Prenursing freshman Charli Head and business freshman Katie Karam, right, answer trivia questions about sexual health as part of a tic-tac-toe game run by Olin Sexual Health Advocates on Wednesday morning at the Union.
Condoms aren’t something most students are comfortable picking up in public and sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, aren’t something they necessarily want the world to know for what they’re being tested.
That’s where Olin Health Center’s student health advocates come in, said dietetics junior Ashley Hilbert, an Olin Health advocate.
Advocates set up a booth in the Union on Wednesday to engage students in sexual education-related activities, trivia and games to recognize National STI Awareness Month.
Hilbert said advocates are working around campus to provide sex education programming and to raise awareness about services available for students at Olin Health Center.
She said advocates go into classrooms, workplaces and even lines for East Lansing bars to engage students in health learning activities.
“We put the event together (Wednesday) to target and educate students here about some of the misconceptions about MSU and sexual activities,” she said. “We have games to help people talk about something that’s hard to discuss.”
Advocates handed out pamphlets with sexual health information and encouraged students to fill out banners with alternative, nonsexual activities to do with a partner.
Hilbert said it is important for MSU students to get tested for HIV and other STIs. In a recent survey conducted by Olin Health Center, 27 percent of MSU students said they had been tested for HIV.
Students stopped by the booth to test their sexual knowledge with trivia questions. Psychology sophomore Bailey Paskiewicz was one of many students surprised by the statistics.
“I was surprised that more people aren’t getting tested for STIs,” Paskiewicz said. “People are scared to face the idea that STIs are a real concern. These are things that you have to deal with in life, especially in college if you’re going to make the decision to have sex. You’re going to have to deal with all of the consequences that may come with it.”
Prenursing sophomore Colleen Bryan is a health advocate along with Hilbert and said it is important for students to know what kinds of resources are available to them.
“It’s surprising to see how many people in college do have questions about sex or do believe certain myths,” Bryan said. “A lot of people are having sex, so you should be able to talk about it. People need to know what are risks and what aren’t risks.”
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