For students who want to save money but still practice safe sex, the Bradley Help Empower and Teach’s new sexual health class is the place to be.
The classes are part of HEAT’s condom program, a plan allowing students to attend a one-time class in exchange for a card permitting them to purchase 15 condoms for $1 each month.
The first presentations were at Late Night BU on March 26.
“Through those presentations, we have certified about 80 students,” Director of Wellness Programs Melissa Sage-Bollenbach said. “Of those 80, 10 have picked up condom packages.”
The first class outside of Late Night BU kicked off Wednesday night with an audience of eight students. The class, entitled “Woody is Wearing One … Are You?” included facts about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and polls that students answered anonymously with remotes at their seats.
“The condom distribution started this year at Late Night BU, but now we’ve created a program to go along with it,” senior sexual health chairperson for HEAT Casey Stark said. “It’s set up so you only go once and you’re certified to receive condoms for the rest of your time at Bradley.”
The class included a brief demonstration about condom use on “Woody,” a wooden penis, and a slideshow of facts about sexually transmitted infections. It lasted about 20 minutes, and students were able to pick up condoms at the end.
“All it takes is 20 minutes of your time to get condoms and sexual health information,” senior HEAT member Ashley Porter said. “For them to make that small effort for the rest of their time here is a great thing that any student can do.”
Students in attendance said the class required minimal effort for a substantial pay-off.
“I do think this class was very worth it,” sophomore dietetics major Noah Abrams said. “I mean, think about the money you save. You pay $1 for 15 condoms. Twenty minutes saves you a lot of money in the long run.”
Freshman journalism major Sara Bierman said the presentation was time well spent for people willing to learn.
“It gave valuable information that a lot of people surprisingly aren’t aware of,” she said. “In EHS they came in and gave the exact same presentation minus handing out condoms, so I was pretty familiar with the information. Although, if I hadn’t heard this presentation in EHS, some of the information would have been new to me, especially some of the things concerning diseases.
“Plus, let’s face it, you get 15 condoms for a dollar. I’m going to say that’s a good trade off for my time, she said.
Freshman English secondary education major Ashley Hamilton said informational classes such as this are good to have available to students.
“I think if you feel that you’re not as educated on sex and sexual issues as you could be, this would definitely be a great event for you to attend,” she said. “I did realize from the polls that some of my peers really aren’t as knowledgeable as they should be about sexual issues.”
Classes are hosted at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday and at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. every Friday in room 38 of the Markin Family Student Recreation Center.