 "Photo: Evan Davis")
Steven St. Julian was supposed to be dead 21 years ago.
He tested positive for HIV in 1987 and was given only a short time to live. Different combinations of drugs and good luck have kept him alive, he said.
Now St. Julian works for AIDS prevention outreach for the Jackson County Health Department to raise AIDS awareness and promote HIV testing. He spoke in the Student Center Monday night at the opening ceremony of a series of events intended to raise awareness for the disease doctors said should have cost him his life long ago.
After the opening ceremony, students and event organizers carried red glow sticks on an AIDS awareness walk from the Student Center to Grinnell Hall.
David Schrappe, a programmer for the Student Center, said that the walk for awareness is a sort of vigil for people living in the United States with AIDS.
"It's a visual display of solidarity," he said.
The walk for awareness was followed by a question and answer session titled "Sex in the Dark." The session was hosted by Christy Hamilton, a coordinator from the Wellness Center.
The session took place in a darkened room where students could ask any question they wanted anonymously.
"I felt like it was important for people to be able to ask questions without having to identify themselves," Hamilton said.
As another reminder of AIDS awareness, student volunteers placed 5,000 flags into the ground. Each flag represents 240 people to signify the 1.2 million people total in the United States living with HIV.
Casey Rumler, a senior from Moline studying creative writing, helped place the flags. He said placing the flags was a great experience because of the high number of volunteers this year.
"They said this is the most help they've ever had," he said.
On Wednesday night, the Student Center is set to host speaker Gloria Ruben, who played an HIV-positive character on the television show E.R. and has since become active in AIDS awareness.
"She's very passionate about this," said Schrappe.
The Student Center will also be screening the film Life Support, a movie starring Ruben and Queen Latifah, for free in the Student Center auditorium on Tuesday night. Schrappe said he hopes the film will get students excited about Reuben's speaking engagement on Wednesday.
Free anonymous HIV testing in the Student Center ballrooms will also be available on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of AIDS awareness week.
Hamilton thinks this week's anonymous HIV testing will be convenient for students because it is a non-needle test and is done in the Student Center. There are no fees and no appointments necessary for testing.
"The testing is important for students to know all of their health resources," Hamilton said.
St. Julian said that testing is especially important for college students.
"It's the young people who are most affected," he said, "It's also important because they have no history of the potential of this disease."
In his statement at the opening ceremony, interim Chancellor Sam Goldman addressed the importance of holding AIDS awareness events on campus.
"This is a disease for which there cannot be complacency," he said, "I am very proud that we as a university are participating in this way."
Barton Lorimer contributed to this report.
Kathleen Richards can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 262 or klr12788@siu.edu.
