Broadside News

Sebastian Flores, Broadside Correspondent

In the many brochures and flyers handed out by George Mason University’s fraternities, organizations and event sponsors throughout campus, one small fact on an information card the size of a postcard stood out among the rest.

In the lower right-hand corner of this card, there was a little red box, and in white letters it stated, “ONE in 20 adults in D.C. has HIV. It’s time to put your foot down.”

Some students at Mason are aware of the gravity of this situation and have taken it upon themselves to do something to change it.

On Oct. 3, Washington, D.C. is hosting their annual AIDS walk to support the fight against AIDS. The five-kilometer walk is a fundraiser, focused on collecting donations for the Whitman-Walker clinic in D.C. The mission of the clinic is to serve D.C.’s diverse community, with special expertise in HIV care.

In honor of the AIDS walk, Mason has put together multiple “teams” to participate in the walk. Aside from the major team called “George Mason University,” a number of different fraternities and sororities have felt a need to give back to their community by forming teams of their own to raise funds for the walk.

“Can’t help the world if you can’t help your community,” said Chauncey Brisco, a junior and information technology major. Brisco is a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity who is putting together a team, along with Alpha Kappa Alpha, for the AIDS walk.

Brisco and other fraternity members of Kappa Sigma, crowded around a small kiosk in the Johnson Center stopping students and talking to them about the importance of the AIDS walk. They stressed the severity of AIDS in our community and how they could help by donating, or by joining their team and participating in the AIDS walk.

Freshman and psychology major May Fakhriyazdi said she agreed with their cause and added, “I’m glad they are doing this. It’s a really big issue not only in the world, but in our community, so I am happy to see that Mason is doing something about it.”

Students stopped walking to their destinations to hear about Kappa Sigma’s cause.

“It’s a great cause,” said freshman and graphic design major Chris Amador.

The walk begins at 9 a.m. To register for one of Mason’s teams, just walk through the JC and locate the Kappa Sigma kiosk, or go to the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education in Student Union Building I for more detailed information.

To register a personal team or as an individual, visit http://www.aidswalkwashington.org.