Going into the evening, people seemed a little skeptical and even nervous.
People’s opinions varied on what to expect from something that had been advertised on boards decorated with condoms.
One group of girls said they were going in simply for the laughs, though some guys admitted to being a little curious as to what Dr. Marilyn Volker, a member of the American Board of Sexology, would say in a talk at Stanford Residential College last Wednesday.
Once inside, the awkward laughter only lasted until Volker started throwing out free condoms.
Questions that students had written as they entered were addressed, leading Volker to talk subjects ranging from fetishes to safe sex.
The doctor has been coming to speak at UM for the past 20 years.
She has already spoken at Hecht and plans to speak at Mahoney soon although she is unsure of the date.
Volker explains that coming into college, some students may never have had the opportunity to speak openly about sex or ask new questions.
“By having this dialogue with students, especially freshmen, we start a dialogue between peers that is beneficial to everyone,” she said.
She continued to explain that the most important knowledge for college students is how to protect themselves and then how to deal with problems that may still arise.
“It was just fun,” freshman Rebecca Davidson said afterward. “She was a good speaker.”
Freshman Patrick Rose acknowledged that it was informational as well as entertaining.
Pictures of herpes, HIV and genital warts certainly drew some shocked gasps and even a few people covering their eyes.
“It wasn’t anything we didn’t know before but just suddenly seeing it certainly wasn’t expected,” freshman Kira Richards said.