At UF, three out of 10 students do not know their HIV status.
On Thursday, in honor of World AIDS Day, GatorWell encouraged those students to find out.
The on-campus counseling service, along with Eta Sigma Gamma and the College of Health and Human Performance, offered free HIV testing from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Florida Gym. The testing was held as part of GatorWell's third-annual World AIDS Day event.
About 100 students registered to get tested.
"It's a day where we can highlight the importance of knowing your status," said Samantha Evans, GatorWell sexual health promotion specialist.
GatorWell also offers free HIV testing by appointment on Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Other campus and community organizations held events for the international observance.
The Queer Straight Alliance at Santa Fe College hosted a walk Thursday afternoon to raise money for Positives Empowering Positives, a local organization designed to support people living with HIV and AIDS.
The alliance also provided information to students.
"We must have given out hundreds of fliers to people walking by," said 19-year-old business freshman Jeremy Redford, president of the Queer Straight Alliance.
The event ended with Condom Miranda presenting a show about sexual education and AIDS and HIV prevention to 79 students, Redford said.
Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood raised awareness about safe sex and World AIDS Day by distributing bags with condoms outside of clubs in downtown Gainesville.
"We wanted to do something people are interested in getting," said 21-year-old psychology senior Rosemary Daniels, president of Vox.
World AIDS Day started Dec. 1, 1988.
In 2010, there were an estimated 34 million people in the world living with HIV. That number is up 17 percent from 2001, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS.
"Although it's a fantastic observance that really highlights the importance of getting tested and the impact of HIV, the other 364 days are good days to think about those things as well," Evans said.
