Information on sexually transmitted diseases and condoms will be distributed in the Holmes Student Center tomorrow as part of a sorority’s project to inform the NIU community on STDs.

The women of Zeta Phi Beta sorority will be having a sexual awareness table and discussion in the student center tomorrow. The information table will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Blackhawk cafeteria. The sexual awareness discussion will be held at 7 p.m. in the student center, Room 405.

The sexual awareness event is now in its fourth year. The sorority ordinarily holds the event in February, but changed it this year to coincide with other organizations’ sexual awareness programs.

“In the past it has been successful in February,” said Sorority President Latricia Johnson. “We figure our message will get across better if it is backed up by other similar programs.”

The information table will be distributing pamphlets on sexually transmitted diseases and condoms from the University Health Services. Although the sorority will be distributing condoms, the main focus is protection from sexually transmitted diseases, not birth control.

“There are those who sleep around who may not know all they should know about STDs,” Johnson said. “We hope that we can give them information that will tell them about some of the symptoms and maybe help protect them in the future.”

Johnson said there are few ways to prevent STDs, but condoms have been known to decrease chances substantially, while abstinence prevents the possibility completely.

Johnson said the health service agrees the message is important. “They have been very supportive of our cause,” Johnson said. “When we approached them for information, they were more than happy to provide us with what we needed.” Johnson continued, “We are helping them and they have been very helpful with us.”

She said the health service indicated the sorority could distribute the information and the condoms as long they did not force people to take the information. “People need to ask for the information, we can’t just tell people to take it,” she said.

Johnson also said usually by the end of the day, the information table has managed to distribute all the information they had to offer.