AIDS DAY RITE DRAWS ABOUT 40

About 40 people stood in a circle on the steps of Academic Hall Thursday night, lighting candles one at a time.

The flames represented different things to each participant. For some, they symbolized the lives of those who died of AIDS, for others, the burning passion to fight the disease.

All were there at Southeast Missouri State University to observe World AIDS Day. The theme this year was AIDS and Families -- Protect and Care for the Ones We Love.

University officials and members of the AIDS Project of Southeast Missouri planned local observations, which began with a Native American ceremony at Capaha Park and ended with an informal discussion about how AIDS touches lives.

Travis Clayton led the Native American ceremony, calling on a higher power to help in the human fight against AIDS. Part of the observance was asking for help from six directions.

"This means we include all aspects of life," Clayton said. "In this disease, we can't afford to leave anyone out. This isn't someone else's problem."

The prayers were for strength and courage in facing the AIDS plague.

The Rev. J. Friedel of Catholic Campus Ministries offered similar prayers later that evening. He invited participants in a candlelight vigil to call out the names of loved ones who died of AIDS. Many in the group had someone to remember, and several called out more than one name.

With lit candles, the group went to the Kent Library Little Theatre to see university students Dan Akre and Patrick Rebmann perform "Lonely Planet," a play about two men who deal with the AIDS virus very differently.

Judy St. John, director of the Center for Health and Counseling at the university, conducted an informal discussion about the performance and AIDS following the play.