Students start sex-ed center

UR will soon be home to SECS – the Sexual Education Center for Students, a volunteer sexual education program organized and run largely by students. “The sexual education center will be a resource for students to get sexual health information and sexual health products,” senior Lindsay Lefenfeld, who has assisted in the center’s planning from the beginning, said. Sophomore Michelle Kline, a cabinet member of the Senate Services Committee, spearheaded the idea. Kline said that the center was modeled after a similar program at Oberlin College. The Students’ Association recognized SECS two weeks ago. The group may receive SA funding no earlier than next year. Beginning last semester, planning meetings have been held with representatives from student government, the University Counseling Center, University Health Services, and other student activity groups, according to Lefenfeld.”Our goal is to open next spring,” she said. “This semester is being spent getting the word out and planning for the center. In the fall, we will begin training Sexual Education Center volunteers. We want to make sure everyone volunteering at the center has in-depth knowledge of sexual health information.”Kline explained that SECS will strive to make students feel relaxed. “The voluntary staff members of the center will strive to provide a comfortable environment where UR students can come to ask questions, receive information and purchase sexual health products at no mark-up,” Kline said. She added that SECS will sell products ranging from condoms to vibrators.Lefenfeld explained that although services provided by the center would be free to students, products, such as condoms, dental dams, pregnancy tests, alternative menstrual products and novelty items will be sold at cost. UHS Health Educator Mary Beth Dreyer has been involved in organizing SECS. “Students need to be proactive with their sexual health and I think a sexual health center is one way to encourage students to be responsible about sexual decision making,” she said. Dreyer stated that one in four college-aged students is infected with a sexually transmitted disease. “It’s important to get tested for STDs and use protection each and every time intercourse occurs,” she said. “We’re still in the early stages of the planning and are interested in student involvement on many levels. It will be a center run by the students, for the students. So, feedback and ideas from UR students is always welcome,” Dreyer said. “I encourage students to get involved so the center meets their needs.”Lefenfeld would also like more students to help the center.”This is the perfect time for students to get involved with this project,” she said.”We need students to work on many aspects of the center including training, vendors, recruitment, and public relation, there is something for everyone,” Lefenfeld said.A location for the center has not yet been determined. “Part of this semester’s work will be to find a location that is convenient and conducive to our mission,” Lefenfeld said. “We would like a location that is easily accessible to students, but still offers privacy for those that use our services.”For more information, contact Kline at mk006m@mail.rochester.edu. Yunis can be reached at tyunis@campustimes.org.