The Program
Know Your Status (KYS) offers free, rapid HIV tests to college students. Using OraSure's OraQuick AdvanceŽ HIV-1/2 rapid test, program participants can learn their HIV status in only 25 minutes. In a time in which college-aged students are at increasing risk of infection, KYS offers a more hassle-free option than traditional campus testing. The simplicity and convenience of testing offered weekly at a centralized location encourages more students to get themselves tested. This increase in testing is in line with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) initiatives, and also serves to break down stigma associated with seeking HIV testing. Program participants receive a free t-shirt designed to increase HIV testing visibility and also provide incentive for getting tested. College students have historically perceived themselves as invulnerable on many levels - feeling invulnerable when it comes to HIV infection is no exception. The more routine approach to testing could reach students who might be at risk, but who are not identifying themselves as such.
