By By Kayla Walker
Finals were not the first test on students’ minds as they lined up in the Student Center to make sure they are not another statistic.
In dedication to World AIDS Day, the University held information sessions on Dec. 1 to raise awareness to the truth behind the disease.
The series of presentations, sponsored by the Economic Opportunity Council (EOC) of Nassau County, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the African People’s Organization (APO), included free, anonymous HIV tests.
Robert Platt, a junior journalism major, took advantage of the free test, which he usually takes once a year.
“I was a little nervous,” Platt said about the 20 minute screening that involves a blood test. “I didn’t think I had HIV, so I wasn’t as nervous as I expected.”
Platt said it was important for students to be regularly tested for the disease as they are in a high risk environment.
“Under the influence of drugs or alcohol, many young people choose not to use protection,” he added.
Platt said many of his peers feel they are “immune” to HIV and do not take necessary precautions.This is a major reason why APO chose to organize the event at the University.
“We know that if we just affect one person, we have made a difference,” Mia Fields-Hall, vice president of APO, said. “We plan to hold this event every year, and hope to make it bigger and better each time.”
The World Health Organization officially started World AIDS Day in 1988 to draw attention to the growing incidence of HIV and AIDS in society.
The theme of World AIDS Day 2005 was “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise,” which, according to the October through December issue of the EOC’s “Preventive Measures,” is a request to the government and policy officials to make sure they meet their goals in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The program got underway with Hempstead Mayor Wayne Hall presenting the University and the EOC of Nassau County with proclamations.
Fields-Hall and Nathaniel Davis,a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, both received certificates of appreciation.
“It was important for [World AIDS Day] to be here at Hofstra because I’m a student here,” Davis said. “And it’s important to me that it is here in Hempstead because I was born and raised here.”
Fields-Hall said APO began planning for the event, which she thought would make a significant impact on campus, in the beginning of the semester, but the greatest push came in October to tie up loose ends.
“The African People’s Organization felt that it was our responsibility as the biggest minority organization on campus to hold this informative event that has a huge impact on the black and Latino population,” Fields-Hall, said. “We wanted to spread the word that AIDS does exist and is spreading rapidly.”
The University invited former U.S. Surgeon General to speak about AIDS awareness, Dr. Joycelyn Elders.
Elders, the first African American woman to hold the position, delivered the keynote address, stressing the need to honor promises and calling upon international agencies and governments to make AIDS prevention a high priority in discussions.
“We need to educate, motivate and mobilize society,” Elders said, adding that AIDS has infected every country in the world and every county in the U.S.
In 1982 there were approximately 1,200 people diagnosed with AIDS while, in 2004, there were nearly 5 million, Elders said.
“We started out with fear and confusion, then we became hysterical, after that we became silent,” Elders said. “AIDS was something we whispered about, then we weren’t committed, we were concerned. Then we became complacent because we had medicine – but we didn’t have a cure, and we didn’t have a vaccine – complacent is the worst place to be.”
There are nearly 40 million people living in the world with HIV or AIDS, and according to “Preventive Measures,” most people who have HIV are unaware they are even infected with the disease.
Elders ended her address in a strong voice, saying, “Not to know is bad, not to want to know is worse, not to hope is unthinkable but not to care is absolutely unforgivable.”
With new finger prick tests, students can determine if they are HIV positive without the fear of large intravenous needles as shown above. (Tara Conry/The Chronicle)