World AIDS Day increases awareness

As the sun set Monday, 200 flames flickered and halos of gold from little candles lit the parapets around Sample Gates. The red ribbon painted with felt tip pens on white paper which held the candles was visible from afar. Down Indiana Avenue, lamps were aglow and fairy lights lit snowflakes hung from street lights. Green and red holly wreaths sparkled, reflecting the holiday season. \nPeople dressed in warm winter coats and hats zoomed down the street in cars and some walked down the lanes with hands in pockets. And as they did, some looked down at the candles and nodded, others simply drove off.\nBloomington residents Sam Troxal and Karen Hull, who meet at the Sample Gates every Wednesday for a walk, stood talking while their dog sniffed around the candles for a moment. \n"People have started to forget about AIDS. It doesn't seem the threat that it was years ago," Troxal said. \nHull said she did not really know what the candles were for. But when she saw the red ribbon on the white bags, she realized it was something to do with World AIDS Day. She said it was sad that most students seemed so distant to the disease. \n"I don't know ... I think they would start thinking about it if it affected them directly, someone they knew," Hull said.\nAbout 15 students from groups such as Outreach Kenya, Students Global AIDS Campaign and Eta Sigma Gamma kept busy starting at about 5:30 p.m. lighting the candles and setting them around the Sample Gates. \nThey drew red ribbons on the white bags then filled them with a little sand to hold the lit candles. They sat on the cold ground as they did their work, and students passed by. \nKathryn Brown, health educator at IU Health Center said the knowledge about HIV was pretty high among students because of students having access to HIV/AIDS education throughout their public school years. \n"However, I think that students continue to believe that they are not at risk for becoming HIV positive," Brown said. "They most likely believe that it is a disease that affects other people."\nSenior Kathryn Mullen believes it is events like these that will raise awareness among students -- one student at a time. \n"When people saw me today, they asked me why I was dressed (in a red coat). They asked me why I was wearing a red ribbon. And I told them it was World AIDS Day today," Mullen said.\nMullen visited Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa last year where she worked with children and people who had AIDS. She said some of them were discouraged that more wasn't being done, while others were thankful for the help given by the United Nations and the United States and people who make a difference in their lives. \n"They know they are fighting a long and hard battle," Mullen said.\nLike others, Mullen too, believes students on campus are not very concerned about AIDS. She said when she talks about it and what is being done to raise awareness, students simply say, "that's neat" or "that's nice."\nStudents should realize that they are the ones who can cause and mechanize the change, she said. \nThe candles burned quietly on the busy Kirkwood Avenue. Mullen turned to look at them. \n"They are in memory of those who died of AIDS," she said, "and anyone who's afflicted with AIDS."\n-- Contact staff writer Hina Alam at halam@indiana.edu.