Coastal Carolina University will host AIDS Awareness Day on campus Thursday, Nov. 29 with presentations by three speakers beginning at 10 a.m. in the Wall Auditorium. AIDS Awareness Day is sponsored by CCU's student-led PRiDE (People Respecting Individual Diversity and Equality) Group with support from Careteam Inc. of Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg counties. The event, which includes a luncheon, is free and open to the public.

John F. Yannessa, assistant professor of health promotion at Coastal, will speak on "HIV related stigma in the 21st century: Are healthcare providers actually contributing to the problem?" Denise Lewis, an instructor in CCU's Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, will give a talk titled "HIV 101." Johanna Haynes, executive director of Careteam Inc., will talk about the role of Careteam in the community.

The Coastal event is being held in conjunction with World AIDS Day on Saturday, Dec. 1. The PRiDE Group will also help support the Coastal AIDS Quilt Project, bringing a small portion of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt to The Center Project, located at 507 Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach. The quilt will be displayed Dec. 1 to Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. An opening ceremony is scheduled for noon on Dec. 1 and a closing ceremony at 8 p.m. on Dec. 8. New quilt panels honoring loved ones lost to AIDS will be accepted.

For more information, contact Coastal professor John Reilly, faculty adviser of the PRiDE Group, at 349-6468.