By: Megan Melone, Writer
Photography by Megan Melone and Madison Rohn
On Friday, October 29th, the third annual Spooky Sex fair was held at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. Spooky Sex, hosted by the Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board, offered information and resources on sex, dating, testing, and protection. Tables offered informative games with prizes. Gifts like condoms, ribbons, and first aid kits were given out, and students could enter to win raffle prizes related to sexual health. Since it was close to Halloween, students were encouraged to dress up, and many tables gave out candy.
While the event is a fun spin on sexual education, it is important to have open conversations about sexual health and resources. In addition to staying healthy, students who attended the event also learned about the difference between a healthy and toxic relationship.
Sexual Assault is common on college campuses. According to the Office of Women’s Health, one in five women in college experience sexual assault. Helping Survivors, an organization that works to help survivors of sexual assault, stated, “Campus sexual assault makes up the greatest proportion- 43% – of total on-campus crimes in the United States.”
But we can reduce the occurrences of sexual assault on campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that teaching skills to prevent sexual violence will help reduce it. The CDC states that strategies like social-emotional learning, instructing about sexual health and safe dating, and promoting healthy sexuality are all efficient in preventing sexual violence occurrences. Attending campus events like Spooky Sex is suitable for students as they can learn how to stay safe, and healthy, and protect themselves from sexual violence.
The Mckendree Office of Health Services and Counseling is located at 521 Stanton Street and is available to all students. The National Sexual Assault helpline is 1-800-656-4673.
References
Campus Sexual Violence Statistics. (n.d.). Helping Survivors of Sexual Assault and Abuse. https://helpingsurvivors.org/campus-sexual-violence-statistics/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Prevention Strategies|Sexual Violence|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/prevention.html
Office on Women’s Health. (2018, September 13). Sexual assault on college campuses is common. Womenshealth.gov. https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/sexual-assault-and-rape/college-sexual-assault
