University aims to educate students about Sexual Health Month

As September marks Sexual Health Awareness Month, University Housing and Student Health through Sanford Hospital are working to promote awareness for safe sex.

University Housing has hosted a number of “Hook Up” presentations for students and is planning more approaches for awareness for the month, and the rest of the academic year.

Cody Burgraff, assistant director of Housing, said “The Hook Up” presentations have been well-attended and beneficial to students.

“Our big focus is on the events that focus on the prevention and the education surrounding a topic,” Burgraff said. “’The Hook Up’ promotes sexual health, wellness and bystander intervention. The more people we can get involved with educating, the better off that leads our mission to creating a well-rounded individual once they graduate.”

Housing also works to partner with Student Health to host “Sex In The Dark” events, which provide information to students on STD testing and safe sex.

“(Sex In The Dark presentations) make sure that the best choices are made, and students have all the information they can to be able to make those decisions,” Burgraff said.

The upcoming Sex In The Dark presentations, which are open to on-campus students and the campus community at-large, will be held Sept. 26 and 27, in the Muenster University Center ballroom and in the Richardson-Olson lounge, respectively. Participants can expect promotional items, free condoms and partnerships with information on how to get free STD testing.

In the past, Housing has also provided students with free condoms and condom dispensers located throughout campus in restrooms of certain residence halls. Burgraff said this is an idea he’d be willing to re-implement in the dorms.

“That’s something we’re always open to new ideas and talking,” he said. “We can definitely look into where we can make that choice for the residents and hopefully we can promote that safe sex.”

Matt Yetter, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, attended “The Hook Up” presentation for Greek life and said the presentations helped spread awareness.

“You learn more about college life in regards to doing well in all aspects of the social atmosphere of the collegiate life,” he said.

Amanda Blok, a sophomore accounting major, said she learned more about sexual health by attending a drag show hosted by Spectrum through the Center for Diversity & Community.

“Everyone should know where they can find testing,” Blok said. “Everyone should know what to do. They gave us information about free testing there.”

Samuel Briese, a first-year law student, said the online Campus Clarity training sent to all students through their university email gave him more resources to learn about sexual health.

“The training is good. It goes into detail about certain situations and circumstances (you’d encounter),” Briese said.