Wednesday, March 11, 1998
Students witness AIDS stigma firsthand
Volunteers for Bio 40 learn from time spent in local
programs
By Catherine Turner
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA students have been volunteering at local AIDS and HIV
organizations in an attempt to lessen stigmas surrounding the virus
and to show personal compassion and understanding.
"Our society stigmatizes against those with AIDS. AIDS is a
major problem, and we need to provide support for people with AIDS
and make people aware of what they are going through," said David
Tuckman, a fourth-year political science student
Tuckman, along with other students in Dr. Roger Bohman’s class
on AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (Biology 40), are
required to volunteer at least six hours of their time to a local
AIDS or HIV organizations.
Although many students volunteered with the primary intention of
fulfilling their hours for the class, many felt that when they left
their volunteer sites they had gained a better understanding of the
AIDS epidemic and the people inflicted by it.
"During the APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles) food drive I was
exposed to the public’s opinions and beliefs about HIV and AIDS,"
said Connie Gomez, a volunteer and first-year psychobiology
student.
Gomez found that people assumed that she was HIV-positive
because she volunteered at the food drive. "People felt
uncomfortable to be around me, and their true feelings about AIDS
were uncovered," she added.
"I experienced the same stigmatization that those who have the
disease deal with every day."
With the discoveries of new treatments like protease inhibitors,
which prolong the lives of HIV positive and AIDS infected people,
both uninfected and infected people are finding it increasingly
important to educate the public and lessen the stigmatization.
Instead of living five years, HIV-positive patients are more
likely to survive the early stages of the disease.
APLA, Being Alive, the Minority AIDS Project and Project Angel
Food are among the many proliferating organizations that are
working in response to this growing need to treat the early
stages.
These organizations also help people cope with symptoms felt in
the early stages of the virus. Symptoms include physical
adversities such as fatigue and nausea, and emotional impacts such
as denial, anxiety, guilt and self pity.
These symptoms make it especially difficult for AIDS and
HIV-positive people to carry out everyday tasks, like eating,
finding jobs and money, and socializing.
"APLA is a program that provides food, counseling, referrals and
support for those suffering with AIDS. We have 1,600 clients, all
of which have to be HIV-positive or symptomatic AIDS," said Michael
Hernandez, coordinator of the APLA food drive.
In order to be clients at APLA, participants’ incomes have to be
less than $728 a month, which usually comes from social security
and disability.
"For most, the AIDS virus is no longer a death sentence, it’s a
lifestyle. It’s a hard lifestyle," Hernandez said. "My best
suggestion is to show compassion."
Biology 40 students also volunteered at Being Alive, where they
cleaned the patio area and arranged food for a weekly Sunday social
meant to help HIV-positive and AIDS people "socialize, meet new
people, and, really, to just hang out," said A.J. Johnson, a
volunteer at Being Alive.
Johnson hopes to organize a youth program for teenagers. Most
people are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 35, which means
that most people are infected with the disease in their late teens
and early 20s.
This fact makes awareness especially pertinent at UCLA, where
the students are predominantly within that age group.
Many volunteers feel that educating children at an early age can
help to stop both the disease from spreading and the stigmas
associated with it.
"Education is the primary means with which we can reduce the
stigmas that are associated with the disease," said Azadeh Ensha, a
volunteer and first-year communications student.
Through witnessing firsthand the burdens, financial problems and
stigmas that are associated with contracting the disease, students
have realized the importance of volunteering and regarding the AIDS
epidemic with understanding.
Biology 40 has helped a lot of students see the AIDS epidemic in
a new way.
"We understand how the AIDS epidemic is spread, about
discrimination and the research toward a cure," Tuckman said.
"Our support of APLA, Project Angel Food and other programs is
very important. I would encourage every student at UCLA to take
Biology 40 because the course really opened my eyes," he added.