Salsa dancing, free drinks and information about sexually transmitted diseases will be offered today during the Student Health Center's annual STD Awareness Day.
The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be held in front of Zimmerman Library and is sponsored by the Peer Education Program. Liz Vickers, the event coordinator, said that everyone should know about Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
"I believe the issue is important for students to be aware of," she said. "I would like the student population to realize the high rate of STDs at UNM and offer information in a fun environment."
Vickers said that she has organized many activities for students to participate in during the event, such as a Frisbee toss, raffles and a DJ. She added that prizes include gift certificates to local restaurants and movie theaters.
She said that students also could have a "safe sex on the beach" non-alcoholic drink and watch salsa dancing.
Shirlee James-Johnson, the center's health education and prevention manager, said that the event focuses on four main objectives: inform students about three common sexually transmitted diseases - chlamydia, gonorrhea and herpes; educate students about Hepatitis A and B and how to receive a vaccination; and provide students with information about STD prevention, such as abstinence, condoms and nonoxynol-9.
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She added that the event allows students to ask questions in a non-clinical setting.
"I encourage students to get screenings and information about STDs," James-Johnson said. "We have created a comfortable atmosphere where students can ask questions that maybe they were thinking about but didn't want to go to a doctor's office."
The center also is recruiting students to participate in the Peer Education Program next semester. James-Johnson said that students in the program earn three credit hours for researching a health-related issue and organizing presentations.
For more information about STD Awareness Day, contact Vickers at 856-0574. Those interested in the Peer Education Program can contact James-Johnson at 277-7947.
