AIDS awareness at Fresno State

By Umaymah Rashid
The Collegian

Stop AIDS and keep the promise — that was the theme of the 2006 World AIDS Day Celebration at Fresno State Thursday night.

The celebration was a way to promote and bring awareness to The Millennium Development Goal on AIDS, which is a goal to halt and reverse the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015.

The event was organized by the Student Health Association in conjunction with USU productions and Associated Students.

Sandra Coledon, president of the Student Health Association, said she wanted to bring the celebration to Fresno State to target college-aged students, who have the highest risk of contracting the disease.

“It’s important because statistics show that people who get infected with HIV do so before the age of 25 and as a result they end up dying by the age of 35,” Coledon said. “By bringing awareness to this age group which is 18-35, we are kind of hitting the target group to help prevent them from acquiring HIV or AIDS.”

According to statistics provided by the World AIDS Day Celebration, one person is infected with HIV every 6.4 seconds and 42 million people are estimated to be living with HIV.

Pedro Sandoval, who is a member of the Student Health Association, said the need for awareness is large.

“Most college students think that HIV isn’t a problem for them or that AIDS rates are going down, but that’s not true,” Sandoval said. “Students need to be aware.”

The celebration featured world famous hypnotist Dave Hill as well as local band, The Jay Rossette Project.

Also featured were guest speakers Micah Clement and Dina Myers. Clement was the featured educational speaker bringing awareness to research, statistics and prevention, and Myers is a woman living with HIV who came to talk about her experience.

“We want to celebrate her [Myers] life and use her as a positive role model so others can see that it is preventable and that it is also livable,” Coledon said.

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Senior Michael Reynolds said he came to get information.

“I want to know about things that affect me and my community and what I can do to help,” Reynolds said. “This is serious.”

Coledon said it is very important for students to know everything they can about what is going on with HIV research and cures as well as awareness and prevention.

“We are suggesting that people take preventive measures, be aware, and bring awareness to others,” Coledon said. “By doing these various things you are helping yourself, the community, your country and ultimately the world.”

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