UPDATED: Feb. 5, 2018 at 7:19 p.m.

Syracuse University’s Student Association will host a Sexual Health Resource Fair on Friday as part of a month-long awareness initiative called Frisky February.

The fair, which will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Schine Student Center, is one of several Frisky February events. Organized by the Office of Health Promotion, Frisky February brings together various SU departments, student organizations and community partners to increase awareness of and knowledge about sexual health.

Janine Bogris, an SA assembly representative and senior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, led the creation of the resource fair — SA’s contribution to Frisky February.

“The purpose of the event is to bring resources, both off campus and on campus, right to SU students,” Bogris said. Although there are already numerous resources available to the SU community, students are often unaware of services that are offered, she said.

On- and off-campus organizations at the fair will display the resources and services they provide, Bogris said. They will also organize interactive games and activities, trivia and giveaways of prizes related to sexual health, such as condoms and lubricant.

“It’s just going to be a fun event focused on sex positivity and sexual health,” Bogris said.

When talking about their overall health, people often overlook sexual health, said Louisa Mancuso, a freshman at the School of Education who’s serving as SA’s speaker of the assembly. It’s important for students to know that resources and services regarding sexual health are available all year, she added.

Sexual health is a relatively new topic of focus for SA, said Vice President Angie Pati. She added that it’s a necessary subject to talk about and one that the organization is excited to address.

Currently, SA is discussing ways to partner with the university to make sexually transmitted disease and infection testing “less of a burden and more accessible” to students, Pati added.

SU students are eligible for one free HIV test each year. Pati said SA wants to expand and promote that service and decrease the stigma surrounding getting tested.

Students tend to shy away from talking about sex and sexuality, which Pati said is “so detrimental to caring for our sexual health and caring for ourselves.”

Bogris said SA hopes to increase conversations about sexual health on campus.

“It’s completely natural to be sexually active, but often we shy away from talking about it because there has been so many societally, traditionally and systemically ingrained values that equate embracing sexuality with being promiscuous or a rebel,” Pati said.

SA’s resource fair will occur in the first week of Frisky February. Other events include a screening and discussion of “Easy A,” run by the Office of Health Promotion Peer Educators; a cookies and consent dialogue series, hosted by It’s On Us; and Pride Union’s 16th Annual Drag Show Preliminaries.

Mancuso said initiatives such as Frisky February show the influence that students can have on campus.

“If students get together with a cause they are passionate about they can make huge changes,” she added.

Pati said a powerful way to produce change on campus is to combine passions of students with the resources and expertise of SU offices and departments. She referenced the Mental Health Awareness Week event that was held last fall that included various organizations such as SA, the Office of Health Promotion, Active Minds and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“I definitely believe in the power of collaboration,” Pati said.

Published on February 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu