The Alliance of Lesbian-Bi-Gay-Transgender and Straight Ally Students, with the help of other on-campus groups, is making use of a new resource to raise awareness for World AIDS Day on Thursday.
An interactive Web site, www.spreadthis.org, will be launched Thursday and will be accessible to everyone.
The alliance is trying a simulation with their site so students can virtually see how the AIDS virus can spread.
About 60 students working with the alliance will arbitrarily hand out 3,000 red business cards around campus, which students can use to access the site. This process will be "indicative of how the virus spreads," alliance Chairwoman Lauren Beach said.
"(AIDS is) random and kills indiscriminately," she said. "We're just trying to get people to care."
Each card is marked with a number that represents a particular AIDS case and will offer further information about the AIDS virus.
"They go on the Web site, and it tells them if they're infected or not, and it tells them where in the world they got it from," Beach said of the simulation.
Students are encouraged to pass the cards on to other people once they are done. The site will track the card numbers and show how the virus is "spreading" around campus, said Erik Green, a leading member of MSU's World AIDS Day campaign and a representative of People Respecting Individuality, Diversity and Equality.
"It's really the best way to get a mass amount of information and education disseminated among a large group of people quickly," said Green, a State News columnist.
He added that the Web site is especially helpful in its easy access and long-lasting structure.
The Web site will be up "however long people want to pass the cards around and make use of the resources," he said.
Green worked with Tom Wolf, director of technology for the Residence Halls Association, to create the Web site from scratch.
"It's kind of provocative and edgy," Wolf said. "Hopefully it will make people stop and think for a second ? and be aware that this is something that's out there in their community and not just out on the fringes."
People don't need the red business cards to benefit from the resources on the site, Wolf said.
The site features general links of information about the history and biology of HIV and AIDS, political activism, where people with HIV or AIDS can get tested, and how students can get involved, he said.
There also will be a calendar featuring World AIDS Day events happening on campus Thursday, such as free HIV testing at Olin Health Center, Wolf said.
The alliance is holding a party at 10 p.m. tonight at the rock on Farm Lane.
Alliance members and other students are planning to paint the rock on Farm Lane, hand out fliers and chalk the Web site address throughout the sidewalks of campus, Beach said.
