The HIV and AIDS education campaign is directed and managed by the HIV and AIDS Steering Committee.
Early in AY 2002/03, the University’s Academic Board established an HIV/AIDS Steering Committee that reports to it directly. The membership of the Steering Committee includes at least representative from every Unit in the University and the Students’ Union. The membership of the Steering Committee is self-selecting and voluntary. Initially, the Steering Committee was comprised of 17 persons from across the University.
At the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee in January 2003, Mr. Michael Morrissey, UNESCO HIV/AIDS Specialist, spoke to the group about the importance of HIV/AIDS education, current HIV/AIDS education activities in Jamaica, and the importance of leadership in HIV/AIDS education in the tertiary sector.
The Terms of Reference for the Steering Committee call for quarterly meetings to review the University’s plans and progress in HIV/AIDS education; however, the operational work of the campaign is carried out between meetings by Sub-Committees, each of which reports at the quarterly meetings of the Steering Committee.
Sub-Committees of the HIV and AIDS Steering Committee
The five Sub-Committees established are:
Policy Sub-Committee
The Policy Sub-Committee is responsible for recommending policies governing the University’s approach and commitment to the HIV and AIDS response at UTech.
The Sub-Committee drafted the major policy framework governing the University’s HIV and AIDS commitment and response and submitted it to the Academic Board, who passed it in October 2003. This policy framework has been in operation since October 2003. However, the major limitation of the policy framework is that it does not address HIV and AIDS in relation to UTech’s employees and students.
Education and Training Sub-Committee
The Education and Training Sub-Committee leads the organisation and management of the annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (HAAD) exhibition, the Peer Counselling initiative, and any other information campaigns related to HIV and AIDS identified by the Steering Committee. Because so much of the Steering Committee’s focus is education-related, this Sub-Committee has the largest responsibility at present. Each year, for the HAAD, the Sub-Committee is supplemented with volunteers who assume some of the responsibilities for planning and executing the activities related to the event. This expanded Sub-Committee is named the HIV and AIDS Events Organising Sub-Committee.
Events Organising Sub-Committee
In 2003, as the plans of the HAAD proved to be more and more complex, the Steering Committee established an Events Organising Sub-Committee, which took responsibility for much of the activity undertaken to advance HIV and AIDS education at UTech and in the surrounding communities. This Sub-Committee is comprised of members from the Steering Committee and others from the University community who are interested in assisting in the mounting of the variety of events related to HIV and AIDS education in the University and the wider community.
Care and Comfort Sub-Committee
The Care and Comfort Sub-Committee focuses on community service related to HIV and AIDS – for persons and families infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. The Sub-Committee has supported the annual Jamaica Aids Support Christmas toy collection “Project Smiles”, organised information sessions with HIV+ persons, and visited homes caring for AIDS orphans, and organised the Voluntary Counselling and Testing programmes conducted at the University.
Research Sub-Committee
The Research Sub-Committee encourages the development of and manages HIV and AIDS-related research in the University. The first cycle of a Knowledge Attitude Practice and Behaviour (KAP-B) study was conducted after the first HIV and AIDS Awareness Day to determine the impact of the event on the knowledge and attitudes of students and staff. The results of the research studies are reported at the HIV and AIDS Steering Committee meetings and the Academic Board, and lead to recommendations about further research activity.
During and following each HAAD, data are collected on the visitors’ perceptions of their learning from being involved in the event. These data assist in designing the subsequent HIV and AIDS-related education activities.
Fund-raising Sub-Committee
The Fund-raising Sub-Committee has a dedicated responsibility to raise funds for the Steering Committee’s programme of activities each year. It has undertaken only one public fund-raising activity. The majority of its initiatives involve writing project proposals and seeking funds from private sector organisations. (View a list of the UTech’s HIV/AIDS funding partners.)