AIDS quilt dedicated at university

ORONO – Peer Educators at the University of Maine recently dedicated an AIDS quilt made by the university community.

The quilt was presented to Dr. Stephen Chapman, vice president of student affairs, by Christina Beardsley, who headed up the project, and Jamie Rogers, who organized the World AIDS Week on campus.

Initially, the quilt was hung next to the information booth in the Memorial Union on campus.

Beardsley said that a permanent home on campus was being sought for the quilt, which includes squares made by a variety of people, including UM President Peter Hoff.

Messages on some of the squares are very touching, honoring those who have died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Beardsley said.

“A lot just make you want to cry,” she said. Other messages “have some shock value,” intended to make students think about behaviors that cause people to be infected with the AIDS virus.

Beardsley said she was very pleased that Chapman agreed to accept the quilt on behalf of the university.

“He is just a No. 1 supporter of Peer Educators,” she said.

Beardsley is a graduate of George Stevens Academy, and Rogers a graduate of Ellsworth High School.

Both women were volunteers at Downeast AIDS Network in Ellsworth.

Beardsley, a junior majoring in philosophy, is a certified HIV-AIDS educator.