It's not often that students attempt to cover model penises with condoms while wearing drunk-simulation goggles, but at Monday night's fifth annual Sex Festival, that's exactly what happened. Held in Collis Common Ground on Monday evening, the event featured posters, pamphlets, prizes, demonstrations, food and a "condom fairy."
The event, part of a week-long Valentine's Day celebration that will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with performances of the play "The Vagina Monologues," was hosted by the Center for Women and Gender and attracted more than 1,000 students.
The festival primarily aims to educate students on a peer-to-peer level while also providing information about campus and local resources.
Jessy Elfstrom '07, a member of Dartmouth's SexEd Peer Advisor program since her freshman year, said that the festival is important because, the festival promotes awareness for sexual health while also advertising student groups that can be used as resources.
Representatives were present from the Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors, the Center for Women and Gender Studies, the Gay Straight Alliance, various Greek organizations, the Health and Resource Department of Dick's House, Mentors Against Violence, Planned Parenthood, Acorn, Wise and other campus based and local organizations.
Lindsay Jordan, an outreach educator from Planned Parenthood, explained that local organizations annually attend the event because they "want to be able to provide info about sex here and make students aware of health centers in the area."
Xenia Markowitt, the director of the Center for Women and Gender Studies, said that the festival usually features a variety of activities.
"There's no prescribed agenda about how people should and shouldn't think about the subject," she said.
Students were especially receptive toward the Rape Aggression Defense demonstration, Julissa Llosa '10 said. Accompanied with screaming and shouting, members of RAD displayed effective tactics against sexual violence.
Although the center hosts the festival annually, this year's Sex Festival involved a greater fundraising initiative. For $8 -- $3 more than last year's entry price -- students purchased "passports" that provided informative fun and two free prizes. Prizes included candy, chocolate, pink diva hats, heart shaped pens, stickers and other Valentine's Day gifts.
Megan Fallon, the assistant director of the Center for Women and Gender, said that a booth selling vulva pops and buttons, normally sold during "The Vagina Monologues," was a new addition to the festival this year.
According to Fallon, this fundraising approach is more successful. Some 90 percent of profits benefit Wise and the other 10 percent goes toward the Women in Conflict Zones fund.
"We couldn't believe that Dartmouth students are so smart but know so little about sex," Markowitt said, explaining that the event is in response to a student demand for discussing issues of sexuality and said,
Despite the fact that student attendance was comparable to that of previous years, fewer student groups participated this year.
"I hope it doesn't signify that they're losing interest," Markowitt said of the student organizations.
Llosa, a first-time participant in the festival who acted as the condom fairy, was nonetheless impressed by this year's turnout.
"People are really receptive and most people have been taking condoms from me."
