A week-long attempt to educate students about safer sex began Monday and will continue through Friday, offering information for students about prevention through various activities.

Michael Haines, Health Enhancement Services coordinator, said Safer Sex Week is a joint undertaking, also including University Programming and Activities, the Student Health Advisory Committee, the Gay/Lesbian Union, the Residence Hall Association and the Campus Activities Board.

“We wanted to get as many people interested as possible,” he said. “The focus this year is on education, instead of just focusing on the HIV virus or AIDS. We wanted Safer Sex Week to have a positive impact … with positive strategies.

“We wanted to show what people can do, not scare tactics,” Haines said.

aines also said there will be information about safer sex available each day, as well as condom distribution in the Holmes Student Center.

On Tuesday and Thursday the information can be found in the coat check area at the Wellness Resource Center, and Wednesday and Friday at the west end of the Pow Wow.

There is also a board containing student responses to the best safer sex techniques. Students can vote on their favorite and the top ten will be featured on Friday.

“I was surprised, because a lot of students considered the brth control pill the safest method of prevention (of STD’s, the HIV virus and AIDS,)” a GLU representative said. “It is definitely not.”

Other activities include tonight’s safer sex discussion at 9 p.m. in Classroom B of Lincoln Hall, co-sponsored by the GLU and the RHA, and there will also be a GLU dance on Friday.

“The theme of the dance is ‘Come With Your Rubbers On,’ named to encourage awareness of HIV and STD prevention,” a GLU representative said.

“It’s not just a homosexual problem,” said David Huggins, co-president of the GLU. “The heterosexual population needs to stand up and say ‘Hey, we need to listen.'”