North Carolina: Forum Educates Black Colleges on HIV

North Carolina's 11 predominantly African-American colleges gathered over the weekend at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) for "Stomp Out HIV/STDs," a forum that drew more than 400 people to address the increase in HIV cases among black male college students. Last month, a study by North Carolina officials found a disproportionate HIV incidence among black male college students, most of whom had sex with men and many of whom also had sex with women. Their female partners at risk of infection may be unaware of it.

Officials said the same trend is likely occurring in Georgia and throughout the South, though some states do not have long-term HIV data to verify it.

While many of North Carolina's new HIV infections occurred on mainstream campuses, school officials said the state's black colleges are now tackling issues generally ignored: HIV and homosexuality. The topics can be uncomfortable for the black church, whose influence touches campus life.

"We need to make all college campuses safer for young men who have sex with men, so they ... feel more like their lives are worth protecting," said David Jolly, an NCCU health education teacher. Reggie Lowery, counseling center director at Shaw University, a Baptist school, said his campus has HIV education efforts but not programs for gay men. "They don't come out [as gay] because they don't have a support system," said Lowery. Six staff members and 38 students from Shaw were in attendance.

The forum focused on heterosexuality, as well. In a men-only session, some students said their fathers encouraged them to be promiscuous, and others said they were encouraged to trash women in locker room chats. "You are considered a square if you do the right thing," such as not demanding sex, said one man.

Clark Atlanta University held a similar, smaller, forum last week, the first such event sponsored by CDC.

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