Over 100 students are expected to show up to roller skate in the
Ackerman Union Grand Ballroom tonight to help AIDS victims in the
Los Angeles community.
This year’s Roll-AIDS program marks the 10th year the
Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Student Welfare
Commission has put on an event designed to raise student awareness
about the devastating effects of AIDS throughout Los Angeles and
beyond.
“We’re trying to promote awareness among students
while giving them an opportunity to have fun at the same
time,” said Justin Lu, SWC’s chief of staff.
Admission to the event is free, and students have the option to
either bring their own skates or rent them for $6. A portion of the
rentals will be donated to Camp Laurel, an organization designed to
help children coping with AIDS.
SWC also plans to incorporate AIDS awareness into the event by
handing out brochures about the disease.
Last year, the SWC’s AIDS Awareness Commission raised
money for children with AIDS in an orphanage in Africa.
SWC Commissioner Janet Chiang believes the AIDS Awareness
Committee should continue to support children dealing with
AIDS.
“I saw a presentation that Camp Laurel gave last year, and
I spoke with them concerning possibly raising money for their
program. They thought it would be a great idea, and we think they
are very deserving of the money,” Chiang said.
SWC members said they are expecting more students to attend this
year than last year. One hundred students attended last
year’s event.
“We’re working on expanding the program as much as
we can. We’re really trying to raise awareness among more
students this year,” said Paul Marian, SWC internal affairs
chairman.
Chiang said she hopes this year’s advertising efforts will
prove successful.
“Last year, one of the problems was not getting the word
out soon enough. This year we’ve tried every avenue of
advertising, including passing out flyers on Bruin Walk and
advertising in the Daily Bruin. We hope that we were able to reach
more students,” Chiang said.
In previous years the event was held late in the winter quarter.
Due to student requests, the committee decided to move the event to
earlier in the quarter.
“It’s a great event, and many of the students who
came had a great time. They thought more people would come if it
was held earlier in the quarter, so we decided to change the
date,” Chiang said.
“I’m hoping that the event will raise awareness of
the problem of AIDS in Los Angeles, as well as raise money for the
children who attend Camp Laurel,” said Melanie Pitts, a
second-year student and director of SWC’s AIDS Awareness
Committee.
Roll-AIDS will take place tonight in the Ackerman Union
Grand Ballroom from 7 to 10 p.m. Visit www.uclaswc.org/aids.html
for more information.