October 30, 2009 vol xv, number 10 Events Calendar Oct. 31 Board of Trustees Meeting STX Nov. 5 English Profi ciency Exam STT/STX Nov. 14 Puerto Rico Symphony STT Nov. 20-28 Paradise Jam STT Nov. 21 Computer Literacy Exam STX Nov. 24 Computer Literacy Exam STT AIDS Activist Shares Her Story with Students T hrough entertaining and honest discussion AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton shared her personal story about living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. She told her story to UVI and high school students from across St. Thomas. Lewis-Thornton was the featured speaker during a day-long conference on HIV/AIDS entitled “Promoting Prevention in Paradise: Youth Taking Control,” held on UVI’s St. Thomas campus Oct. 2. Lewis-Thornton, who is based in Chicago, was one of the fi rst African American women to share her story with a major publication when she appeared on the cover of Essence magazine in 1994. “You don’t see AIDS when you look at me but it’s real,” Lewis-Thornton repeated throughout her presen- tation. “I look good. I’m fancy and stuff, but AIDS is the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with,” she said. “My Chanel handbag over here does not reduce my pill load. I still have to take 15 pills a day.” Lewis-Thornton, a college-educated, magna cum laude graduate, said she had not used drugs, al- cohol or cigarettes in her whole life. She said she never had sex on the fi rst night and never had a one- night-stand. Yet she con- tracted HIV. While she never knew for sure who infected her, Lewis-Thornton said she has to live with the con- sequences of having un- protected sex. “I had a choice,” she said. She encouraged members of the audience to think of the consequences of their behavior before each sexual act. Lewis-Thornton detailed how she has managed liv- ing with the disease for 26 years, including the toll it has taken on her body. She also explained the ways HIV can be transmitted and encouraged everyone to use condoms and to use them correctly. The AIDS activist stressed that she cannot save any- one’s life; it’s up to each person to protect themselves. “You have got to take this information and use it,” she said. The conference was sponsored by UVI’s St. Thom- as campus Offi ce of the Associate Campus Executive Ad- ministrator for Student Affairs, with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis- tration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, through the Minority Education Institution Initiative. Paradise Jam opens Nov. 20, at UVI’s Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas, with 16 NCAA Division I basketball teams – eight men’s and eight women’s – participating. The men’s championship is on Nov. 23, the women’s is on Nov. 28. During the tourney, UVI’s Bucs men’s team will host LAI rivals Metropolitan in a game on Nov. 21. For details visit www.paradisejam.com Paradise Jam 2009 AIDS Activist Rae Lewis-Thornton addresses the audience on Oct. 2, on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. Dr. Jeff Keularts, left, and Olasee Davis from UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service distribute veg- etable seedlings to World Food Day participants. Three thousand seedlings were distributed on Sun- day, Oct. 18, on the St. Croix campus. World Food Day GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu dateline: UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 dateline: UVI is a production of the UVI Public Rela- tions Offi ce. Contact us by telephone at (340) 693-1056 or by fax at (340) 693-1055. CERC Holds 2nd Annual Health Disparities Conference H ealth care professionals working with the Caribbean Exploratory NCMHD Research Center for Excel- lence (CERC) held a two-day conference at the St. John Westin Resort Oct. 15-16. “Bridging Science, Practice and Culture to Improve Health in the U.S. Virgin Islands” was the theme of the 2nd Annual Health Disparities Institute. Oganizers said they want to take what experts know about health dispari- ties among persons of color and convert those facts into common knowledge. “A very sparse literature suggests that residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands are burdened with the same health disparities identifi ed in health disparity populations on the U.S. mainland,” the program booklet said. Virgin Is- landers largely face the same challenges; fi nding health care, paying for health care, knowing when they need it and fi nding health care that speaks to them no matter what language they’re speaking. Dr. Gloria Callwood, Principal Investigator for CERC and former Chair of the UVI Nursing Education Division, urged everyone to play a role in bridging the health care gap in the territory. UVI President Dr. David Hall spoke at the confer- ence. “The importance of this topic and the focus of this institute cannot be overstated … I believe disparities in health and in educational achievement are the new civil rights agenda for this generation of scholars and activ- ists,” he said. Over the course of two days the group was addressed by three distinguished leaders. U.S. Ambassador Marga- ret Heckler was once the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. She directed the fi rst national study on health disparities. UVI alumna Dr. Safi ya George Dalmi- da addressed the topic of HIV disease and how mental and social infl uences affect the immune system. Dr. Fati- mah L.C. Jackson shared her knowledge of metabolic bi- ology and the link between cultural practices and health. Dr. Callwood said she hoped the workshops and speakers presented at the Health Disparities Institute would encourage those who took part to infl uence na- tional policies on health and help promote a meaningful debate about health care reform. Construction progresses toward a March 2010 completion date.