nations. As a result, PEPFAR has allowed other countries to help put an end to HIV/AIDS and has prevented over a million cases of mother to child transmissions for HIV. “When you think of the 30 million people who have died from HIV and AIDS complications that is really pretty scary,” Kerr said. “We still do not have a cure or vaccine.” HIV recently came back into the public spotlight on Nov. 15 when actor Charlie Sheen admitted on the TODAY show that he was HIV positive and was blackmailed in order to keep his medical information from being leaked to the public. Kerr said this is an example of how there is still a stigma attached with having HIV, and that people do not want to reveal if they are infected. “I know students here [at Kent State] who are infected and I can’t get them to want to speak on World AIDS day,” Kerr said. “Stigma is a major barrier when dealing with this disease.” Joshua Morgan, Risk Reduction and Outreach Coordinator for Community AIDS Network/Akron Pride Initiative (CANAPI), said for people diagnosed with HIV it can be a life altering experience, but not a death sentence. People can continue to live long and healthy lives. “The key to living a long and healthy life with HIV is getting tested so you know your status, adhering to your prescribed medication, maintaining a partnering relationship with your medical professionals and making sure you take care of yourself,” Morgan said. “Now, is that to say you should be working out six hours a day, six days a week... no. It means maintaining a
Rick Loomis / Tribune News Service People evacuate from the scene of a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015.
14 dead in Calif. shooting
Amanda Lee Myers and Justin Pritchard Associated Press
Made with Piktochart health-conscience life and providing your body with the proper nutrition it needs.” CANAPI operates several housing programs including Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), which provides individuals living with HIV subsidized rent for up to 12 months. CANAPI allows federally subsidized housing for people living with HIV. This program houses up to five individuals at one time who are either eminently homeless or are currently homeless. According to the 2012 HIV/AIDS Integrated Epidemiologic Profile for Ohio, Portage County in 2010 had reported 46 people living with HIV. Of those who reported, 52 percent of them had an unmet need for HIV primary medical care. Portage County for comparison has 14.3 percent of its population living under the federal poverty line with 11.6 percent living with no health insurance. “People living with HIV are as human as any other person,” Morgan said. “Just because they are living with HIV does not change who they are, how they love or their ability to be loved.” Morgan said the stigma associated with HIV is due to several variable factors including a general misunderstanding of HIV with the public, a lack of education regarding transmission methods and a misconception of cultural barriers. “HIV does not discriminate,” Morgan said. “It is more prevalent among today's
youth, however the rise of HIV in general is a result of misconceptions, misunderstanding, lack of safer sex practices and intravenous drug use.” Morgan said the increase in HIV amongst young adults can be attributed to not communicating with sexual partners and not knowing what sexual or drug behaviors that put those at risk for transmission. “When first diagnosed with HIV, one can expect to be overwhelmed with questions and emotions,” Morgan said. “There are health professionals through your local health department and area AIDS organizations such as CANAPI to help along the process.” According to Kerr, in a recent study done by the university, over 60 percent of Kent State students had not been tested for HIV. She wants to reach students early and get them the proper medication to further stop the spread on campus. Petit, choking back tears as the read the text for reporters at the shooting scene, said his daughter works at the center, where social workers find jobs, housing and transportation and provide other services to people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Ten of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition, and three were in serious condition, Fire Chief Tom Hannemann said.
ment went out to the National Panhellenic Conference and organizations expressed their interest in Kent,” said Cancelliere. The council then has to consider potential sororities to join Kent’s campus. “The organizations prepared materials, and the new extension committee weighed the pros and cons of each organization and narrowed it down to three to present in fall of 2015,” Cancelliere said. The community of Kent goes through and decides how the new sorority will fit in at the university based on the presentations and information provided from NPC. “Three chapters do presentations, then chapters fill out an evaluation sheet (and) decide what is the best option for Kent State,” said Lauren Raymond, Panhellenic delegate for Tri Sigma. The committee will then be able to send questions they have in regards to the organizations. After presentations were completed, the committee was able to send questions to organizations including Sigma Delta Tau, Delta Phi Epsilon and Alpha Gamma Delta, said Cancelliere. Next followed a survey voting process, which would further the narrowing process. “Once follow up questions were
answered, the committee took the surveys and results of chapter discussion and feedback to come to a recommendation for Panhellenic,” she said. “If the recommendation passes, an invitation will be sent to the organization presented and they can either accept or deny our invitation.” With excitement in the air of the new sorority being brought to campus, there will be more opportunities for those considering recruitment next fall. “(It's a) general goal that all the women that go through recruitment, that aren’t placed, will be placed. To be part of Greek life, would have another place to go to,” Raymond said.
