STI testing should be free

Students have developed stigma around being tested for sexually transmitted infections. No one particularly enjoys the process, and many opt out entirely.

But IU, home of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, isn’t doing much to combat the stigma.

With all the University does, it has somehow failed to offer free STI testing.
The IU Health Center charges $37.50 for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, $38 for HIV testing, and a whopping $98 for HPV testing.

Some might say $38 for HIV testing is reasonable compared to when you get out into the real world. But the fact is, students are not in the real world. Thirty-eight dollars could mean gas money, or even groceries for some. I would be lying if I said there aren’t some months where every penny counts, as I’m living paycheck to paycheck.

All of those test prices are also including the health fee, a mandatory fee that students who are enrolled in more than three credit hours must pay every term. The spring 2014 health fee was $110.22.
During the standard eight semesters spent at IU, the health fee adds up to a hefty amount of money. The University, of course, justifies the fee because it includes “a reduced charge of $18 for routine medical clinic visits, two free visits (excluding psychiatry) to Counseling and Psychological Services each semester, free prescheduled appointments to the women’s clinic, and several free or discounted services available through the Health and Wellness clinic, such as fitness assessments.”

It’s concise reasoning. What’s not so concise is why we can’t have free STI testing.
The University is constantly tooting its own horn regarding the two free visits to CAPS per semester. This is a great service that I’ve personally known to help many students — so it’s not clear why we don’t get at least two free STI tests included in the health fee.

We’re already paying a gross amount to the University, and I’m sure many of you didn’t even know you were required to pay a health fee in the first place.
We shouldn’t have to pay more for a service that should be free in college.
There are free testing options at IU Health’s Positive Link, but this isn’t student-oriented or necessarily student-accessible for many.

Special weeks like Sexploration Week and Culture of Care often bring in free HIV testing as well, but this is only for a short amount of time.
We need a constant, free source of STI testing on campus.
The University is supposed to educate and advance education. It should take its students and instill good practices in them — one of those practices should be getting tested for STIs regularly.

And in order to get tested regularly, the testing needs to be free.