The focus of AIDS Awareness Week, run last week by SHARC, was on students getting information and learning about the issues in a fun way, and for the plus-minus 350 SHARC members to be proud of being part of the society. This is in some ways a barometer of Rhodes’ institutional response to HIV & AIDS, as the focus of last year’s week was on the University’s policies and the need for an HIV/AIDS Advocacy Officer – a part-time post that has since been created in the Dean of Students’ Office.

Interviewing Nicole Viljoen, president of SHARC, on Friday afternoon before the big fundraising auction, it was evident that a lot of hard work and planning had gone into creating a varied series of events. “It’s been a long week,” she said, but the Committee are very happy with the response from students and the levels of participation, shown through the many e-mails, website hits, good use of the Q&A box, good attendance at forums, etc.?

The Week kicked off with a stall at the Rhodes Business Society Market Day to advertise the events and raise some petty cash for necessary expenses. This was followed by The SHARC Challenge, a kind of mini-Amazing Race that took place on campus and involved participants having to answer questions and perform certain tasks related to HIV/AIDS issues. The feedback about this was very good and the event will probably be expanded next year.

On Tuesday of last week, a Safe Sexpo was set up on Drostdy Lawns, with two gazebos providing information on HIV & AIDS in an A-Z format, as well as a confidential question box. Students participated well and the Committee felt it raised a lot of awareness of “what’s out there”.

By way of providing essential information to all concerned, Prof Rosie Dorrington gave a talk entitled “A Beginner’s Guide to the HI Virus” at Eden Grove, followed by gender-based discussion forums which elicited a lot of input from students and went on for longer than anticipated.

Solemn events such as the candlelight March of Remembrance from the Student Union to the Rhodes Chapel were balanced by fun evenings such as the parties at the Student Union and Pirates. SHARC still managed to get the message across though; the party at Pirates saw the most massive condom hand-out to date for Rhodes students – around 1000.

Throughout the week, a red carpet was spread out over the Library quad, inviting anyone to write messages relating to HIV & AIDS regarding their experiences or in remembrance of loved ones. There was also a Go Red stall providing information on testing and selling raffle tickets for the Safe Sex Hamper.

The AIDS Awareness Week culminated in a charity auction in the Nun’s Chapel of artworks in six different mediums – all donated by students and local artists. The proceeds of this event go in part towards supporting the Raphael Centre and the Jabez Centre, both NGOs doing essential HIV/AIDS support work in Grahamstown.

There exists at present quite a stark dichotomy still between the initiatives aimed at students and those aimed at staff, although most events are not in principle exclusive. This is probably a function of the fact that they are driven from two different sources, i.e. a student society and advocacy officer on the one hand and HR on the other. There are however, proposals on the table to bridge this divide and create more coherent institutional action.