Condom Bingo set to raise sexual health awareness

Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter

The Student Union Activities Board is well known for its bingo nights.

Students have the opportunity to come together for a fun-filled night. However, its latest bingo offers more than just prizes.

Condom Bingo is set to take place Monday from 7-9 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. SUAB’s Outreach Committee is putting on the bingo. Their goal is to create a new and inventive way of discussing education and understanding sexual health.

Junior Tony Dong, director of the Outreach Committee, said the event has the ability to make a difference.

“I believe that an event like Condom Bingo will have an impact on the students on campus,” Dong said. “We wanted a more fun way to spread sexual health awareness.”

Outreach Committee is one of many committees in SUAB. Their main purpose is to partner with other Oklahoma State University organizations. Outreach has partnered with 1is2 Many, an organization devoted to students’ sexual health and safety on campus, to co-host Condom Bingo.

“In between rounds of bingo, 1is2 Many will be hosting rounds of trivia for students to learn and reinforce their knowledge about sexual health,” said Dong.

1is2 Many is not the only organization that will be talking with students at the event; the Oklahoma State Department of Health is also getting involved.

“In the middle of the event, at halftime, we will have a representative from the Oklahoma State Department of Health talk about overall sexual health and include a condom demonstration,” said Dong.

The Outreach committee is hoping that they can make this event an annual for SUAB.

This will be the second outing for the Outreach Committee, with last year’s Condom Bingo being a huge hit on campus.

“Outreach has done this event in the previous year with an outstanding amount of students participating,” said Dong. Outreach came up with the idea of bingo because they believed that the pairing of an entertaining event, such as bingo, with sexual education, would capture the interest of students.

“I personally believe that this method of spreading awareness is effective and easy for the student body to get into,” said Dong. “Mostly because there’s the incentive of bingo and trivia prizes along with the education side of it.”

The bingo itself will have eight rounds of bingo and three rounds of trivia, with multiple prizes being offered. All students have a chance to win by either winning a round of bingo or putting their knowledge to the test in trivia. The event promises to be fun, but the ultimate goal is to make a lasting impact on the students, staff and community at OSU.

“The intent and main focus with this event are to provide a fun and engaging time for students to learn more about sexual health,” Dong said. “I believe that having a bingo/trivia event with the goal and intention of spreading awareness is the easiest and most welcoming way to bring students in and educate them on a topic that they may not know much or want to learn about.” news.ed@ocolly.com

Black Wall Street...

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John Sandera, a student with the Tulsa Job Corps, said the center provided him with information related to the Tulsa Race Massacre that he was unaware of.

“It gives me more perspective of everything and my African American right to learn about my culture,” Sandera said.

Secretary Walsh then spoke with local business owners about the economic climate of the area and differences they hope to see in their community. He first spoke with Cleo Harris, owner of Black Wall Street Tees and Souvenirs. Harris’s Tulsa roots run deep— she is a descendant of a woman injured in the Tulsa Race Massacre. Harris discussed her thoughts on her community’s economic and cultural state with Secretary Walsh.

“I would like to see reparations, I would like to see more support for Black-owned businesses and I would like to see preserving the history in a way where it is not just a ceremonialtype thing, fun fest, but a memorial to where people can learn the true, authentic history of what happened here,” Harris said.

Secretary Walsh also spoke with Wanda J. Armstrong and Ty Walker of Wanda J’s Soul Food and Angela Robinson of Black Wall Street Corner Store and More.

As Secretary Walsh exited Wanda J’s Soul Food, the KIPP Tulsa University Preparatory School’s band, greeted him. Ta’Shana Scott, a student at KIPP, said she was nervous to play for the secretary, but considered the performance a good experience.

“It was thrilling, because I’ve never done anything like that before,” Scott said.

Secretary Walsh also visited the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce’s Greenwood Women’s Business Center and the Talking Leaves Job Corps

Center in Park Hill.

Visiting Tulsa allowed Secretary Walsh to get a “full understanding” of the opportunities the area needs. No state’s needs are identical, and learning the history of communities such as Black Wall Street provides Secretary Walsh with context related to the economic strengths and weaknesses of the area.

“Obviously, that history is not always good history,” Secretary Walsh said. “But that doesn’t mean you just erase it. That means you take what you learned from that.” news.ed@ocolly.com

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