With spring break only days away, the push is on to provide safety to those students bound for sexual experiences.
Health and wellness was the conversation of choice during the "Safe Sex on the Beach" fair in the Student Union this past Tuesday.
Free condoms, one-dollar virgin drinks, free pens and other fun tactics were used to get students' attention about the need for safety during spring break trips. The SBI Health and Sexuality Education Center co-sponsored the fair.
Emily Briglia, a sophomore psychology and health and human services major, helped organize the event as the supervising counselor of the Sexuality Education Center.
"We had other organizations come in like the Pride Center, Buffalo Women's Services, Planned Parenthood, NYS Department of Health, Student Health and Wellness center," Briglia said. "They all came in to provide additional information about things like emergency contraception (and) date rape drugs."
The numerous tables scattered around the Student Union lobby offered different handouts to interested students. The Planned Parenthood table gave out condom lollypops and pamphlets about birth control.
Tessa Walker, a senior human services major, worked the Planned Parenthood table this year.
"People are really interested because they're going on spring break and they want to know how to protect themselves," she said. "And we want to make sure that they don't bring back anything that they don't want to."
Walker was formerly the student supervisor for SBI Health Education and has been working fairs like these for the past four years. Currently, she is an employee of Planned Parenthood and during the event promoted protection against pregnancy in two ways: one, that students should only have protected sex and secondly, if unprotected sex does occur, there are still safe ways to prevent pregnancy.
In addition to having safe sex, it is important to avoid sexual experiences involving violence. Rebecca Stevens, a longtime employee of Crisis Services, educates people on rape and domestic violence. Stevens and her colleagues respond to the hospital to assist women in states of emergency.
"Last year we responded twelve (or) thirteen hundred times to the emergency room for domestic violence and rape victims," Stevens said.
The Rape Crisis Center, in addition to post-violence counseling, financial assistance and safe housing provides free legal and medical advice.
The Pride Center had a table at the fair concentrating on gay, lesbian and transgender safety. Dennis Yacobucci, a professional educator at the Pride Center, concentrates his efforts of substance abuse.
"We have support groups, like AA groups, that meet there," Yacobucci said.
The booklet that the Pride Center circulated provided information ranging from medical providers to sexual health.
Sub-Board I, Inc., a non-profit organization funded by students, provides the funding at the UB sexual education fairs, which continue in smaller fashion throughout the semester and next year. An HIV panel is also being considered, and an HPV discussion that will take place in April.
