MISSION VIEJO : Group to Promote AIDS Awareness

Basketball star Magic Johnson’s dramatic announcement last month that he is HIV-positive has prompted a group of Saddleback Community College students to form an organization aimed at educating fellow students about the deadly virus that causes AIDS.

Johnson’s announcement “really heightened awareness,” said student Chris Boyd, a spokesman for the newly formed Coalition of Student Awareness.

“We decided that there needed to be some sort of awareness program on campus,” said Boyd, 25. “We felt that not enough was being done about AIDS education. We want to see more literature distributed to students and have open forums on the topic.”

The group, which is not an official college club, is working toward having condom machines installed on campus. Boyd said that most students are not aware that free condoms are available on campus through the student health services department. The machines would make the contraceptives more accessible, he said.

“The reality of the matter is (that) a good number of our students are sexually active,” Boyd said. “With an issue like this, it’s an individual choice. We’re not talking about high school students.”

Boyd said the group will stress that AIDS is not confined to any particular groups.

“We are all at risk, especially when you think about the girl who got AIDS from her dentist and all of the people who got it through blood transfusions,” Boyd said.

The group also is in the process of preparing an educational booklet on the dangers of AIDS and ways to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. The booklet should be ready in a few weeks, Boyd said.

The new organization also is advocating that the college reinstate AIDS classes that were previously offered but discontinued due to low enrollment.

Although the college’s health center already offers AIDS information, the students hope to make more of an impact by bringing the information to the students in a more aggressive way.

“We hope that by becoming involved, we can help to eliminate some of the fear and hysteria,” Boyd said.