By Ava Marinelli, Staff Writer, Emerson College
I do, I do, I do believe in condom fairies!
Too bad they don’t exist here at Emerson College.
I do, I do, I do believe in condom fairies!
Too bad they don’t exist here at Emerson College.
Recently, Emerson has been rocked by scandals surrounding sexual assault. Since then, we’ve seen the ESSA (Emerson Stopping Sexual Assault) group form. According to their Facebook group, ESSA “is a student run organization at Emerson College that is campaigning to change consent culture in our community and to speak for those who may not have the power to speak for themselves by creating a more supportive, aware, & preventative community.”
I think that’s amazing. I’ve been at Emerson almost three months to the day, and I can already tell that a group like this is long overdue. ESSA is working tirelessly to make the students, faculty, and staff aware of Title IX and the complaint being filed against Emerson at this time.
That being said, Emerson is still in dire need of a peer sexual educators group, something seen at many other schools. This group would be a space where students could come to discuss issues surrounding sex, contraception, STIs, sexuality, and body positivity. Meetings would be led by peer educators. Educators would be trained on proper terminology, anatomy, and the like in order to provide accurate information to their peers.
While sexual harassment, assault, and rape are extremely important issues that need to be covered here at Emerson, there’s also a need for a safe, open, and encouraging environment to talk about sex, sexuality, and related topics. If our fellow students are ignorant about things that seem as basic as consent, what other information are they missing?
I think one of the most important aspects of a peer sexuality educators group is the fact that it’d be run by peers. It would open up a dialogue by the student body, for the student body, with the student body. It’s a lot easier to ask a friend about something as personal as sex or contraceptives than it is a faculty or staff member. By arming our peers with accurate information, these questions can get answered without spreading misinformation, urban legends, or just plain ridiculousness.
Another crucial dialogue a peer sexuality educators group would open up? A dialogue for women about sex. In our culture, women are often seen as sexual objects. A woman’s sexual desires, needs, and preferences are put on pop culture’s backburner. It seems a woman’s only job, according to what we see on the media, is to fulfill a man’s sexual wants. If the lady gets what she wants too, well, that’s an added bonus. Not a priority. Because of this, women often don’t have outlets to have constructive, honest, and non-judgmental conversations about their sex lives. By creating a space that is welcoming and encourages frank discussions about sex, we can start chipping away at the stigmas and stereotypes that exist surrounding women, sex, and talking about sex.
In addition to providing a place to chat, peer sexuality educators could also be go-tos for contraception. I know at orientation we were practically showered with free condoms, but now you might be able to find some in the health center...if there are any left. And besides, how awkward is it to just wander in, grab a few rubbers, and try to get out without anyone noticing you? We’d all like to think we’re totally cool about grabbing a handful of condoms, but it’s still a little weird. How nice would it be to have them show up in your mailbox instead?
Other colleges and universities have groups similar to what I’ve described. Boston University, for example, has Students for Reproductive Justice, an on campus Planned Parenthood organizing group that advocates for healthy and safer sex. Many Residential Life groups on campuses across the country offer free contraception and host events and seminars for their residents on topics surrounding sex and sexuality.
I think that’s amazing. I’ve been at Emerson almost three months to the day, and I can already tell that a group like this is long overdue. ESSA is working tirelessly to make the students, faculty, and staff aware of Title IX and the complaint being filed against Emerson at this time.
That being said, Emerson is still in dire need of a peer sexual educators group, something seen at many other schools. This group would be a space where students could come to discuss issues surrounding sex, contraception, STIs, sexuality, and body positivity. Meetings would be led by peer educators. Educators would be trained on proper terminology, anatomy, and the like in order to provide accurate information to their peers.
While sexual harassment, assault, and rape are extremely important issues that need to be covered here at Emerson, there’s also a need for a safe, open, and encouraging environment to talk about sex, sexuality, and related topics. If our fellow students are ignorant about things that seem as basic as consent, what other information are they missing?
I think one of the most important aspects of a peer sexuality educators group is the fact that it’d be run by peers. It would open up a dialogue by the student body, for the student body, with the student body. It’s a lot easier to ask a friend about something as personal as sex or contraceptives than it is a faculty or staff member. By arming our peers with accurate information, these questions can get answered without spreading misinformation, urban legends, or just plain ridiculousness.
Another crucial dialogue a peer sexuality educators group would open up? A dialogue for women about sex. In our culture, women are often seen as sexual objects. A woman’s sexual desires, needs, and preferences are put on pop culture’s backburner. It seems a woman’s only job, according to what we see on the media, is to fulfill a man’s sexual wants. If the lady gets what she wants too, well, that’s an added bonus. Not a priority. Because of this, women often don’t have outlets to have constructive, honest, and non-judgmental conversations about their sex lives. By creating a space that is welcoming and encourages frank discussions about sex, we can start chipping away at the stigmas and stereotypes that exist surrounding women, sex, and talking about sex.
