by Joy Esiemokhai
According to a 2009 article, more than 80% of college students are sexually active. The importance of safe sex cannot be more highly reiterated anywhere else than on a college campus. This was the purpose of the Responsible Sexuality Panel, also known as “Let’s Talk about Sex,” which was held at the Campus Center Ballroom on November 11, 2013. The University of West Georgia’s Responsible Sexuality Committee hosted the event, which marked its 27th edition. This year’s theme, Go Safe – Go Healthy, sought to educate students about the importance of sexual protection.
Left to right: Corey Hindman, Dr. Juaquita Callaway, Lance Mealer and Dr. Michael Hester
This year’s panel of sexual health professionals included Dr. Juaquita Callaway from Athens, Georgia, Corey Hindman, a patient advocate at UWG Health Services, and Lance Mealer, the program coordinator for AID, Atlanta’s Gay Outreach program. The event’s emcee was Dr. Michael Hester, the dean of the Honor’s College and Trans-Disciplinary Programs. They spoke to a full house of students and other guests about various sexual health-related issues such as the differences between sexually transmitted diseases and infections and how they are contracted.
The audience was able to ask anonymous questions about whatever they were curious about, with questions ranging from whether birth control affects arousal, whether alcohol alters the effectiveness of birth control and the difference between pap smears and full pelvic examinations. Other questions concerned whether it is safe to have sex if one has a STD or STI, the problems with having sex while intoxicated and proper condom use. The panelists provided answers that were both enlightening and entertaining.
The importance of taking care of personal sexual health was reiterated many times during the discussion. This is essential not only for personal safety but also for the safety of sexual partners. The panelists encouraged students to receive full sexual health check-ups, including checking for STDs and STIs such as HIV, Herpes I and II, Hepatitis A and B and Chlamydia, as often as every six months, especially if engaging in unprotected sex. Women were also encouraged to receive pap smears biannually and full pelvic exams annually. The event served to educate students by letting them ask questions about sexual issues that truly concerned them.
RxCom is a UWG organization that aims to educate students about sex, sexuality and sexual health so as to foster smarter and safer sexual behavior. For more information about RxCom, interested parties can contact RxCom co-chairs, Carrie Pitzulo and Colleen Vasconcellos at cpitzulo@westga.edu and cvasconc@westga.edu, respectively.
