8th Dimension

THE AIDS QUILT COMES TO HAVERFORD!

We've had a lot of great events so far this year, but it's fitting that the AIDS Quilt Display is the final one of the semester, especially this year when we'll have 100 panels instead of 10. I'm excited about it for two reasons. First of all, the organizational process has really brought out the best in the Haverford community. A lot of students have been working hard to organize, advertise, and fundraise for months, and many more will be volunteering over the weekend. Furthermore, the Quilt Display was made possible in large part by generous monetary donations from Students' Council, President Emerson, and other campus organizations, not to mention the administration's donation of the Fieldhouse for an entire weekend, since Founders is not big enough to house 100 panels. Haverford has come together to support this important cause, and I think that says a lot about this school and its values.

The AIDS Quilt Display is not about Haverfordians showing off their values abstractly, however. The second reason I'm so excited for the display is because of its concrete importance. For many people, the display will get them thinking about a global issue that perhaps they did not believe had any real bearing on them or their life. For those who have lost friends, family or loved ones to AIDS, it will facilitate rememberance and commemoration, perhaps even more so who will be able to see the panel of their loved one. Finally, not only will many, many people see this display since it is a major regional event, but everyone who sees it will be joined in solidarity with those around the country and the world who have experienced tragedy caused by AIDS.

As the semester comes to a close, I hope to use this space to post reflections about the Quilt from various community members, so continue to check back. In the meantime, the opening ceremony is tomorrow, November 30th, ath 7 p.m., and President Emerson will speak. The display will continue all day Saturday and Sunday morning. Please take time to stop by at some point, we would like as many people as possible to see the quilt. I want to end with some statistics that demonstrate why we should care about AIDS:

Worldwide:

Number of people living with HIV in 2006:
Total: 39.5 million (34.1–47.1 million)
Adults: 37.2 million (32.1–44.5 million)
Women: 17.7 million (15.1–20.9 million)
Children under 15 years: 2.3 million ( 1.7–3.5 million)

People newly infected with HIV in 2006:
Total: 4.3 million (3.6–6.6 million)
Adults: 3.8 million ( 3.2–5.7 million)
Children under 15 years: 530,000 (410,000–660,000)

AIDS deaths in 2006:
Total: 2.9 million (2.5–3.5 million)
Adults: 2.6 million (2.2–3.0 million)
Children under 15 years: 380,000 (290,000–500,000)

United States:

421,861 people were living with AIDS in 2005
16,323 people died from AIDS in 2005
526,347 people in total had died of AIDS by 2005