In addition to providing a place to chat, peer sexuality educators could also be go-tos for contraception. I know at orientation we were practically showered with free condoms, but now you might be able to find some in the health center...if there are any left. And besides, how awkward is it to just wander in, grab a few rubbers, and try to get out without anyone noticing you? We’d all like to think we’re totally cool about grabbing a handful of condoms, but it’s still a little weird. How nice would it be to have them show up in your mailbox instead?
Other colleges and universities have groups similar to what I’ve described. Boston University, for example, has Students for Reproductive Justice, an on campus Planned Parenthood organizing group that advocates for healthy and safer sex. Many Residential Life groups on campuses across the country offer free contraception and host events and seminars for their residents on topics surrounding sex and sexuality.
Smith College in Northampton, MA, has Smith College’s Peer Sexuality Educators, or PSE. I spoke with PSE member and social media coordinator Ally Tippet, a sophomore at Smith, to learn more specifics about what a PSE looks like, how they work on campus, and how they accomplish their goals.
At Smith, PSE members play an active role on campus. From organizing events to creating informative zines to bringing sex educators and speakers to campus, Smith’s PSE works tirelessly to bring “sex-positive education to Smith and surrounding communities,” Ally said.
To be clear, I’m not saying a peer sexuality educators group is more important or can do better work than groups like ESSA. In fact, I think both groups could be wonderful resources for each other. With two like-minded groups working together, imagine the events and seminars that could be held: consent education seminars, self-defense workshops, body-positive parties. The list is basically endless. We could even aspire to hold events similar to Smith’s SEXtraviganza.
Ally explains the event. “Every Spring we hold a series of events called SEXtravaganza. We host several presenters and activists, as well as organize workshops and discussion panels on issues such as masculinity and sexual identity, and trans women at Smith.” With two groups of Emerson students working for change, plus the Emerson alumni network, something like SEXtraviganza is not only possible, but could greatly benefit our community.
Given the fact that as a school we’re opening up to discussions about sexual assault now would be the perfect time to get people talking about a different side of the issue. Maybe going back to the basics and getting a better education about sex and similar topics could help kick the sexual violence off our campus. As Ally says about Smith’s PSE, “Our mission is to help educate the campus as best as we can, as well as provide them with the tools and information they need to make safe and informed decisions about their sexual and physical health.” Emerson is built on ideas of communication and information spreading; we’re a communication school after all. It’s time to give our students the tools to better communicate in the bedroom, too.
Ava is a freshman Writer, Literature, and Publishing major. She is a tea and coffee addict, cupcake lover, and all-around nerd. Feel free to ask her about her fandoms. You can contact Ava on Twitter and Facebook.
Images: https://smith.collegiatelink.net, memphisflyer.com
At Smith, PSE members play an active role on campus. From organizing events to creating informative zines to bringing sex educators and speakers to campus, Smith’s PSE works tirelessly to bring “sex-positive education to Smith and surrounding communities,” Ally said.
To be clear, I’m not saying a peer sexuality educators group is more important or can do better work than groups like ESSA. In fact, I think both groups could be wonderful resources for each other. With two like-minded groups working together, imagine the events and seminars that could be held: consent education seminars, self-defense workshops, body-positive parties. The list is basically endless. We could even aspire to hold events similar to Smith’s SEXtraviganza.
Ally explains the event. “Every Spring we hold a series of events called SEXtravaganza. We host several presenters and activists, as well as organize workshops and discussion panels on issues such as masculinity and sexual identity, and trans women at Smith.” With two groups of Emerson students working for change, plus the Emerson alumni network, something like SEXtraviganza is not only possible, but could greatly benefit our community.
Given the fact that as a school we’re opening up to discussions about sexual assault now would be the perfect time to get people talking about a different side of the issue. Maybe going back to the basics and getting a better education about sex and similar topics could help kick the sexual violence off our campus. As Ally says about Smith’s PSE, “Our mission is to help educate the campus as best as we can, as well as provide them with the tools and information they need to make safe and informed decisions about their sexual and physical health.” Emerson is built on ideas of communication and information spreading; we’re a communication school after all. It’s time to give our students the tools to better communicate in the bedroom, too.
Ava is a freshman Writer, Literature, and Publishing major. She is a tea and coffee addict, cupcake lover, and all-around nerd. Feel free to ask her about her fandoms. You can contact Ava on Twitter and Facebook.
Images: https://smith.collegiatelink.net, memphisflyer.com