Members of the Student Global AIDS Campaign met at UW-Madison this weekend for the 2002 North Central Conference, highlights of which included speakers Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Olympian Isaac Menyoli.
The SGAC, part of a nonprofit organization called Global Justice, seeks to end global AIDS through wide-spread education about the disease and persuasion of the U.S. government to take an active interest in the subject.
Feingold said he was \astonished"" by the activism of the student generation.
According to Feingold, who spoke to a crowd of about 100 Saturday afternoon, attitudes in Congress are changing in regards to the AIDS epidemic as a result of ""dedicated grassroots efforts.""
The conference was partly to familiarize students with the organization and its cause.
""It's a way to get people to understand the global AIDS crisis,"" Holly Malinowski, conference coordinator and UW-Madison junior, said. ""I feel as if people don't know about it, but if they did, I feel they would be passionate.""
Placing political pressure on congressional officers to achieve more funding for global AIDS is a main objective of SGAC, Malinowski said.
In addition to speakers, the conference included workshops on improving media relations and lobbying congressional offices.
U.S. citizens have made a lot of progress regarding the AIDS issue in the past year, Feingold said, but still have major steps to take now.
""[This problem] demands an internal response unlike any we have seen in our lifetime,"" he said.
Feingold also addressed the AIDS situation specific to Africa, a continent he said has been ""hardest hit"" with the epidemic.
In such countries, he added, yearly costs for AIDS treatment can exceed $10,000 when the average annual income is less than $1,000. That's why, he said, there needs to be a global AIDS fund.
""Other countries are certainly willing to participate, but we need to take the lead,"" Feingold said.
For more information on SGAC, visit http://www.fightglobalaids.org/.
