The divisions of ETSU’s Counseling Center OASIS and the Alcohol and Other Drugs program held the Sober Sex tabling event, which encouraged students to “do it turned on not tuned out” by raising awareness of consent and sexual assault.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Borchuck Plaza, OASIS and AOD hosted a booth with resources and free goodies like consent pins, condoms, t-shirts and tote bags with the goal of educating students about consent and healthy relationships.
“Just trying to normalize the conversation and remove the stigma, we believe will help people be able to advocate for themselves and have healthy sexual lives, and hopefully decrease instances of sexual violence,” said Cynthia Millhorn, graduate assistant of OASIS.
Sober Sex allowed for an open dialogue about safe and healthy sex and equipped students with mental health and sexual assault resources.
OASIS specializes in sexual assault prevention and education about healthy relationships. AOD recognizes the use of drugs and alcohol and promotes safety for students through a harm reduction approach. Rather than either of these organizations condemning students for their activities, the counseling center aims to empower students through education so that they may lead healthy and happy lives.
“If you don’t have a culture that has been comfortable discussing these things, it’s going to be perpetuated unless someone steps up and says ‘no, let’s change the dialogue,’” said Millhorn.
Unfortunately, most incoming students have been taught abstinence-only sex education and most likely have never had the opportunity to have shame-free conversations about sex. Through Sober Sex, OASIS and AOD were made visible to the student body and were able to engage students in crucial dialogues.
“I’m really excited about not even what might happen today, but how this might help someone in the future,” said Sarah Simonian, graduate assistant of AOD.
Even if students take a folder and stuff it away in their room, they now have a list of resources and a touchpoint for help if they ever need it.
The Counseling Center also held Tea and Consent Cookies in the dining hall on Thursday, Sept. 30, where students were able to decorate cookies and learn more about consent, furthering efforts toward education and awareness.
“Education really is the answer,” said Millhorn. “It’s a tool, and I believe we should embrace it every way we can.”
For updates on events, follow OASIS at OASIS_ETSU and AOD at AOD_ETSU on Instagram.
