Sexual health talks can be uncomfortable for anyone regardless of their age, but for college students, sexual health should be an important subject that they should be familiar with.
The Peer Health Educators, at California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), held the “Meet Olivia and Timmy” student activity event, as the first event of a series of sexual education events that are part of the organization’s Sexual Responsibility Month.
The event introduced Stan State students to Olivia the Ovary and Timmy the Testicle, plush toys that depict the reproductive anatomy of humans who, “help visualize the anatomy,” Health Educator Taylor Whitehead said.
Alongside the plush toys were diagrams of reproductive systems that students were able to label as a form of game that rewarded participants with raffle tickets.
Most of the students who attended the event had only basic knowledge of the human reproductive system.
“[There was] varied knowledge of the male and female reproductive anatomy,” Taylor said. “Some knew nicknames but unsure of scientific terms.”
Some college students may be unfamiliar with sexual health and the human reproductive system, but that does not mean they are not having sex. And the truth is that many college students are having unprotected sex.
According to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) website, approximately 20 million young people are affected with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) annually.
“About 1 in 4 (26 percent) of all new HIV infections is among youth ages 13 to 24 years. About 4 in 5 of these infections occur in males,” the CDC website reports.
The “Meet Olivia and Timmy” event aims to raise awareness about sexual education among Stan State students. The students who attended the event did so to gain knowledge about a topic that most people choose to keep private.
However, not all Stan State students are trying to learn about the two sexual reproductive systems for their own benefit.
Lillian Jennings (junior, Liberal Studies) attended the event to gain crucial information that she will be able to use when her son has questions.
“I have to show what I know to my son who is in the fifth grade and is going to be taught this at school” Jennings said.
At the end of the day Olivia and Timmy helped students be more comfortable talking about the awkward subjects of sexual health and the human reproduction.
Mercy Akanji (senior, Kinesiology), believes the importance of the events is to teach students to be, “responsible for sexual health and not to be nervous about it.”
Any Stan State student who may have questions or concerns about STDs can visit the Student Health Center (SHC) on campus for answers and low cost STD exams.  
Stan State students who may have questions about Olivia or Timmy, or other events that the Educators will hold for Sexual Responsibility Month can visit them in the Health Center Monday through Friday or can follow them on Instagram at @stanstate_healthed.