Purdue students march to raise awareness

WEST LAFAYETTE< ind. (WLFI) - Purdue students and faculty members walked through the snow and cold to help raise awareness for AIDS.

As part of AIDS Awareness Week, a group took part in a "March to End the Silence."

About two dozen students and faculty members carried red candles in a walk across campus to raise awareness for the disease. They started at the Purdue Bell Tower and ended at the Black Cultural Center.
    
Other events going on this week include an opportunity for students to take a vow of silence for eight hours, a health fair, and day to wear red to help raise awareness.

"This virus has impacted so many people, millions of people worldwide. We want to remind everybody that it does touch home. It hits the Purdue University family as well. We want students to know that there are great resources available, locally, to know your status and get yourself tested," said Director of the LBGTQ Center Lowell Kane.

Also this week, two blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at Purdue Memorial Union. West Lafayette native Cleve Jones created the first quilt panel in 1985 to honor a friend. Since then, the massive quilt has grown to more than 48,000 panels which are dedicated to 94,000 people who have been touched by the disease.