University is a time to explore not only your interests and career paths, but also a time to explore new relationships and sexualities. Residence Life and the Wellness Centre promote safe sex by having condoms readily available at all times. First-year students are targeted as Ben Chester, an Expositor Don said, “Safe sex is important in all years – especially first years. This is the first time many students are living independently in an environment where they are free to act as they wish. Residence Life and the Wellness Centre help to encourage, inform and supply the needs to be safe and practice safe sex.” Shaun McCracken, Residence Life Area Coordinator also added that, “The program was built to target a first-year audience that is going through a major transition in their life by coming to university.”
Sex in the Dark is an event that has now been running for four years. The event was coordinated by Residence Life and held at the Expositor on Wednesday, November 5th. McCracken explained that the main objectives were, “to allow students an opportunity to anonymously ask or answer questions regarding sex or relationships and discuss LGBTQ, to promote Safer Sex Awareness, along with the importance of consent and to provide students with information regarding Laurier services such as the Wellness Centre and Brant County Health Unit.”
The group was separated into males and females. They then anonymously sent in their questions via text, whilst the opposite sex would respond to them. While some students took the event seriously, others did not and it affected the outcome of the event for others. “I feel that it should have been directed differently so that even the people who weren’t mature enough for this could see the essence of it. Sending an anonymous text is mixing something serious with something people are used to on a daily basis. Showing that our generation can’t talk to each other face-to-face with this issue is part of the problem,“ suggested Emilie Audet, a frustrated participant. McCracken noted that “There are important efforts occurring through the work of many departments and our Wellness Centre for safer education. It is a continuous process and I look forward to promoting it.”
