A.N.G.E.L.S spread AIDS awareness on campus
This week, for the eighth consecutive year, the A.N.G.E.L.S. Foundation (AIDS Now Grasps Every Living Soul) organized AIDS Awareness Week, an extensive awareness campaign on the campus of Georgia College & State University to inform students and faculty of the realities of AIDS.
Founder Robin Harris, director of experiential learning and assistant professor of government and society, says AIDS Awareness Week is a time for students to show their concern for others.
“I want [AIDS Awareness Week] to show that GC&SU students care, not just about themselves and their own interests, but about one another and about those who are already suffering from something that should not happen to anyone,” stated Harris.
This year, students participated in a number of informative activities beginning with a presentation by Dr. Barbara Funke, professor of health education. The program, entitled “Risky Business” focused on the practice of sexual health.
Funke informed students that the Student Health Services offers free, confidential HIV testing. Students wishing to be tested are welcome as walk-ins, or they can call and make an appointment. This service is offered as a direct result of the lobbying of students involved in the student A.N.G.E.L.S. group and is supported by the clinic staff.
In 1997, after the death of her son due to AIDS related complications, Harris and her daughter, Leslie O’Neal began A.N.G.E.L.S. Originally, the foundation focused on providing nutritional support for those living with HIV/AIDS in the middle Georgia area.
From it’s beginning, A.N.G.E.L.S. has worked closely with the students of GC&SU to provide the resources for a strong awareness program. In 1999, a student group formed with the intent of making HIV/AIDS awareness a focus throughout the year. By 2000, AIDS Awareness Week was planned completely by the students.
Since then, A.N.G.E.L.S. has been responsible for several achievements. A GC&SU panel is now included in the National AIDS Quilt Project and more recently, the group was included as part of a $60,000 Centers for Disease Control HIV Prevention Grant and thus will be hosting a community event later this semester.
Also, two students, Rachelle Harris and Theresa Moore, were selected to participate in the Sumner Symposium in Washington, D.C. in April. The Symposium is part of the Program for Health and Higher Education, a national program to improve both student health and learning by integrating HIV/AIDS and related health issues into the college curriculum. One of ten teams is selected from across the country to present what has been done on their campus concerning HIV/AIDS support. After their return to Milledgeville, they will host a symposium at GC&SU in an effort to get other colleges from the area to discuss how public health issues are being addressed on other campuses.
Dr. Harris, founder and coordinator of the A.N.G.E.L.S. Foundation, hopes to see the organization grow in the future.
“I want GC&SU students to see in the student A.N.G.E.L.S. organization, and other issue-related organizations, as opportunities to use their education to change the world. That moves far beyond just feeling good to making a real difference. I believe that students have the power to make a difference far beyond what they realize. I want to empower students to engage in the world around them.”
Rachelle Harris, head of the A.N.G.E.L.S. organization, echoes this hope.
“I hope [AIDS Awareness Week] helps people become more aware of how this disease really does impact our lives. I want students to be more careful about the choices they make,” she stated. “I would like to see more students get involved with volunteering. I would also like the surrounding community to get involved with AIDS Awareness Week. These are things that everyone needs to be reminded of, not just college students.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 13 2004. Filed under News.
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