In observation of World AIDS Day, The UCLA AIDS Institute, the world arts and cultures department, a handful of student organizations, and many other clubs on campus have collaborated for the first time to create an all-day, campus-wide program to emphasize the growth of the fatal infectious disease.
They hope to encourage students and community members to find out their HIV status.
Edwin Bayrd, executive director for the UCLA AIDS Institute and one of the coordinators for the event, said there is a grave “misapprehension” that HIV is only an issue for drug users and homosexual men.
“It has moved well beyond those risks groups. Statistically speaking, there are undergraduates at UCLA who are HIV-positive and don’t know it,” Bayrd said.
Starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, the sponsoring groups will be providing a new perspective on AIDS prevention and education through various performances, exhibitions and discussions taking place throughout the day.
There will be new events every two hours.
The WAC department has also organized a march from three different locations on campus with participants showcasing black T-shirts while displaying posters with alarming statistics about HIV and AIDS.
“(The march) shows support and solidarity and demonstrates UCLA students care about what’s going on in the world,” said Ariel Stevenson, head of the AIDS Awareness Committee under the Student Welfare Commission.
The campus-wide procession will culminate in Bruin Plaza at noon where special guests and live entertainment will take place on the Bruin stage.
In addition to the bright yellow Lance Armstrong “Live Strong” bracelets many students already sport, UCLA students can also have the opportunity to accessorize with a new kind of bracelet on Wednesday.
Launching their yearlong campaign “I Know – And Knowledge is Power,” the UCLA AIDS Institute will be handing out red elastic bracelets embellished with the saying, “I know” as a token of recognition for students who receive HIV testing.
“After the test you get a (wristband) – ‘I Know.’ You have it on all the time, and it will be a conversation piece,” Bayrd said.
In efforts to de-stigmatize testing, mobile buses providing free, confidential and immediate HIV testing will also be present at Bruin Plaza and will be open to the public.
Student groups ranging from the Queer Alliance to UNICEF will hold a fair in Bruin Plaza informing students about prevention and various other aspects of AIDS and HIV.
“Our focus is going to be on how Bush has cut funding for AIDS relief worldwide and is ignoring the problem, believing Christian values will stop AIDS, but that is not enough,” said Kristina Doan, president of Bruin Democrats, a group that will be handing out flyers on the political aspects of the issue.
Other groups such as the Center for Women & Men will be handing out flyers guiding students to testing resources on and off campus as well as free condoms.
“This is everyone’s issue, everyone’s concern. The saddest thing is when I hear, ‘This isn’t something I need to worry about,’” said Tina Oakland, the center’s director.
The evening will end with a symposium sponsored by the AIDS Institute and the Charles R. Williams Project on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy. Panelists will discuss legal issues concerning AIDS and international affairs regarding the epidemic.
Though World AIDS Day was observed in the past by the university, the magnitude of this year’s array of events is the first of its kind at UCLA.
“We have gone from zero to 60. ... This is our debut,” Bayrd said, anticipating that this program will become an annual event.