So, you’ve made it to College and jumped the major hurdle of the leaving certificate. However, once you start third level, there are many additional hurdles you’ll encounter. One of these is forming new relationships, including sexual ones.
Whether it’s a random person who flashes you a winning smile during freshers’ week, or that classmate you like from biology practicals, it’s best to have a think about your sexual health in college.
Fortunately, sexual health and expression are on the rise in college in terms of transparency and public importance. Conversations about consent are much more common than they once were. This is important, because although sex may seem a widespread phenomenon, especially in college, not everyone engages in sexual activity to the same degree – or at all.
Would you like to have sex with people from the first week of college? Would you prefer to wait until you’ve found someone you’ve dated for a while before developing a sexual relationship? Or does the idea of sex just not appeal to you? All are valid expressions of one’s sexuality and highlight the variety between students which makes our student body so interesting.
Speaking to The University Times, Aoife Grimes, a Trinity research assistant in sexual consent education, emphasises these differences. She explains the importance of checking in with yourself instead of becoming caught up in what everyone else is doing, or what you think they’re doing. “Much less people are having sex than you think they are, and much less people are having one-night stands than you think they are”, she says.
“This perceived pressure to be engaging in these behaviours that we assume everyone else are is actually really dangerous because it removes the enthusiastic element of consent.”
Grimes also highlights that the new sexual experiences for incoming students have additional aspects for the LGBTQ+ community: “I think that it’s also really important to know that a lot of people are coming to college for the first time and moving away, moving into higher education is the first time that people are entering LGBTQ+ communities for the first time and experimenting with their sexuality. I think while a lot of the same rules apply, it’s also important to engage in these new communities safely and to do so at your own pace and not feel pressured into anything.”
For those who are interested in either starting or continuing their sexual relationships, College has many sources of information for students. You’ll notice things like condoms supplied around campus and the ubiquitous FRIES consent acronym plastered across many walls. FRIES is an acronym for what constitutes consent – it should be Freely given, Retractable, Informed, Enthusiastic and Specific.
FRIES also forms the basis of the consent workshops held in Halls each year. In an email statement to The University Times, Aoife Bennett, the JCR’s Welfare Officer explained the role of the workshops: “Holding these workshops in halls during freshers’ weekend helps prompt important discussions early in the year and makes students aware of the welfare side to halls.”
Condom and lubricant dispensers are stationed around campus and their locations can be found on the College Health website – these include House Six, the College Health Centre, the sports hall changing rooms and Trinity Hall. Although, based on the number of condoms dispensed during freshers’ week, some may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of condoms available to them. Don’t feel any pressure to use, or even take them!
According to Grimes, “Trinity Hall is not just accommodation but a community that is here to help incoming first years transition smoothly from school into college life. The consent workshops are an important part of bridging this gap as they educate students on sexual consent, something rarely covered in schools which tend to focus on sex simply biologically”.
In addition, the TCDSU welfare officer and the student health doctors and nurses are on hand for practical advice and testing if necessary. College Health provides a dedicated sexual health clinic for students as a satellite clinic of the STI service in St James’s Hospital. They also provide emergency contraception for €15 as well as information about different forms of contraception on their website.
If you experience sexual interactions without consent or sexual assault, there are resources available. These include the Student Counselling Service, as well as outside organisations such as the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s 24-hour helpline (1800 77 8888).
Aoife Grimes encourages students to “engage with the resources” and also directs students to a College document of advice called “What Do I Do Now?”. This 14-page document details how to navigate situations following sexual violence, how to get in contact with rape crisis centres or sexual assault treatment units and also how to navigate College reporting procedures if you choose to do so. Grimes says: “I would encourage anyone who has experienced sexual violence to confide in a trusted person, to share their experiences with them.”
So whether you’re thinking about sex from day one, or it’s not for you right now, College is on hand to make sure you are informed and safe, every step of the way.
