New sex education sessions offer HIV awareness information
By: Aimee Neugenbauer
Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: News
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For the second consecutive year, UTSA has received funding from the Office of Women's Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, enabling Somos Fuertes: Strong Women Making Healthy Choices, to provide female students with a series of educational sessions.
Somos Fuertes uses a multi-tiered approach that includes a session with curriculum aimed specifically at women along with campus-wide events that incorporate both males and females. Topics include sexuality, empowerment issues and sexual health.
"This year we're focusing primarily on the curriculum session which is a six part series designed to help women increase their comfort talking about sexuality, their knowledge and just about a lot of sexual health and relationship issues," Dr. Sara Oswalt, one of the program's co-directors and assistant professor of health and kinesiology, said.
"The purpose is really HIV prevention in college women, women here at UTSA."
The sessions were written by Oswalt and Dr. Tammy Wyatt, also a co-director and assistant professor of health and kinesiology, and are facilitated by Planned Parenthood.Â
Open enrollment for the sessions was made available to female students at random through their Lonestar email accounts and was available to the first 25 applicants. In addition, approximately 50 women are on a waiting list for the second session this fall from Oct. 9-Nov. 13.Â
A similar course will be offered again in the spring.Â
"The program we're looking at offering in the spring is for sororities or other student organizations that, if they were able to get five members to attend all six sessions, then the organization would actually get $200," Oswalt said.Â
"I believe there's a real need on campus because of the overwhelming response. The idea is that the students will attend all six sessions because they build on each other. It's not just about using condoms or having sex; it comes down to who we are as women and what decisions we make in our relationships."
Somos Fuertes uses a multi-tiered approach that includes a session with curriculum aimed specifically at women along with campus-wide events that incorporate both males and females. Topics include sexuality, empowerment issues and sexual health.
"This year we're focusing primarily on the curriculum session which is a six part series designed to help women increase their comfort talking about sexuality, their knowledge and just about a lot of sexual health and relationship issues," Dr. Sara Oswalt, one of the program's co-directors and assistant professor of health and kinesiology, said.
"The purpose is really HIV prevention in college women, women here at UTSA."
The sessions were written by Oswalt and Dr. Tammy Wyatt, also a co-director and assistant professor of health and kinesiology, and are facilitated by Planned Parenthood.Â
Open enrollment for the sessions was made available to female students at random through their Lonestar email accounts and was available to the first 25 applicants. In addition, approximately 50 women are on a waiting list for the second session this fall from Oct. 9-Nov. 13.Â
A similar course will be offered again in the spring.Â
"The program we're looking at offering in the spring is for sororities or other student organizations that, if they were able to get five members to attend all six sessions, then the organization would actually get $200," Oswalt said.Â
"I believe there's a real need on campus because of the overwhelming response. The idea is that the students will attend all six sessions because they build on each other. It's not just about using condoms or having sex; it comes down to who we are as women and what decisions we make in our relationships."
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