History will be written this week when part of the AIDS Quilt comes to campus. The internationally-traveled quilt will be available for viewing for the first time in university history today, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and tomorrow, April 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

“I am really excited to educate the campus on people who have been affected by AIDS. It’s a huge deal for the school because Quinnipiac has never had the AIDS Quilt. We put a lot of work in to get the quilt. We are already planning for next year to make it an even bigger event,” Audrey Foote, former SADD president and AIDS Quilt co-chair said.

The AIDS Quilt is comprised of 44,000 panels and is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world, according to the AIDS Quilt Web site.

The quilt, which was started in 1987 by a small group of strangers who wanted to remember the people who they believed history would forget and to honor the legacies of the victims of AIDS.

“It’s an important national organization and bringing it to Quinnipiac is a major step in raising public awareness,” said Chris Kurker-Stewart, former SADD vice president and co-chair of the AIDS Quilt.

The quilt has been seen by 14 million people around the world since 1987 and has helped to raise over $3 million for AIDS service organizations throughout North America.

At press time, 82,838 names were listed on the quilt, which represents the names of 17.5 percent of all U.S. AIDS deaths.

SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions, is sponsoring the community event.