The ladies of the Francis Marion Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta (ZPB) sorority informed students about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases on Tuesday, March 20.
Though the event still reached out to a few students, some of the members, including Secretary of ZPB Magdalene Laursen, expressed disappointment at the number of students who came to the seminar.
“It’s an event people need to know about.” Laursen, a senior at FMU, said. “We’ll definitely do it again.”
LaToya Anderson, also a member of ZPB, welcomed students to the event. Anderson set the tone for her presentation with the Salt-N-Pepa music video “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
According to Anderson’s slideshow presentation, the purpose of the event was to “learn more about STDs, contraceptives, and healthy relationships.”
The presentation showed the different types of STDs, told how they are transmitted and offered solutions of safe sex and contraceptives. Anderson also discussed the differences between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship.
Some of the facts included that the most common STD among women is chlamydia. Also, a large percentage of people, especially young adults, have an STD, but are unaware of it.
During the section of the presentation showing a chart of types of birth control, Anderson demonstrated how to put on a condom and discussed female contra-ceptives.
Following the slide show, Anderson opened the floor for a discussion session. Some of the questions asked included “What is the best way to avoid getting an STD?” and “How do you know when to talk to your partner about going to the clinic?”
Another student claimed that some people are ashamed to go to clinics.
“If you love yourself and care about yourself enough, you should have no problem talking about those things,” Anderson said.
ZPB has held events similar to this one before. They hosted an HPV Awareness seminar as well as an event for breast cancer.
Laursen said that the sorority looks forward to their event with Gamma Sigma Sigma and Iota Phi Theta about cyber bullying.