Grads to teach joys of safe sex, facts on AIDS
Forum highlights World AIDS Awareness day
By Phillip Carter
Daily Bruin Staff
Few classes at UCLA actually show students how to practice safe
sex, in addition to teaching them why they must.
But a special AIDS presentation to be given at noon on Thursday
by three graduate students from the School of Public Policy aims to
do just that. Thursday, Dec. 1, is World AIDS day, and the three
student organizers say they are targeting UCLA because college
students still do not practice safe sex.
"College-aged people tend to be very sexually active, often
times having several partners," said Robert Weiss, one of the
presentation organizers. "A lot of folks still practice unsafe sex,
and still really aren’t clear how (HIV) is transmitted, and still
stick to the old stereotypes that AIDS is for gays and drug
users."
All three of the event’s sponsors  Weiss, Soryl Markowitz
and Charles Quintana  are graduate students in the School of
Public Policy’s department of social welfare. Weiss said the
presentation developed as a way to enhance student curricula at
UCLA regarding AIDS.
"We didn’t feel that students knew as much as they should about
HIV and AIDS," he said. "We decided to put out a forum so that
people can (become) more educated  we thought Thursday was
appropriate because it is World AIDS Day."
Organizers warn Bruins against expecting the traditional UCLA
big-lecture format — Thursday’s presentation contains a few
segments that may shock the average student.
"The (safe-sex educator) should have some props and toys to make
it entertaining," Weiss said. "We want people to learn, and even
though AIDS is a serious topic, the session doesn’t have to be
devoid of all humor."
The theme behind Thursday’s presentation, sponsors said, is that
AIDS affects everyone and chooses its victims indiscriminately.
"We’re seeing victims who are increasingly women, men, people of
color and all others," Weiss said. "AIDS is spreading so rapidly
through our culture that it’s something that directly (and)
indirectly affects every one of us."