'U' program to promote AIDS awareness

National AIDS Awareness Month has provoked many campus organizations to make a group effort. Through a new program called Speaker Initiative, the University will be hosting a two-day series featuring Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of AIDS victim Ryan White, a young child who was discriminated against for having the virus.

White-Ginder fought a losing battle when her son contracted the AIDS virus through a blood-transfusion. White's situation garnered national attention as one of the first times AIDS was contracted through a way other than drug use or sexual activity.

White-Ginder will speak about AIDS awareness and the legacy of her son this Thursday at 7 p.m. in Rackham Auditorium. Other events include a 7 p.m. showing of The Ryan White Movie tomorrow at Modern Languages Building Lecture Room 2, as well as a book signing by White-Ginder at 6:30 p.m. preceding her Thursday night presentation.

During the two days, red ribbons will be distributed by nearly 30 organizations.

The event has been made possible by Speaker Initiative.

LSA first-year student Brian Reich said he devised this plan as a way to "form a center for communicating and networking between student groups."

As a result, groups can cut down on redundancy and pool resources to bring more highly demanded, influential speakers to the University, he said.

"Individual groups on campus do not have the budget to bring a $20,000 or even $5,000 speakers to the school," Reich said. By forming a conglomerate, the University can attract well-known and highly respected speakers, such as White-Ginder.

"She wears a lot of hats in this," said Reich, alluding to the fact that such an influential speaker will reach the minds of students, faculty and community members.

Participating organizations include the LSA Student Government, the Michigan Student Assembly, the Residence Hall Association, Circle K, Golden Key Honor Society and ProjectSERVE.

LSA sophomore Shira Lee Katz, co-director of Speaker Initiative, said "we have got a lot of money together ,which allowed us to consider White-Ginder in the first place."

LSA first-year student Avedis Magar said she is "really glad to see different groups within the University community coming together to achieve something of this scale.

"Hopefully, Thursday will set a precedent of Speaker Initiative's commitment to bringing influential and educational speakers to this campus."

Reich agreed that getting White-Ginder to visit the University's campus was important.

"Jeanne is an inspirational speaker and this is a very important issue on a college campus because it affects everyone. (AIDS) doesn't care what group you are a member of or what you look like on the outside," Reich said.

"Hopefully, Speaker Initiative will one day be adopted and funded as a University organization. Such a group optimizes what (University) President (Lee) Bollinger wants to tackle in the future," he said.

02-24-98