UPDATED: Sept. 16, 2019 at 2:03 p.m.

Student Association will vote Monday on renewing its partnership with Syracuse University’s Health Services to provide students with free testing for sexually transmitted infections.

Michelle Goode, a health promotion specialist at SU, and Tara Kielty, peer educator, spoke about the Get Yourself Tested program in a presentation at SA’s Sept. 9 meeting. Shortly after, SA President Mackenzie Mertikas and Vice President Sameeha Saied formally proposed a measure that would fund the initiative with $5,000 for the fall semester.

“We want students to be able to get tested without being concerned about who’s going to see it on their insurance, or who’s going to know about it,” said Mertikas. “That is why we have continued to fund (this program).”

Get Yourself Tested would provide free STI screenings to SU students on four occasions throughout the year, splitting evenly between the fall and spring semesters. Each testing window will include sessions from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, with 75 tests available each day. Students usually take advantage of all 150 available testing spots, Mertikas said.

If approved, the partnership would be renewed for its third consecutive year. SA began funding the program two years ago after another organization dropped out.

Last year, SA contributed $5,000 to Get Yourself Tested between the fall and spring semesters, with the university matching with an additional $15,000. Mertikas said last Monday that she hopes to match or exceed that amount this year although the decision ultimately rests with the SA Assembly.

SA will also work with the Office of Health Promotion to promote the event around campus.

“The program is very well-utilized,” Mertikas said. “There are always students there to be tested.”

The Barnes Center at The Arch has updated the Get Yourself Tested initiative based on student input from previous years, Goode said. Changes to the program include adding a health behavior screening to pinpoint which STIs students are most at risk for, as well as introducing new testing methods.

Goode said confidentiality remains a key focus of the campaign. Through the program, students can receive information about their sexual health without using their insurance, which may otherwise keep the test on their records, she said.

Speakers promoting the initiative at last Monday’s assembly meeting said students who purchased health insurance through SU should take advantage of the STI testing options already offered by their provider. These appointments can be arranged through SU’s online health portal.

SU’s health promotion officials are hoping that students who don’t have the SU insurance plan can utilize the testing days, Goode said. She encourages students with immediate sexual health concerns to seek help to set up a free appointment at The Arch.

The renewal of the Get Yourself Tested program fits within SA’s larger plan to prioritize student mental and physical health in the 2019-20 academic year as well as to continue supporting initiatives that have worked well in the past.

SA will vote to approve the $5,000 initial funding measure at its next meeting on Monday. Once the spring semester begins, the Assembly will decide whether to contribute an additional $5,000 to expand the program even further.

Saied said she hopes SA decides to allocate additional funds so that more students can receive free testing in the spring.

“The number of people (who can receive testing) is the biggest issue,” Saied said. “Because a lot of people do get turned away.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the amount of money provided to testing was misstated. SA provided $5,000 and the university provided $15,000. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 15, 2019 at 9:10 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu