Thursday, April 4, 1996Not foolin’
Editor:
Upon reading the April 1 letter from Chancellor Charles Young to
the UCLA community, happiness rumbled in my stomach and tears
filled my eyes. I saw a new community opening before me. The
chancellor proposed to change the university from a locus of
elitism and domination to one of democracy. No longer were the rich
and well-connected to gain preferential treatment in the
undergraduate admissions process. And no longer were the rich and
well-connected administrators to reap the profits of academic
student employee labor.
The university was no longer going to fritter away dollars
fighting academic student employees’ chosen representative Â
Students Association of Graduate Employees/United Auto Workers
 and was instead going to work with it for a better
university. My graduate student career was no longer going to be
interrupted by strikes and demonstrations. Above all, I was going
to receive better health care, smaller, more manageable classes, a
grievance procedure and, for the first time, a voice.
When my colleagues laughed at me and told me that the letter was
an April Fools’ joke, my rapture turned to disgust, for Chancellor
Young opposes everything proposed in the letter. Chancellor Young
presides over a locus of profit making, privilege perpetuation and
exploitation. He refuses to sit at the table with the employees’
association, engage in reasoned debate and negotiate a fair
contract for academic student employees.
Whoever wrote the letter had a vision. The feelings stirred by
this vision were such that I was filled with determination at the
end of my episode in the mail room. My colleagues and I will
struggle to bring about a university that works for everyone.
Hundreds of academic student employees from UC Berkeley, UC
Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz and UCLA will meet
Sunday April 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Ackerman Grand Ballroom
to issue an ultimatum to the UC administration: Negotiate with our
unions or we will all strike together next fall. In recognition of
the momentous character of this event, Maxine Waters and local and
national labor leaders have agreed to speak on behalf of academic
student employees and their struggle.
Mark Edwards
Second-year graduate student
Political science
STD awareness
Editor:
In addition to unwanted pregnancy, the "traditional" sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs), such as syphilis and gonorrhea, have
long posed threats to health and well-being.
But in recent decades, the sexually transmitted disease epidemic
has become more complex. HIV/AIDS has emerged as a devastating
sexually transmitted disease for which there is no cure. We have
learned much about two other lifelong infections, genital herpes
and human papillomavirus, now considered to be the most widely
prevalent sexually transmitted diseases. And chlamydia, an often
"silent" or symptomless infection, has become the most rapidly
spreading sexually transmitted disease, with especially severe
consequences for women and their reproductive health. We now know
that sexually transmitted diseases are a major cause of
infertility.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the STD epidemic is its
impact on young people. Of the 12 million new STD infections in the
United States each year, two-thirds occur in people under 25 and
one-fourth occur in teenagers. Many young people are acquiring
sexually transmitted diseases  often without symptoms, and
thus undetected  that will have an impact on the rest of
their lives.
Yet, despite the pervasiveness of these infections, it is
difficult for people  especially young people  to
accept that they are at risk. Every day, the American Social Health
Association receives thousands of calls to its three national
hotlines from people of all ages and backgrounds who share a
disbelief that their behavior places them at risk for STDs. Our
hotline counselors explain that anyone who has unprotected sex can
get a sexually transmitted disease, since even a trusted sex
partner can have an STD from a previous relationship without being
aware of the infection.
Most importantly, we encourage partners to discuss their
concerns about sexual health and to practice safer sex as an
expression of mutual respect and caring.
It is vitally important that people talk about the risk of
sexually transmitted diseases with those who are important to their
sexual health  partners, family members and health care
providers. Only by breaking down the barriers to open communication
about STDs can we stop these infections and their harmful
consequences to individuals, families and communities.
April is National STD Awareness Month, a time to learn the facts
about sexually transmitted diseases and to share this vitally
important information with those you love. For confidential
counseling, referrals to local resources and free printed
materials, call the National STD Hotline at (800) 227-8922; the
National AIDS Hotline at (800) 342-2437; or the National Herpes
Hotline at (919) 361-8488.
Peggy Clarke
President
American Social Health Association