This weekend, Watumishi, an on-campus student organization focused on promoting AIDS awareness, will be hosting "HIV/AIDS Service Project: An Immersion into the Pandemic" for all students interested in learning about the disease locally, nationally and globally.
Jaclyn Yenter, a senior in the College of Health Sciences and Watumishi member, said the purpose of this weekend is to further student understanding about the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and how it is currently affecting Milwaukee.
"This is a day and a half to immerse yourself and learn about HIV/AIDS," said Aarti Bhatt, junior in the College of Health Sciences and president of Watumishi.
The weekend will feature various speakers, including medical professionals, to talk about the history of HIV/AIDS and how it is treated. People who have been diagnosed with the disease will also speak, Yenter said.
"The patients' portion will be more like a question and answer session and sharing their experiences with the students," she said.
Bhatt added there will be teachers from the College of Nursing talking about their experiences interacting with people who have HIV/AIDS. She said these people have traveled around the world and know about the global effects of the disease.
"It helps to put a face behind the disease and not just a statistic," she said.
According to Laura Skaife, the interim coordinator for community service programs in the Office of Student Development, the weekend will also include various service projects. Students will be helping the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin and Richard's Place, a hospice for people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Participants will also be visiting an STD clinic on the west side of Milwaukee as well as distributing food to people diagnosed with AIDS through an AIDS research facility with Campus Kitchen.
She said this program has been going on for a few years and there has been increasing requests from students who want to get involved with something like this.
"It creates an opportunity for people to learn more about HIV/AIDS," Yenter said.
The service project costs $30 per person and information and applications can be found in the Office of Student Development in the Alumni Memorial Union Room 329.