Today: Mar 29, 2024

Ask Adelle from the Wellness Center

Adelle Zocher – Special to the Southern News

Greetings SCSU students from here in Schwartz Hall! My name is Adelle Zocher (no Grammys yet, but at least I’ve got the double ‘L’) and I am one of the undergraduate interns here in the Wellness Center. Our mission is to provide a safe space that fosters a healthy, inclusive and connected community. Our programs and partnerships on campus strive to provide you- the students, with tools that will allow you to become more knowledgeable and aware of positive health behaviors in order to enhance your lives as students, and as humans. My weekly columns will be based off of the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) five “P’s” of sexual health: partners, practices, protection from sexually transmitted diseases, past history of STDs and prevention of pregnancy. 

We will explore these facets of human sexuality, centered around fostering confidence and competence in communicating about sex, and STD testing— We are here to answer your questions! Ask away!

As humans we are all uniquely sexual beings. We each define our sexuality in very different ways— how you identify, whether you have sex or not, whether you are with a single partner or multiple partners. It is a personal choice and a personal right to express yourself in whatever way feels most comfortable to you. We find common ground among the almost limitless spectrum of sexual expression in the need for accountability, shared responsibility, and open communication among partners.

Think of our sexual health care as an extension of our primary care— we routinely see our physician for a checkup, we get blood work, we visit the dentist. All of these are crucial for identifying, stopping, and/or slowing the progression of a disease. The discussion of sexual health is often taboo, particularly in regards to getting tested and communicating the desire for your partner to be tested. My goal is to provide you, my readers, with as many strategies as I can to facilitate communication between you and your partner(s) about the importance of getting tested. The stigma surrounding STDs is a major roadblock to overall health. You should feel comfortable disclosing your sexual health status as you would communicate with your partner that you have, for example strep throat.

One of the best parts about honesty and open communication about STD testing and status is it facilitates intimacy— not having to fret about your status or your partner’s removes the stress and anxiety of uncertainty. 

To be proactive, we offer a variety of resources here in the Wellness Center and across campus that aim to improve your sexual health, which translates into better health overall. Get Yourself Tested in the Granoff Hall Health Center offers free, quick and confidential STD testing on February 14th, April 22nd, and March 26th. On April 22nd will also offer HIV testing and special information on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP). Every Wednesday from 12-2 in the Engleman rotunda or the Adanti Student Center, we will have our Wellness Wednesday table set up, please stop by for some information and giveaways! You can visit our Facebook page to learn about upcoming events on campus, and check out our Instagram: scsu_wellness.

I hope you will use me as a resource— I am an ally, a safe place to come for questions and advice, always confidentially. My job is to take your questions and concerns and provide comprehensive advice to improve your health and wellbeing.  Feel free to drop by the wellness center to say hello, grab some protection products and other goodies, or contact me via email at: zochera1@southernct.edu. At our various weekly programs, there will be a box for anonymous questions, which I will do my best to answer in upcoming columns— I want to hear from YOU! Thank you for reading!

Photo Credit: Palmer Piana – Photo Editor

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