“Let’s talk about S.E.X.” … with IRHA
Talking about sex between young adults can seem pretty awkward or taboo. Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) sets out to change the dialogue with its annual S.E.X Week. IRHA hosted this year’s programming from March 1 to March 6. Ryan Herrmann, vice president and programming chairman of IRHA, says that this year’s events were “road trip themed.” All of the events aimed to educate students about different aspects of self-care and sex itself. Some of these events included the following:
March 5: “Beach Day” was hosted in Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Based on a trip to the beach, people could come by and answer trivia questions relating to skin care in the sun, with their question being chosen by the spin of a wheel. After giving their answer, the participants then had the option of putting their name into one of two raffle baskets: The Lush Cosmetics basket (containing lip scrub, shower scrub, shower jelly, lotion and shower bombs) and the ULTA Beauty basket (containing body lotion, body wash, sunscreen, body mist, face masks and skin peel masks). Face masks, skin cleansers and “stress cars” were also available.
March 6: The “Seatbelt Challenge” was hosted outside the library from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Based on road safety, this event was described by the IRHA members hosting it as “musical chairs with car seats.” Teams of four start from outside of the library’s doors and sprint to a Public Safety car parked some distance away. The participants would then get into one of the car’s four seats and buckle up, then unbuckle and do the same with the rest of the three seats. The team with the fastest time would receive a prize of 20 Hawk Dollars. Participants also had the option of filling out a survey regarding RWU’s Department of Public Safety.
March 6: The final destination of the road trip was “Sex in the Dark.” Hosted from 6 to 8 p.m. in GHH, this was an anonymous event where two Health and Wellness Educators answered IRHA members and other participants’ questions about sex (with topics such as STIs, STDs, safe sex and consent). As the name suggests, the event took place entirely in the dark, so attendees were given glow sticks by the hosts before they went in. Near the end, attendees were given the opportunity to enter a raffle for various sex-related prizes (such as massage lotion, massage oil, lubricant, condoms, c-rings and tingle drops).
