Nov. 16, 2016

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GET PAID, SON

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR 01000001 01001001

MAKE AMERICA SANE AGAIN

Student grants are there for the taking

IBM's Watson A.I. and the future of business

Opinion: What has the U.S. done?

TRUSU grants for conferences, events, lectures are being underused • Page 4

IBM's Caroline Ong spoke at TRU about how artificial intelligence is changing things • Page 4

A critical analysis of the U.S. election by Cole Hickson • Page 3

OMEGA Ω THE

ISSUE NO. 11

THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1991

NEW ISSUE EVERY WEDNESDAY · WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA · @TRU_OMEGA · FB.ME/TRUOMEGA

VOLUME 26

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

A B Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

SOLEMN SCENES Photos from Remembrance Day in Riverside Park, pg. 7

A test you don't have to study for

HIV testing sessions available on campus by Martin McFarlane

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STAIRWELL TO HEAVEN

OPEN MIC

Royal Tusk plays Old Main stairwell

Club hosts open mic for student refugee

Edmonton indie rockers stop by TRU while gearing up for their next tour • Page 8

Event was part of fundraising efforts to bring a student refugee to study at TRU • Page 6

n initiative started on campus in 2015 to test students for HIV and increase awareness of the disease has shown success and expansion, according to the TRU Wellness Centre. Wellness coordinator Meaghan Hagerty said that usually between five and 10 people are tested per monthly session on campus. Particularly, its availability at events such as this year’s pride parade helped to boost numbers. While not everyone who knows about testing takes the test, Hagerty said that the objective of promoting HIV testing is to eliminate stigma around the disease. “It’s a historical legacy,” Hagerty said on HIV’s stigma, adding that the stigma is still evident when she has discussed HIV testing in classrooms. HIV came to the forefront in North America after an epidemic occurred during the 1980s. “There’s a lot of misconception around what it means to live with HIV these days, and treatment has come a long way in the recent decades.” According to a 2013 surveillance report by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the number of deaths related to HIV has been in steady decline since 1995. Hagerty said that another goal is “trying to normalize being tested for HIV.” It is recommended that people at low risk are tested every five years and that those at higher risk are tested once a year. According to a 2014 report by PHAC, 21 per cent of people who have HIV are unaware that they have the virus. On the testing itself, Hagerty said that the nurses who test a student will be the ones who contact the student with their results and, if necessary, connect them to HIV support services. “They’re there to facilitate people through that entire process,” Hagerty said. The tests on campus are performed by a blood draw facilitated by Interior Health outreach nurses. A finger-prick test alternative is also available at other medical centres in Kamloops. The TRU Wellness Centre and Interior Health are offering two HIV testing sessions, the first taking place on Nov. 17 and the second on Nov. 24. The extra session in November is part of Sexual Health Awareness Week, which runs from Nov. 14 to 18. HIV is most commonly transmitted during sex or by injection drug use. As of the end of 2014, 26,400 people in Canada had died from HIV since testing began in 1985. HIV testing can be scheduled in advance by phoning the TRU Medical Centre at 250828-5126 or by dropping into the centre at OM 1461 to see availability.


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