According to November statistics from UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, and the World Health Organization, between 30.6 and 36.1 million people are living with AIDS. About 2 million people worldwide have died from AIDS this year. World AIDS Day is an international HIV/AIDS awareness and education day that occurs annually on Dec. 1. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.” The theme calls for world leaders to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In observance of the day’s significance, the Student Health Center sponsored a screening Wednesday of “Angels in the Dust,” a film about a South African orphanage for children whose parents have died of AIDS and children who have the disease. The center also offered free HIV testing Thursday.
A.J. Johnson, CEO and founder of the Baton Rouge AIDS Society, said there is not a problem with student awareness of AIDS but with student knowledge about the disease.
The Baton Rouge AIDS Society is involved in AIDS testing and education. The organization, which has been in operation for 10 years, often participates in health fairs at local institutions. Johnson said in the past 10 years, the society’s ratio of visiting Southern University to visiting LSU is probably about 15-to-1 because Greek organizations at Southern initiate involvement.
“Not just the clubs and organizations, but the institution needs to have more coordinated programs for awareness on campus on a semester basis,” Johnson said.
Hope McPhatter, Student Health Center wellness education coordinator, said the Wellness Education Department conducts programs in classrooms, residence halls, Greek houses and in Free Speech Alley to promote awareness of STDs and HIV/AIDS.
“In the Wellness Education Department, we are also available for one-on-one consultations with students if they have questions about sexual health or any other health topic,” McPhatter said.
Metro Health is a local organization that deals with disease intervention and serves as a testing site for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis.
Shirley Lolis, executive director for Metro Health, has held organized presentations at LSU and participated in street out-reach programs at the Circle K on the corner of Highland Road and State Street.
“I think it’s imperative, especially in our job, that we do reach out to the young people in our community,” said David Jones, Metro Health’s out-reach consultant.
Lolis said most college-age people do not realize how easily people can contract STDs.
“It could happen to anybody,” she said. “All it takes is one act of unprotected sex with the wrong person or one stick of a contaminated needle and you can get infected.”
Jones and Lolis said they are trying to encourage leaders to continue to fight for prevention and treatment programs.
“Peers reaching out to peers, that’s very effective,” Lolis said.
McPhatter said student leaders can help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
“Once the student leaders are informed, they can help to disseminate the information out to the greater student population,” she said.
Johnson said LSU should make STD education programs part of its freshman orientation. He said there should be a survey to determine if students are interested in having this information available to them.
“Schools and families need to embrace the idea of educating our children about this disease so that it can be prevented in the future,” Lolis said. “We have to start early before people start behaviors that may put them at risk.”
Freshmen Stephanie Menou and Amanda Shaw said campus-wide STD awareness programs should be voluntary.
“It’s your choice whether or not you want to know about those kind of things if you’ re sexually active,” Menou said. “I get tired of people assuming that all college students are having sex.”
But Shaw said people should also not assume that all college students are abstaining from sexual activity.
McPhatter said it is difficult to find programs that interest students.
“All of our interactive programs draw the most attention from students,” she said. “It can be difficult to determine which programs will be a hit to the students because everyone has a different topic that interests them.”
Jones taught an STD education class at Remington College this week, and he said some of the students were scared straight by the information he provided about STDs.Metro Health is participating in World AIDS Day with a “Compassion Arrest” at 9:30 a.m. today at the Leo S. Butler Community Center.
Local community leaders will be “arrested ” and plead their case to a city judge in a moot court. Those involved include attorney Jim Holt, Sen. Cleo Fields and Rep. Yvonne Dorsey. Each participant will donate $500 to Metro Health as “bond money.” The fundraiser will provide free STD testing and information.
—–Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]