With more than 17,000 people dying of AIDS in the United States each year, Sigma Delta Alpha began a philanthropy to raise HIV and AIDS awareness at Sacramento State.

 According to statistics by website Aids.Gov, more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection and almost one in six people are unaware of their infection.

 “There was a raising concern about HIV and AIDS in the Sacramento region, so we wanted to make sure to bring light to the issue and subject,” said Alan Castiano, president of Sigma Delta Alpha. “It became a goal for the fraternity to take a stand and inform the Sac State community.”

 Civil engineering graduate student Hugo Sanchez said HIV should be talked about more within the Latino population.

 “Being a Hispanic, our culture isn’t as open to talk about these types of topics,” Sanchez said. “We vaguely touch on it, but we don’t understand it. We’re not as informed.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is estimated new HIV infection rates among Latinos in 2010 in the United States was more than three times as high as that of Caucasians.

According to a report by Enrique Moresco, Director of Facilities and Operations of NO/AIDS Task Force in New Orleans, states Latino men often have to prove their masculinity or “machismo.”

In the report, it states how Latino males prove their “machismo” through power and dominance, leading both straight and gay Latino males to engage in risky sex behavior, such as sex with multiple partners, unprotected sex with women or men, or sexual coercion.

Criminal justice major and Sigma Delta Alpha member Juan Pablo Melgoza said he wants minorities to be aware of the conditions of unsafe sex, but especially fellow Latino brothers and sisters.

 Last week, the fraternity tabled in the University Union for HIV awareness for their philanthropy week. They offered free condoms and advice on sexually related matters.

 “We’ve learned from our parents about HIV and AIDS, but not the effects and the treatments,” Melgoza said. “At our age, we usually tend to be more sexually active, so we should also be more educated about the subject.”

 Criminal justice major Rachael Desantiago urges everyone to get tested and check for STDs at least once a year.

 “It should be more of a topic in high school. Instead of saying, ‘prevention, prevention,’ it isn’t really adamant to tell you to keep yourself safe,” Desantiago said.

 Sigma Delta Alpha’s Director of Public Affairs, Marco Lopez, said the fraternity has progressed exponentially in creating awareness for HIV over the last two years.

“The longer we’re here, we learn more about ourselves from other people,” Lopez said. “We hear other people’s stories and learn from them. They come to us and share things that we didn’t know about. It’s about learning more and more each day.”

The fraternity’s next step is to reach out further than campus.

“We’re expanding to UC Davis and adding a chapter there,” Lopez said. “We’re going to do all kinds of community services, and fund raising for the whole community out there as well.”

Sigma Delta Alpha participates in a charity and donation event once a year called “Dancing with the Sigmas.”

Brothers of the fraternity are matched with sisters from participating sororities, which they then  compete in a dance off against other couples.

“It sends out a good message for HIV and AIDS awareness,” Lopez said. “We have people come to the event to share their stories [and] to educate the community.”

All proceeds and donations go towards the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services.

The CARES clinic researches for cures and ways to help those who have contracted HIV or AIDS.

Sigma Delta Alpha has donated close to $1,000 to CARES from the dancing event alone.