By Melissa Brown
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Towson University held an educational program on HIV and AIDS Tuesday as part of the school’s effort to educate students about the dangers of these sexually transmitted diseases.
The program, which was called World AIDS Day: Getting to Zero, attracted about 150 people and was held at the school’s Potomac Lounge. Students received T-shirts, heard musical performances and picked up other educational material about the diseases.
Hanah Tanenholtz, a junior at Towson who volunteered for the event, said organizers were trying to send a message that college students can contract HIV and AIDS if they are not careful.
“I always knew that I wanted to do a big World AIDS Day event because it is a disease that is 100 percent preventable,” said Kirsten Roller, the event’s coordinator. “I really wanted students at Towson University to understand how to prevent the transmission of it.”
Roller said students were given a name tag with an individual who is either living with or had dead from the disease. She said the name tags were designed to make the disease seem more realistic to students.
The event consisted of tables sponsored by the Health Center, the Center for Student Diversity and other organizations on and off campus. Event attendees were given shirts that said “World AIDS Day: Getting to Zero” to correlate with the theme of the event.
“We want zero transmissions – we want to make people aware and to get people tested,” said Abeer Hamid, a senior who was volunteering at the event. “Basically just host an event for students to come and interact in a way that makes them aware of the condition and the myths on how to contract it.”
In addition to promoting awareness for HIV and AIDS, Towson offered free STD testing, pamphlets and condoms for students to take. Red ribbons and bracelets were also being given out so that students could wear them around campus.
Students also got the chance to get certified to be a first responder in the event of a drug overdose. At the Baltimore Student Harm Reduction Coalition table, students learned how to treat someone who overdosed and were given a packet with syringes and Naloxone to administer in case of an emergency.
“Knowledge is everything, especially with the treatment,” said Allison Frye, a health educator at the school’s counseling center.
The event also featured a musical performance by the Positive Voices of Baltimore, a group that promotes awareness and prevention of the disease.
“We all are living with HIV and AIDS – we have been for over 20 years,” said Bill Redmond-Palmer, a member of the group. “We came together around the idea of having a sense of mission and purpose. It creates an opportunity for healing and support for each other but at the same time it can take what could be a less than positive experience and try to turn that into something that will hopefully make a better opportunity for other people.”