UCSD commemorated World AIDS Day with a number of events, including free HIV testing. Student volunteers were out in force trying to spread the word about the disease.
UCSD students set up booths all along Library Walk on campus. Volunteers handed out pamphlets, red ribbons, and condom roses. These are condoms wrapped in colored cellophane on the end of a stick.
Sophomore Maleenee Buehler, a student health advocate, said there's a real lack of knowledge about HIV among her peers.
"I think it's something that students don't really think about," said Buehler, "because it's one thing that people think, 'oh, that's not going to affect me,' you know. People need to know that it's prevalent everywhere, and they need to take all the precaution they can to protect themselves."
It's recommended everyone from teenagers on up get tested for HIV. Health officials say about one out of five people who are infected don't know their status.
