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likealittle: a tiny, teensy bit See p. 5 Vol. 112, Issue 12
See pages 7 - 10
BEACON The University of Portland’s student newspaper
Thursday December 2, 2010 www.upbeacon.net
“Many students go untreated when they know something is wrong. They don’t want anyone to know something is wrong, or they might be embarrassed to seek help, but they really need to follow through.” Kaye Wilson-Anderson, associate professor | THE SCHOOL OF NURSING
Risky
Relationships
Young adults are more prone to STDs Caitlin Yilek Staff Writer yilek12@up.edu
A
fter Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments about the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS potentially being a “step toward moral responsibility,” sexually active college students may wonder if the same principle applies to other sexually transmitted diseases, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia. Aside from the moral and theological concerns surrounding the pope’s comments, STDs are an important health concern in the United States, according
Pope comments on condoms
Comments by Pope Benedict XVI about the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS are making headlines around the world. In an interview for a book – “Light of the World” – published last week, the pope said that the Catholic Church does not regard condom use to prevent AIDS “as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.” The pope later added, through a spokesman, that condom use to
prevent AIDS was “the first step of taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of the life of another with whom you have a relationship.” It was an unprecedented public statement for the pope, who last year said that condoms worsen the AIDS problem. Elsewhere in the book, the pope affirmed the Catholic Church’s stance against homosexual sex, heterosexual sex outside of marriage and the use of contraceptives. -Caitlin Yilek
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though the CDC estimates the number of gonorrhea cases is declining, chlamydia and syphilis are on the rise. The numbers may be especially relevant to the younger generation, including college students. Young adults ages 15 to 24 represent one-fourth of people who are sexually active, yet they acquire nearly half of all STDs, sometimes called sexually transmitted infections, or STIs. “It sounds more ‘trendy’ or politically correct,” Kaye Wilson-Anderson, associate professor in the School of Nursing, said. “An infection is something you can give to someone else, it
is not just a disease.” According to Mark Bajorek, director of Health Services at Portland State University, over half of all sexually active college age students are exposed to HPV. Twenty percent contract genital herpes and between one and two percent are diagnosed with chlamydia. Tim Crump, assistant director of primary care at the University Health Center, says UP does not have statistics for students with sexually transmitted diseases because not all students receive their primary healthcare from the UP Health Center. However, UP has treated students with HPV, See STDs, page 3
River Campus update City says ‘yes’ to UP in a 5-0 vote Enid Spitz Staff Writer spitz13@up.edu Wednesday, the Portland City Commission voted unanimously to approve UP’s mitigation plan, moving the University one step closer to the development of River Campus. The plan will decrease environmental protection zones on the bluff behind Corrado Hall, where UP hopes to build a parking structure linking the university’s current campus to its waterfront property purchased in 2008. In exchange for changes to the environmental zones, UP will create over 200,000 square feet of protected
wilderness area along the bluff, including protected habitat for endangered White Oak trees. Had City Council rejected the mitigation plan, UP wouldn’t have been able to build on the protected land without conducting an alternate site analysis for the parking structure. “Obviously, I’m very very pleased about [the vote],” Jim Kuffner, assistant vice principal for financial affairs said. Now, the gateway structure will undergo a separate review before its construction. “We look forward to good things to come on that property,” Kuffner said. Alissa White | THE BEACON