Wheaton’s Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG) has extended their event Sex Week to cover the entire semester. SHAG President Stephanie Kaczowski ‘16 said that Sex Semester was initiated in order to find new ways to get students involved and excited about their sexual health.
Sex Semester will feature activites, talks and events related to sexual health and sex positivity. Kaczowski explained that this change was a result of Sex Week being under-attended by students who were interested but did not have time. The planning and execution of a jam-packed week was also hectic for SHAG’s executive board.
So far, SHAG has hosted two events. During the Be Your Own Valentine tabling event, SHAG provided sexual health information, condoms and self-care items. The Oral for All Bodies Workshop and Pop Up Sex Toy Shop were very well attended with well over 40 people filling the Holman Room in Mary Lyon.
For the rest of Sex Semester, SHAG will try to host an event every two weeks. An upcoming collaboration with Peace House, Renaissance House and Emerson House will educate the Wheaton community about the tampon tax and collect money and donations for feminine hygiene supplies. These will then be donated to local domestic violence shelters, such as New Hope, Inc. of Attleboro, Mass. and Sojourner House of Providence R.I.
SHAG will also collaborate with Active Minds for a self-care event as well as with Programming Council to host Sex Jeopardy. Other events include a sex positive film screening to kick off Spring Weekend, a lecture about new metaphors for consent on Consent Day and a potential trip to the New York Museum of Sex on April 23.
SHAG also encourages students to take advantage of Confidential HIV and STD Testing at the Norton Medical Center on March 22, April 12 and May 3. Interested students can make an appointment with Student Health Services Coordinator, Cynthia Maricle at (508) 286-8210 or maricle_cynthia@wheatoncollege.edu.