By Mina Halpern and Whitney Kasserman

Isn’t AWARE just preaching to the choir by talking about HIV at Wesleyan? Isn’t HIV over? Isn’t the topic of HIV irrelevant at Wesleyan?

The recent media attention paid to the subject of HIV is primarily devoted to analysis of the new medical treatments available to HIV-positive individuals. However, only those that can afford the drugs are receiving the benefits of a longer and healthier life. The news media flashes sensational headlines about the fact that Magic Johnson has an undetectable HIV viral load. This gives the general public the incorrect idea that a "cure" has been found. This may be translated into meaning that there is no longer a need to worry about contracting the virus. The simple truth is that a cure has not yet been found, and while these new drugs do look promising, it is unclear how effective they will be over an extended period of time, especially in the light of new HIV strands and drug resistant strains.

So, partly due to the media, the American public has become complacent about HIV. In the United States, because of this, the spread of HIV continues to occur. Infection rates are decreasing, but not nearly as quickly as in the past. This is despite the fact that HIV education continues to occur nationwide. Perhaps, receiving two hours of HIV education every three years isn’t very effective. Maybe we need to reeducate ourselves and reassess how much we really know. Maybe we need continuity of dialogue about HIV to reevaluate how we approach the AIDS virus, those who are infected with it, and those who are at risk. This is the dialogue that AWARE is trying to create at Wesleyan.

Is Wesleyan prepared to handle the reality of HIV both outside of Wesleyan and on campus? As a community at Wesleyan University, it is necessary to explore an issue that is changing the faces of our country and the world.

In the early 1980’s, everyone was talking about AIDS. Now, more than fifteen years later and forty million people HIV-positive worldwide, shouldn’t the discussion be louder than ever?

Halpern is a member of the class of 2002. Kasserman is a member of the class of 2000.