The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 13

LATIMES.COM AA3 CALIFORNIA STAMP OF DISAPPROVAL Jay L. Clendenin Los Angeles Times Supporters rally outside the Venice post office Tuesday to protest the proposed sale of the building in a cost-cutting move by the Postal Service. The Art Deco building is known for its mural by Edward Biberman portraying the early history of the beach town. California will test an HIV-prevention pill in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease in the state, researchers announced Tuesday. The pill, which isalready used to treat HIV patients, will be prescribed to 700 gay and bisexual men and trans- gender women in Los Angeles, San Diego and Long Beach who are high-risk but not infected.

this new prevention pill, we have another intervention to put in the arsenal to try and impact this said George of the California Research Programwith the UC presi- The program awarded $11.8 million in state grants for the prevention pill studies and efforts to get about 3,000 HIV-infected people in Southern California into treatment and keep them there. The grants will go to a group of UC schools, local governments and AIDS organizations. There are an estimated 140,000 people living with HIV or AIDSin California, including who know they are infected, Lemp said. The pill, under the brand name of already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating HIV but not for prophylactic use. In 2010, a study publishedin the New England Journal of Medicine saidthat it reduced the risk of contracting HIV by to depending on how often participants took their medication.

The two-drug pill, produced by Gilead Sciencesin the Bay Area, has side effects that include nausea and vomiting, and possible kidney problems when used with other anti-HIV drugs. Arecent Stanford University study showed that the pill, which costs about $26 a day, only makes sense economically if prescribed to people at high risk, such as those with multiple partners. The prevention pill and counseling have for high-risk people, said Phil Curtisof AIDS Project Los Angeles, which will recruit participants. But more research is needed to measure the ef- fectsin the real world, he said. is unrealistic to expect that a patient without HIV is going to see a doctor every he said.

The director of San study, Dr.Richard Haubrichof UC San Diego School of Medicine, said that when taken as prescribed, the pill can prevent HIV infection. But he said the biggest impedimentis people taking their medicine. In San Diego, researchers plan to use text messages to remind people to take their pill. In Los Angeles, researchers plan to regularly measure the level of the drugs in blood. Those who receive the pill will also participate in counseling and regular screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Critics say there is not enough evidence of the effectiveness to support its use. In addition, they say the pill could lead to more men not using condoms and result in more new infections. gay, straight, bisexual want to use said Michael of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. universal. If they are given another reason, then they anna.gorman@latimes.com PILL TO BLOCK HIV TESTED Truvada, used to treat infected patients, will be given to high-risk people who have the virus.

By Anna Gorman Roosevelt High School student Jerry Gallegos knows the pain of being bullied he said he was taunted as a for years. Yet, when he saw others being harassed, he stood by silently, afraid others would turn on him. Now, Jerry said, he is determined to act against bullies and reach out to vulnerable students. one student, you do he said, every little bit His turnabout came after participating Tuesday in a mass viewing of the acclaimed documentary Billed as the largest youth gathering against bullying in California, the screening brought 6,500 students from 49 Los Angeles Unified School District campuses to the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. As public concern about bullying rises, the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education sponsored the screening and a short panel discussion to educate students about the problem and inspire them to take action.

Speakers included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villa- raigosa, L.A. UnifiedSupt. John Deasy and director Lee Hirsch. Hirsch told students he was bullied as achild and wanted to give voice to the countless youths abused each day. He urged students to write about their experiences with bullying and how stepping up against it on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

is where change begins right here he said. and every one of you are The students seemed ready to rise to the cause. They broke out in cheers and applause at numerous scenes showing five targeted youthsand their families who voiced resolve to make a difference against bullying. Carson High School student Charles Dulce said he was inspired by the family of a bullying victim who committed suicide and by the campaign they launched, Stand for the Silent. The filmmakers say 13 million children are bullied at school each year.

L.A. Unified official Judy Chiasson cautioned that accurate data are difficult to gather because definitions of bullying range from an incidental push to afull-blown assault. National estimates of the percentage of children who have been bullied vary widely from to said Chiasson, coordinator of the office of human relations, diversity and equity. is on the lookout for bullies Chiasson said. is talking about In L.A.

