INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / February 18, 1992 OPEN LETTER FROM CATHLEEN SMITH, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR Dear Sirs and Madam: As many of you are aware, | have been involved with HIV/AIDS awareness and education for the past 8 years. For six years, | have coordinated on a volunteer basis the B.C. Task force on HIV/AIDS Children, Youth, Women, and Families. | have given presentations at international conferences in Stockholm, Nashville, Min- neapolis, and at meetings in Ottawa, Victoria and Vancouver on the topic of Women and Children and AIDS. Some of you will recall the lovely article written about me by the Douglas College Public Information Office where | was affec- tionately called the “Condom Granny”. This was carried in several local papers, and for the first time in my life | actually received hate mail and phone calls. | appreciate that the Library has ordered video tapes on the subject and that the President of the College supported the showing of the film Too Close for Comfort last year. However, there is one obvious move that has met with a complete cold shoulder and run-around. And that is, namely the installation of condom machines. At least once a year, | have gone up to the Fourth Floor and pleaded to have them installed in washrooms on this campus. | am sent from one person to another, each claiming that it is not their responsibility and that they don’t have funds for such things, and that there was one once that was vandalised etc. Last fall when | went with a statement from the Women’s Centre and Student Society, | was told that if we wanted condom machines the Student Society should purchase, install and maintain them. This week | suffered the ultimate humiliation on this topic when | was attending a workshop at UBC on Professional Requirements in a Multicultural, Multi-racial Society. At lunch | sat next to Dr. Stan Shapiro, Dean of the Faculty of Business Ad- ministration at SFU. He is also on the Burnaby School Board and we had an interesting talk about the new Burnaby Central high school. The topic of condom machines came up and he told me the School Board had quietly installed them as an obvious public health measure. When | mentioned the situation at Douglas, he seemed amazed and asked me why | didn’t take it up with the Student Health Service. He seemed genuinely perplexed that such a large and prestigious institu- tion as Douglas College could not have a health service. | was humiliated! This week | received a call from the Student Society requesting me to make some remarks on Friday, February 14 as part of their AIDS Awareness Week. | have agreed to speak in the concourse as part of a panel and at that time | feel it will be by obligation to bring the situation regarding the lack of condom machines to public attention. It makes me sad to do that because | feel a genuine loyalty to this College, but this is a life-and-death matter for students and their families, and | can- not be quiet any longer. | would rather that it was an occasion to christen condom machines and to announce congratulations to an administration which is en- lightened and compassionate. Yours truly, Cathleen Smith Home Support Worker | continued from page 1 Applicants are screened for basic communication skills which the program requires. Those who are determined to need skills upgrading are directed to the appropriate College support service. While Emery was searching for an effective assessment mechanism, Plumbley was search- ing for a project to complete her Masters degree. After securing spe- cial project funding, Plumbley joined Emery’s class for one term to identify program demands and stu- dent skills, and develop a method to assess them. “This project was not only a good idea for a Masters, but it also provided a very practical benefit to the College,” says Plumbley. The resulting test is now taken by both ESL and English-speaking applicants to the HSW program. The assessment is combined with an orientation to reduce anxiety. Applicants displaying comprehen- sion or communication problems are assessed further in individual inter- views. Depending on their needs, students may then be referred to DVST, ESL or tutorial programs. Students requiring fur- ther assistance are advised to upgrade before enroling. “It is a good example of how the College can respond to the needs of a changing student population,” says Emery. “It also reflects the im- portance the College places on accessibility and shows the results that can be achieved when various departments work together.” a INSIDE INFORMATION Inside Douglas College is published every two weeks by the Douglas College Public Information Office. Submissions are due Tuesday noon for publication the following Tuesday. Submissions on floppy disk in WordPerfect or ASCII format would be appreciated. Material may be edited for brevity and clarity. Tips, scoops and suggestions are always welcome. Please contact the Public Information Office, (604) 527-5325, Room 4840 at the New Westminster campus, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster. Mailing address: P.O. Box 2503, New Westminster, B.C. V3L 5B2.