By Lexi White
Features Editor
Many students took a sexual education class before graduating high school, but the Neff Hall Resident Advisers said that they wanted to help their residents learn even more.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the Neff Hall lobby filled with students who were eager to obtain insightful information about sexually transmitted infections.
“We wanted to teach students about the common types of STIs and clarify the stigmas about them,” psychology major Aaralyn Torreira, a senior, said.
Torreira is an RA for the second floor of Neff Hall and helped to host the educational event. She said that there are resources on campus that are available for students when needed.
“The Health and Wellness Center is a place where students can get tested, address any concerns and get free condoms,” Torreira said. “Each dorm also has its own free condom dispenser.”
Along with students gaining awareness of their sexual health, the Neff Hall RAs provided an incentive for students who attended the event: empanadas and a raffle for a $20 Amazon gift card.
“The food attracted most of the students’ attention, but that got them to sit down and actually think about these issues,” Torreira said.
Psychology major Dalice Urena, a sophomore, was one of the students who originally attended the event because of the empanadas. Urena said that she enjoyed the free food but was glad that she got to learn something new while being at the event.
“I learned that if someone keeps getting chlamydia, the antibiotics will stop working,” Urena said. “Not everyone in college was able to get the proper sexual education, so it is really important that people were able to get more information tonight.”
Another student who was drawn in by the empanadas but ended up learning something was psychology major Trician Johnson, a junior. She said that by learning about STIs, the stigma around the condition can stop.
“College gives people this new sense of freedom, and it’s important to help them know how to be safe,” Johnson said.
While Urena and Johnson originally attended the event thinking about food, nursing major Madison Calvo, a sophomore, said that she genuinely wanted to learn more about specific STDs and STIs.
“Whether people were paying attention or not, they took in that information,” Calvo said. “While the food drew people’s attention, they got access to information that they can use later.”
An RA from the fourth floor in Neff Hall, studio art major Jaizier St.Hilaire, a senior, also helped to inform students of the consequences of unprotected sex. He said that it is important for students to understand how to prevent getting an STI and stay healthy.
“There have always been high cases of STIs and people transferring it without even knowing,” St.Hilaire said.
According to Yale Medicine, STIs can put sexually active individuals at higher risk for various conditions. This includes fertility problems and even cancer.
“Students will be sexually active, so they need to be aware of what an STI is and how big of an impact it can have on their life,” St.Hilaire said.
