A.N.G.E.L.S. enlightens campus on AIDS facts

From Feb. 9 through Feb. 14, the GCSU A.N.G.E.L.S. group hosted AIDS Week on campus. A.N.G.E.L.S., a student group whose acronym stands for AIDS Now Grasps Every Living Soul, hosted a variety of events. In addition to the events, the A.N.G.E.L.S. were responsible for putting up red ribbons on campus and for hanging flags on trees depicting the number of people affected by AIDS from each country. The flags were put up to help students realize how vast the AIDS pandemic is.
“I never realized how much it’s affecting the world until I was on front campus hanging up flags,” Caitlin Steinhouer, a freshman psychology major said.

Dr. Robin O. Harris, a sociology professor, is the reason that A.N.G.E.L.S. exists here at GCSU today. She began this organization after her son, Brian O’Neil died of AIDS. Originally, this organization’s purpose was to feed and help those families and individuals directly affected by AIDS. It has grown and she hopes it will help to educate the entire GCSU body.

“I wish two things,” Dr. Harris said. “One, that I really want everyone to take responsibility for their actions, and two, to get students involved and understand this is a global issue.”

The A.N.G.E.L.S. kicked off AIDS week with free confidential HIV testing on front campus and their first discussion forum “AIDS: Is it God’s Punishment?” in the museum education room. Students discussed and debated the Christian role in the AIDS pandemic. Students and teachers alike came together to openly discuss how they believed Christians should help stop the spread of AIDS.

These discussions were hosted by one of the GCSU’s A.N.G.E.L.S. presidents: Tameka Dean, a senior pre-med biology major.

“I wanted people to feel that it affects us all,” Dean said.
Dean collaborated with other students and friends to find the most interesting or concerning topics to the GCSU’s student body.

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, the movie Philadelphia was shown in the den at the SAC. The students took the opportunity to gather in a light atmosphere where they could not only enjoy a movie starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, but also learn more about the AIDS disease and how it affects society.

Wednesday marked the start of the second discussion. This discussion was centered on AIDS common stigma, labeling it a “gay man’s” disease.

Students from different religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations came to learn about how much truth this myth holds. While the discussion became heated and students expressed their personal views, all in attendance remained respectful and kept the atmosphere open-minded. Students were able to leave the discussion with a greater understanding that AIDS affects the whole society, not just part of it.

“AIDS is a real problem,” freshman English rhetoric major, Jay Parker said. “It doesn’t just affect the gay community or the African community.”

On Thursday, Feb. 12, the last discussion was held and this time it addressed the issues of AIDS in the African American community. Again, people from all backgrounds attended and were able to learn more about how AIDS affects different communities.

“I think it’s interesting to see,” said Brandon Jackson, a public administrations graduate. “How the facts presented correlate with the truths of individuals.”

Friday hosted a day long auction where all proceeds benefited the Diversity House in Macon.

“The purpose of AIDS Awareness Week is to make students aware of the services we offer every day,” said the other A.N.G.E.L.S. president, Christina Begemann. “The Health Clinic offers free condoms and confidential HIV Testing during their normal hours.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 20 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry