Night of emotion informs students about AIDS, domestic violence

Students were made aware of many things in their surroundings after two back-to-back activities held on campus.

Cathy Robinson, infected with AIDS, came to speak to students about AIDS awareness and statistics. Following Robinson was a silent march to the Reflection Pond to promote awareness about domestic violence issues.

"I think it was great and it was very educational to me," said Shawntell Bennet, a Liberal Arts major.

Indeed, Cathy Robinson's speech was filled with much information to educate and help students to better protect themselves against the threat of contracting AIDS and HIV.

Though the event was only one hour long, held from 7 pm to 8 pm in the Cordell Conference Center, Robinson packed her speech with enough facts to last a lifetime.

She spoke to an almost full room of over 200 students. "I thought it was great," said Robinson of the turnout.

Robinson opened her event with a quick quiz for the students. She gave the history of AIDS, some common misconceptions, and a myriad of facts and statistics to support what she was saying.

Robinson told some moving stories, such as how she came to be infected, being robbed and raped by three men when she was working in a store.

Sex, Robinson warned, is the number one way to get AIDS and other STDs. She told students that any form of sex, whether it be anal, vaginal, or oral, can spread AIDS and HIV.

Sex is not the only was to transmit AIDS according to Robinson. She said there are six fluids in the body that can carry the virus: blood, semen, vaginal fluid, spinal, joint and amniotic fluid. Contact with these fluids can pass on the virus to uninfected people.

She also threw out some statistics for students to chew and think over. These included that the AIDS virus has more victims than the first World War, Persian Gulf, Vietnam, and Korean wars combined.

"It makes me want to get more involved with helping to spread awareness about AIDS," said Kristl Edenfield, and Early Childhood Education major.

More stats that she gave students were that there are over one million AIDS cases in the United States today compared to the 100,000 that were reported in 1991 and that one in 150 people have reported AIDS. Robinson also wanted students to know that AIDS does not discriminate. It can affect the homeless, the rich, the white, and the black. Everyone is fair game to the virus.

"This event was very informative because in today's society you may not know who is affected by this terrible disease," said SGA President Ellis Washington.

Robinson urged those that wanted to know more about AIDS to visit her web site at www.friends together.org. She said that students could e-mail her directly with any questions that they may have.

Immediately following Robinson's speech, a silent march to the Reflection Pond was held.

Here, students were asked to light a candle and stand in a circle to help promote awareness about domestic violence.

Students told stories about their own personal encounters with abuse and how they dealt with it. They wanted their peers to be aware that abuse happens even here on campus.

"Love is not supposed to hurt," said student Jimmica Moten.

Moten's friend, a student at Moultrie Tech, was stabbed to death by her boyfriend just a month ago.

Renee Smith, an ag education major, told her story of how she was abused by one her former boyfriends. "I feel great that I can tell my story," she said.

Ribbons of the color purple, the color for domestic violence, were passed to all in attendance. About 30 people showed up.

The event ended on a somber note with an emotional singing of "Amazing Grace" that the attendees slowly chimed in on.

Robinsons speech was not the only event that had statistics.

Each year 1 million women suffer nonfatal violence by an intimate was stated in a pamphlet passed out at the Domestic Violence Vigil.

The pamphlet also stated that nearly one in three women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood.

"There is no excuse for domestic violence," the pamphlet proclaimed