Northwestern State University’s University Programming Council (UPC) hosted its “Safe Spring Break” event series in association with Career and Counseling Services. Traditionally held the week before Spring Break, the “Safe Spring Break” events address common safety issues that befall students who are going on Spring Break.

Amelia Clark, a senior Biology major with a concentration in Veterinary Technology, served as an event coordinator for Safe Spring Break.

“Each day, we have a different topic on how to be safe,” said Clark.

The list of topics that were covered was available on the University Programming Council Instagram page (whose handle is @nsu_upc). Each day, events were held and information was shared on the official Instagram.

On Monday, the Safe Spring Break event discussed safe sex. Briannah Stansberry, an event coordinator for Safe Spring Break, took to the Instagram page to share some facts about safe sex.

“Try and stay away from using any oil-based lubricant because they can cause your condom to rip or tear way easier than other condoms,” said Stansberry.

Stansberry also said that condoms do not protect from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are spread by way of skin-to-skin contact. According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost half of the 20 million reported STIs in 2018 were among the ages of 15-24 years old. Therefore, practicing safe sex would help to cut that number down significantly.

On Tuesday, anti-hazing measures and hazing awareness were discussed. On that day, the Student Government Association (SGA) passed a resolution in regard to the event, and a guest speaker came to discuss the topic of “Red Flag Relationships”.

Clark took to the UPC Instagram to discuss hazing and what you can do to prevent it.

Hailee Hroch, a UPC member, also shared resources related to hazing prevention on the Instagram page. She shared a hazing prevention website (www.hazingprevention.com) and an anti-hazing hotline (1-888-NOT-HAZE.)

On Wednesday, members shared information regarding drinking and driving awareness as well as drug use.

On that specific day, a table was set up in the Friedman Student Union with a “spin the wheel” game. Students could pull a sheet of paper with facts about drinking and driving as well as safety tips from a jar. If a student pulled a fact from the jar, they could spin a wheel for the chance to win various prizes, such as a visor, a limited edition “Safe Spring Break” t-shirt, or a water bottle.

When I visited their table on Wednesday, Brianna Stansberry, an Event Coordinator with UPC, was eager to share how the Safe Spring Break events helped serve the NSU student community.

“I think it’s really important to educate students on ways they can stay safe during Spring Break. It’s important for us as young people to stay safe,” said Stansberry.

Later that evening, the “Flamingos and Flip Flops” dance party happened in the President’s Room of the Friedman Student Union.

On Thursday, information was shared regarding hydration and UV radiation. One of the most common spring break destinations for students is the beach, which makes hydration and UV radiation safety that much more important.

The week ended with information regarding human trafficking awareness. Oftentimes, trafficking doesn’t happen by kidnapping, but it can happen among friends, family, and intimate partners.

Abbie Peterman, a UPC member, shared some sobering facts about trafficking on the Instagram page. She shared that trafficking often occurs when the victim is inebriated and that it also tends to occur among romantic partners.

The NSU University Programming Council used the “Safe Spring Break” week as an opportunity to help keep the student community safe and to educate students on potential dangers that may occur.