Students Acting Against AIDS

On a college campus, I was shocked to find out that there was no club dedicated to the advocacy of HIV/AIDS. In modern society, this epidemic needs to be spoken about. There are many of us on campus that have been impacted in some way by the virus, but there is not a safe place where we can discuss our experiences. Getting tested should occur at least once every six months, each semester we could host an event that would be safe and secure for people to walk in and not be embarrassed to get tested. It is extremely important within today's society because as each year goes by, there is an estimated 56,300 Americans becoming infected with HIV each year (1) and "of the more than 1 million persons in the United States living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 21% are unaware they are infected (2). It is typical on college campuses that people experiment in different ways; through these ways, it is possible to contract HIV/AIDS and not even know it. In the cases where people feel alone, this club would be a safe haven. (1) (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/us.htm) (2) (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sexualbehaviors/pdf/hivtesting_adolescents.pdf).