Unified, bullying complaints are usually handled at the school level and are not reported to the central office unless the incident is deemed severe or pervasive, she said. But even if the scope of bullying is unclear, Chiasson said, every district school has been directed to address the problem in some way. The Los Angeles School of Global Studies at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, for instance, has developed four levels of intervention, ranging from student sessions with counselors to meetings of staff, parents and the involved youths, according to Edwin Bachez, 16, a student at the campus. our high school, if you bully, they really get on your Edwin said. On Monday, Carson High School was one of several campuses that prepared students for the film with exercises about bullying.

His- tory teacher Merri Weir asked students to write about their experiences with the problem. Confessions spilled out, some anonymously on Post-it notes and others publicly shared. Murielle Alconcel, 17, spoke of her shame at failing to help a friend who was being shunned by her group. Charles Dulce shared his pain at being taunted as fat, Carlo David for being an Asian American in a largely Latino another student for being gay. Alvee- na Aleem, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, said a classmate texted a taunt on the death of her she asked who that was, he replied, bin The L.A.

Fund contributed $225,000 to sponsor the screening and plans to announce a new grant program for anti-bullying programs, Executive Director Dan Chang said. Other contributors were the Weinstein which distributed the Anschutz Entertainment Group, whose president, Tim students that he too had been bullied but that does turn That message was echoed by four student panelists, who suggested ways to create safe and welcoming school climates: be a bystander who allows bullying. Build relationships with teachers who can help. Be friends with students who look or act different. Reach out to new students and ask for their stories.

act of kindness can change their whole said Roosevelt student Samantha Hernandez. teresa.watanabe Pushing back against bullying Students meet for a film screening and consider some ways to take action. By Teresa Watanabe Genaro Molina Los Angeles Times CARSON HIGH SCHOOL students, from left, Pamela Amigable, Jasmine Braff and Charles Dulce discuss bullying and what to do about it. There were among 6,500 L.A. Unified students from 49 schools who viewed the documentary An investigation has found that Claremont McKenna former vice president for admission and financial aid acted alone in exaggerating freshmen SAT scores and other statistics, which boosted the national rankings, according to a report released Tuesday.

The probe, conducted by the Myers law firm for the college, reported that no individual record was altered only aggregate scores and other data were changed. It also showed that not only were test scores manipulated, as was previously announced, but that class ranking statis- tics and other information also appeared to havebeen altered in ways to make the college look better than it was. The former vice president, Richard Vos, said he acted in response to intense pressure from Claremont McKenna President Pamela Gann to become a more selective college, according to the report. He told investigators he was not aiming to affect the placing in U.S. News World listings but to placate Gann with false statistics.

The law firm said that Gann did not push Vos to take unethical actions and thatany pressure she exerted did not exceed norm for an executive-level In an interview Tuesday, Gann said she was gratified that the report confirmed the initial statement that no other employee was involved. She said Vos may have felt from her, but she to the report, that her expectations were totally Vos resigned in January, just before Gann announced that the liberal arts college had discovered the data hyping, which apparently began in 2004. The scandal was a blow to the reputation and raised questions about the accuracy of national rankings that rely on such data. The college is making reforms to ensure that student statistics are independently verified and that no individual has the power to change them, Gann said. The school will have best practices that can be developed in higher she said.

The college does not intend to pursue criminal or civil charges against Vos, Gann said. Vos could not be reached for comment. The manipulation was wider than initially believed, extending to ACT scores and such statistics as what share of freshmen graduated in the top of high school classes. Some of calculations were not replicable and ad the report said. U.S.

News ranked Claremont McKenna the ninth best liberal arts college, up from 11th the year before. With accurate information, the school is likely to have fallenat least one rung, magazine officials said. Kiplinger, the finance magazine, earlier this year dropped the campus from its list of best values in liberal arts colleges. Harry McMahon, chairman of Claremont Board of Trustees, said he deeply regretted the episode but was pleased the school is moving forward. its history, the college has been defined by its core values of honesty and responsible he said.

these events do not reflect our values, our response larry.gordon@latimes.com Lone official at college overstated scores, report finds By Larry Gordon.