There’s no denying college students have a reputation of being a frisky bunch, free of our parents’ homes and rules, college tends to be a time for experimentation, for better or for worse. Keying in on that, many universities now host some form of Sex Week, a series of sex positive events centered on promoting sexual understanding and health. 

Prevalent with clever event titles such as “Get Wet: Exploring the Connections Between Sexual Pleasure, Health and Advocacy,” or “What What (In the Butt): Anal Pleasure 101,” such series promote an open dialogue on the intricacies of human sexuality that will serve students both on and beyond campus life. We think it’s about time this University broached the discussion with its own Sex Week.

A Sex Week series would be an opportunity to embrace the wide spectrum of sexuality on this campus while promoting a culture of respect, healthy attitudes and empowerment via the opening of new dialogues of acceptance.

Unwelcome sexual advances, sexual assault and rape are no stranger to this or many other campuses. Sex Week could provide a means to address this problem head on and frankly with programming that reiterates the mandatory nature of consent and further explores college rape culture. 

For example, during their 2013 Sex Week, Harvard held “Romance on the Rocks: A Workshop on Alcohol and Consent,” an event to entice individuals to explore and discuss consent issues. Along the lines of furthering gender respect and equality, Sex Week could also serve as a means to put women’s sexual desire and pleasure — matters often dispelled as means of oppression (such as slut shaming) — on equal footing with men’s via the dissemination of information. 

Another aspect of respect Sex Week could explore includes better understanding of minority sexual orientations and cultures. From pansexual to bisexual individuals, there are a wide variety of sexual proclivities and identities that are often misunderstood due to a lack of information.    

Health and pleasure during sexual encounters are other important matters a Sex Week could broach. People engage in a variety of sexual techniques, but aren’t always aware of the safest ways to carry out their activities. 

Sex Week could be an opportunity to introduce individuals to the sexual resources on campus, such as the free, biweekly condom packages, lubricant and dental dams available by the McKinley Health Resource Centers, along with the proper usage of all these, and other items. Sex Week would also provide a means to counter the shame often associated with sexual acts which can lead to poor health decisions and provide safety information. 

Most colleges that host a Sex Week include programming on the purchase and safe use of sex toys, as well as workshops on sexual techniques (such as the University of Chicago’s “The Art of Going Down: Great Oral Sex”) that can lead to more fulfilling sexual experiences and encourage safe exploration.  

Holding an event like this is not without precedent on our campus. Last spring, Allen Hall hosted Annie Sprinkle, a multimedia artist and sex educator, who put on a week’s worth of sexual awareness and pleasure-themed events. Nor is it uncommon on college campuses in general. A variety of schools, including the University of Tennessee, Northwestern and the University of Chicago all host their own brand of Sex Week. 

Sex Week wouldn’t necessarily be a costly endeavor. The University of Tennessee, a school of about 27,000, spent around $20,000 for a full week of Sex Week programming. Some schools, such as the University of Chicago, take on sponsors to help make their Sex Week happen. 

Sex is also a great teaching tool because it is both enticing and highly multi-disciplinary. People are naturally curious about sex and drawn to matters with a sexual twist. Plus, sex pairs well with nearly every field imaginable. For example, various math and science disciplines are used to better understand our sexual preferences, sociologists and psychologists study sexual behavior norms and their deviations, and anyone who’s ever read Shakespeare knows there’s no shortage of sexual allusions in his plays. 

Finally, as an inherent part of all of our lives, sex is something we need to be willing to openly acknowledge and discuss. Sex Week would be a productive way to arouse that dialogue on campus.