Foundational Damage: AIDS, Society, and Education

Authors: Niko Fontanez, David Kinkela

SUNY Campus: SUNY Fredonia

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: Old Union Hall

Presentation #: 37

Timeslot: Session D 3:00-4:00 PM

Abstract: The focus of my research is on the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 90s. This is a two-pronged approach to understanding the history of the AIDS epidemic. The first portion of my project focuses on completing a historiography of the AIDS epidemic to better understand the scope and limitation of its history. The secondary sources I used reveal how the AIDS epidemic impacted governmental infrastructure, civil rights organizations, and overseas aid. Resources for this section of the research have historical viewpoints from different concentrations of history as well as authors associated with universities and those who aren’t. The second section of my research takes place within SUNY Fredonia and focuses on the institution's response to the AIDS epidemic. This section presents a more magnified look into Western New York and shares the story of a small institution that collectively agreed to combat the AIDS epidemic head on. This section of research relies heavily on information found within the Reed Library archives at SUNY Fredonia. Through the use of documents from the now defunct “AIDS committee,” information from school newspapers such as “The Leader,” and other documents, I plan to tell a comprehensive story of the University during the AIDs epidemic. However, my research is still ongoing, while my current research relies on many secondary documents and focuses heavily on SUNY Fredonia. I plan to continue my research to better understand the impact on the AIDS epidemic on higher level educational institutions as a whole during the late 20th century.