Bettering Sexual Health or Mangling Morals: Debates Over Sexual Health Education on Campus

A flyer for the Clothesline Project in March

By Jillian Cready and Sophie Dwyer

On March 21, approximately 200 t-shirts were hung across the Coates Espionage. Each shirt carried a survivor’s story of sexual assault. These shirts were for the Clothesline Project, an event held by The Coalition for Sexual Justice, a Trinity student organization.

The event stirred quite some controversy on campus. Supporters lauded the opportunity of giving voice to the survivors and getting people’s attention to the problem of sexual assault on campus. Opponents, particularly Greek organizations and athletic teams, opposed the allegations of their members involving in some of these assault cases. One student was surprised the school allowed such a public, outspoken event about assault and abuse.

The Clothesline Project was but one of the latest sexual health initiatives at Trinity, and the controversy surrounding it testifies the contentious nature of sexual health education. As Trinity University progresses their attempts to address the issue of sexual health through various programs in recent years, it is debatable whether the public awareness of these efforts has also progressed, or whether these efforts have served to create an uncomfortable space for students.

Student Forum Discusses Campus Drinking Culture and Sexual Assault

By Abby Stigler and Juan Carlos Pineda

SGA President Brenna Hill hosts the open discussion.
Photo by Abby Stigler

More than 70 Trinity students gathered on Wednesday to participate in an open discussion on sexual assault and drinking culture on Trinity Campus.

The discussion highlighted misconceptions on terms like “consent” and “blackout,” especially in the gray area related to campus drinking culture. "The drinking culture here has definitely impaired our abilities to define these terms as well as to understand what these sexual interactions mean,” said Brianna Wood, 21.

Another main point of the discussion concerned what Trinity can do to improve its education of students on sexual assault and the drinking climate. Many students agreed that it is difficult for the university administration to make policies that cover every aspect of such broad and complex issues.

“Administrators can only do so much in terms of policy changes and education,” said Brenna Hill, 20, president of the Student Government Association, which organized the meeting. “It’s up to us to stop sexual assault on our campus and foster an environment that supports survivors.”

Sarah Hepola Speaks about Binge Drinking and Sexual Assault

Sarah Hepola's book

By Davis Mathis

Sarah Hepola’s story has been part of the reason that college binge drinking gained much national attention in the past year, and on Thursday, the author and advocate shared her story with students at Trinity University.

Hepola, 41, author of critically acclaimed memoir, Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget, told hundreds of students who filled up Laurie Auditorium, "My job isn't to make you drink less. That's your decision. My job is to make you think about drinking in a smarter way."

She told the audience that "blackouts" were often a part of her life when she was drinking, bemoaning the lack of education and information people have about the syndrome.