By Nicole Acevedo, Assistant Editor
Once again, Western New England University’s Residence Hall Association is putting on S.E.X. Week. The event begins on Monday, February 8, 2021, and runs through the end of the week. The event has been planned to promote Safe, Educational, eXperiences for the community in regards to sex, sexuality, and sexual health.
For many of us, middle school and high school sex education classes were a joke. There was no conversation to be had because your teachers weren’t prepared to tell a class full of teenagers the complicated truth that comes with being sexually active. So, as a result, we fumbled our way through the details by deep-diving into Google searches and playing Telephone with the stories our friends told us.
Sex has been a taboo topic for as long as we can remember, but we’re living in a different world these days. Generations are much more comfortable with ‘hook-up culture,’ and when you don’t have the proper knowledge on what to do when certain situations arise, well, things can get dicey.
Residence Hall Association President Clarice Berardinelli had a few things to say in regards to the event. “We have about eight programs lined up for the week between RHA, CAB, GSA, and Health Services. Each program is geared towards education on sex, sexual health, and body positivity. Each program kind of targets the stigma of simply talking about those topics, not necessarily directly, but it’s starting conversations through things like inclusive sex education, STI awareness, self-acceptance, and sexual protection.” Berardinelli added that with the educational side of the event, of course, comes the fun.
While last year’s S.E.X. Week took some pretty hard backlash from professional staff, it was a tremendous success among the student body. “At the end of the day, I program for students,” states Berardinelli. “This year, we know we are still going to face backlash for something. One piece, one day, of one program, someone is going to be disappointed by, but we can’t please everyone.”
All of the organizations involved have been working diligently to make each aspect as intentional and educational as possible without sacrificing the enjoyment. It’s imperative that we normalize these conversations and share our stories to help educate ourselves and those around us on greater community topics.
What you choose to do behind closed doors is solely your own business, but when you choose to, you should feel empowered, safe, and prepared. “Overall, this week is meant to be fun and everyone is welcomed at these programs,” concludes Berardinelli.