At least two heavily armed attackers opened fire on a banquet at a social services center for the disabled Wednesday, killing 14 people and seriously wounding more than a dozen others in a precision assault that looked "as if they were on a mission," authorities said. Hours later, police hunting for the killers riddled a black SUV with gunfire in a shootout two miles from the late-morning carnage, and a man and woman with assault rifles, handguns and "assaultstyle clothing" were killed, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said. A third person who was spotted running near the gunbattle was detained, but Burguan said it was unclear if that person had anything to do with the crime. It was the nation's deadliest mass shooting since the attack at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago that left 26 children and adults dead. Police shed no light on the motive for the massacre, but David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, said the bureau is looking at several possibilities, including workplace violence and terrorism. He did not elaborate. The attackers invaded the Inland Regional Center and began shooting around 11 a.m. They opened fire in a conference area that the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health had rented out for a banquet, said Mary-
beth Feild, president and CEO of the nonprofit center. Witnesses reported seeing one to three gunmen. Burguan said that someone had left the county employees' event after "there was some type of dispute," but investigators were not sure whether that had anything to do with the subsequent massacre in the Southern California city of 214,000 people about 60 miles of Los Angeles. Authorities also found a potential explosive device at the social service center. As gunfire echoed through the large three-building complex, several people locked themselves in their offices, desperately waiting to be rescued by police. Some texted their loved ones or telephoned them and whispered to them what was going on. "People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office," Terry Petit's daughter texted him. About four hours later, with police looking for a dark SUV, officers staking out a home in the nearby city of Redlands saw a vehicle matching that description leave. They tried to pull it over, the SUV crashed, and a gunbattle broke out around 3 p.m., authorities said. One officer suffered a minor injury. Preliminary information seems to indicate that “this is personal, and there seems to suggest some element of revenge and retaliation,” said Erroll G. Southers, director of Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at the University of Southern California and a former FBI agent.
Amy Schumer to perform Sunday
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Greek life adds new sorority Kayla Sturm Greek Life Reporter The past semester has been increasingly significant for Greek life. The community reached more than 2,200 members, broke goals in philanthropic events, and announced on Wednesday that they will be welcoming Sigma Delta Tau National Sorority into their community in fall of 2016.
ΣΔΤ The Process
“In Fall of 2014, an exploratory committee was formed which consists primarily of the same women on our extension committee,” said Leslie Cancelliere, vice president of recruitment and retention on Panhellenic. “The original committee decides if another (National Panhellenic Council) organization would be beneficial for a number of reasons.” What's next is to consider when the best time to bring a new sorority to campus could be. The committee had to go through presentations and allot enough time to decide and not rush the process, said Cancelliere. After determining the right time to bring a new sorority to campus, the NPC will show interest. “Once this was determined, an announce-
The future of Kent's Greek life
Bringing a new sorority to campus can increase membership numbers as well as expanding philanthropies. Women will also have more options to decide on where their home away from home will be. “I am most excited about the new sorority's philanthropy,” said Adeline Wadel, a junior zoology student and member of Phi Mu. ”It will be nice to have even more organizations to raise money for and to support as the Greek community of Kent State.” ksturm4@kent.edu
Allen J. Schaben / Tribune News Service Amy Schumer backstage at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015.
Alex Gray / Payton Moore Politics Reporter / Assigning Editor Comedian, actress, writer and producer Amy Schumer will be performing at the M.A.C. Center Sunday night at 8 p.m. Sophomore communication studies student Andrea Rinehart is excited to see her perform. Rinehart enjoyed watching her in the recent romantic comedy "Trainwreck," and keeps up with Schumer's appearances on "The Ellen Degeneres Show." “She’s hilarious. I like her because she says whatever, and that’s great. Not many people are really like that today,” Rinehart said. Schumer made her reputation through theater and stand-up comedy. She also appeared on "30 Rock," "Girls" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Her Comedy Central TV Show, "Inside Amy Schumer," has received five Primetime Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award since 2013. Tickets for Schumer sold out the day of release. For more information, contact KSU’s Undergraduate Student Government at 330-672-3207. agray27@kent.edu and pmoore22@kent.edu