When you were walking around central campus Wednesday, did you notice something different?

Don’t think too hard. But if you missed the five statues on central campus that were shrouded in black cloth, “Forward,” “Left-Sided Angel,” “Fountain of Four Seasons,” “Stride” and “Forbidden Fruit,” chances are that you probably didn’t realize that Wednesday was “Day Without Art.”

Day Without Art is intended as a remembrance of people who died of AIDS, and also as a recognition of the people who are still living with AIDS and HIV. It’s a reminder of how the deadly disease has ravished the art community. The covered statues drew a stark parallel of what AIDS has done to the world.

A day like this always has been important, but it’s probably even more important now because AIDS has been largely forgotten by the public.

When the AIDS epidemic first struck America in the early 1980s, it was feared by the American public and exploited by the media.

It was the gay disease; it was a disease that started the rumor mill churning. Could you get it by kissing, or what about sharing a glass with someone who is infected? Could women get it, too? And if you contract HIV, is your life over?

Now, almost two decades later, we know the answers to those questions. Almost everyone, from a high school freshman who’s taken a health class to the professional, middle-age family man, knows that HIV and AIDS may only be contracted by exposure to contaminated bodily fluids.

Safe sex with latex condoms can sharply decrease the chances of getting the disease, but it’s not fool-proof. And anybody, regardless of age, sexual orientation, income and family background, can get AIDS.

But why did the education stop there? These are important facts to know, facts that contributed to lessening the stigma of AIDS.

We also learned another important fact: Life doesn’t stop if you get AIDS.

There are new treatments and medicines, many of which were highly publicized a few years ago, around the time that AIDS researcher David Ho became Time magazine’s Man of the Year, and it was announced that Magic Johnson had a healthy T-cell count.

Maybe that was the problem. Scientists were closer to finding a cure than they ever had been before, and people seemed to forget that we don’t have one yet. AIDS is still out there, and it’s still deadly.

Fearing AIDS is bad. Ignoring it is worse.

So if you missed out on the Day Without Art and World AIDS Day activities, that’s too bad. But there’s no reason why your education can’t continue today.

Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Sara Ziegler, Greg Jerrett, Kate Kompas and Carrie Tett.