Members of the Association of Residence Hall Students discussed selling condoms in dorm area offices at last night's meeting after receiving support for the idea from several area government councils.

Stan Latta, associate director of residence halls, supported the idea but was concerned that participating areas make a coordinated effort and work with the area health officials before taking action.

Centre Halls President Steve Black said he thought students would feel more confortable buying condoms from someone their own age, adding that he'd like to begin selling them in offices in conjunction with Healthy Loving Week to be held February 14-21.

Black said he is not sure this would be possible in such a short time because the different areas would have to agree and set guidelines before anything could be implemented.

Last week the Centre Halls Residence Association voted to sponsor the program "Sex at Penn State" by Dr. Edward Wickersham, to be held Tuesday, February 16 at 7:30 in Simmons piano lounge. They will also have information tables in Simmons and McElwain lobbies with pamphlets available about sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and safe sex with condoms.

"This is serious," Residence Hall Advisory Board Director Stevie Rocco said. "If we're one step away from putting them in the bathrooms, why not sell them in the residence halls offices?"

South Halls President Nic Mattioni said he was pleased there was so much support for the idea in his area, especially because the majority of the council and residents there are women.

"They didn't mind selling them in the office," Mattioni said, "but when I brought up the idea of vending machines in the bathrooms, everybody was one hundred percent behind (the idea)."

In Pollock halls, representative Dave Shimo said residents also supported the idea, but the few who voted against it were afraid they would be supporting premarital sex.

"I am definitely for the idea," East Halls President Robyn Walls said, adding that her only concern about selling condoms was whether students would be too embarrassed to come into the area offices to buy them.

Mattioni did not think this would be a problem.

In other business, Rocco said the committee looking into the proposed key card access system to gain entry into the dorms decided which buildings would be involved in a pilot study. The study will be conducted before implementing the plan in all dorms.

The dorms chosen at last week's meeting to be used in the pilot study include Simmons, Pennypacker, Hamilton, Atherton, McKee and Beaver.

She said students would run their ID card through a machine similar to those used now in University dining halls to open the doors to the dorm they live in. Since the committee has not yet addressed the issue, she said the night receptionists will still be used with the computerized system.

Rocco said Assistant Vice President of Housing Food Service William McKinnon limited the number of buildings chosen for the study due to the high costs of installing the computerized card reading machines and alarms.

"(Card readers) will probably be installed only on the main doors," Rocco said, "but they will install alarms on some of the other doors."

Each card reader will cost about $3,200 per door with $1,800 for only the alarm. Rocco said since these costs will be allocated from funds the University already has over five years, tuition should not increase.