Earlier this week, red ribbons decorated campus. reminding students, faculty, and staff of the importance of World AIDS day. Celebrated annually on December 1, World AIDS Day focuses attention on the pandemic caused by the HIV infection. Globally, 33.2 million people live with HIV. Locally, various organizations work year-round to raise community awareness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one million people in the United States have HIV. Of these people a startling 25 percent are not aware of their infection and carry the risk of infecting others. Some university organizations, such as Douglas County Aids Project (DCAP), took this year’s World AIDS Day theme of “leadership” to heart.
“The biggest thing is peer education,” said Whitney Wilson, intern at DCAP. “A person can do this formally with DCAP or Hawks for Health or they can do it informally. Tell your friends and siblings about what you’ve learned about AIDS. Making people aware and educating yourself is the best thing you can do.”
DCAP educates people about AIDS by providing services all year. Some of the services include a free testing site, counseling, and case management. Wilson said DCAP wants to get people practicing safe sex and getting tested as common as they put on socks and shoes.
Student Health Services also provides services for those in need. Ken Sarber of Student Health Services said students can come into Watkins Memorial Health Center without an appointment and get tested for HIV.
“I think students get nervous if they have to make an appointment and they don’t do it,” Sarber said. “If we make it known that you don’t need an appointment, maybe students will be more apt to getting tested.”
Sarber and other Student Health Services representatives were available last week in the union handing out pamphlets and giving information about AIDS prevention. Sarber said students don’t always realize they should worry about AIDS and often disregard the issue when they should be paying attention.
“Even though the number of AIDS cases is down, the number of AIDS cases among young adults is not on the decline,” Sarber said. “We are trying to promote safer sex and help the students realize the procedures that they need to go through to avoid getting AIDS.”
Heather Sutter, university Peace Corps representative, spoke to students last week about how they can help fight AIDS. Sutter spoke of personal experiences of working with African villages and observing World AIDS Day with those suffering from the disease. She said she tells her experiences to motivate students to take action.
“People kind of feel like it’s a dead issue,” Sutter said. “They don’t realize it is something that is living with us. The amount of people with HIV/AIDS is growing every day in this country. So, I think that bringing it home to students is really important, making them see that it is still a reality that we’re living with, not just in places like Africa and Asia , but here in the U.S., here on campus.”
Sutter encourages students to get involved with their community outreach and help the fight against AIDS. Sutter and all the organizations encourage students to volunteer and take part in educating students on ways to prevent AIDS, not just on World AIDS Day, but all year round.
“I love helping with this cause,” said Sonya Navarro, KU junior and DCAP volunteer. “This is one of the most important volunteer opportunities for our generation. It’s something that can help nations world wide, but can bring us together as a local community.”
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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