The Student Government Association’s diversity committee began a program to help C of C students deal with real issues on campus. The “Real Talk” series invites students to discuss everything from sex to cultural differences to economic status with their peers.
“SGA decided to do the ‘Real Talk’ series because we want the students to know that we want to hear about the issues that they face on campus,” said SGA diversity committee member Katie Moske. “Our job is to be representative of the student body so we want the students to be able to come to us with anything they may be going through so we can advocate for them.”
The three-part “Real Talk” series tackled campus diversity issues.
“Real Talk is a three-week series on the often-overlooked aspects of diversity. Diversity is more than color,” Moske said. “It encompasses everything that makes us different from each other. We want to discuss some of the topics that have been ignored in the past.”
The discussions are open so students feel comfortable to ask questions, Moske said.
 “It is set up in a dialogue style - our committee has a few questions and statistics to get and keep the conversation going but it’s pretty much an open forum for students to voice their thoughts, comments and concerns,” Moske said.
The first “Real Talk” series Feb. 10 invited students to talk about gender and sex issues and have their questions answered.
According to notes taken by SGA representatives, many issues with sex and relationships, including homosexuality, were discussed.
“Homosexuality is more open than at other colleges. We are open to express ourselves,” the notes said. “[We are] a lot more accepting to give them the information but their parents don’t know. Our generation is more accepting than our parents’ generation.”
Housing issues like homosexual housing and segregation were discussed as well.
Another important issue discussed during the gender and sexuality “Real Talk” was the female reputation on campus.
“[The College is] 70 percent female, are there more sexually active females at our school?” students asked, according to the notes. “Girls [are] taking the walk of shame, [and we have] a party school reputation.”
Another concern was that of the sexual health of students on campus.
“[We have a] super high STD rate. Market 159 wanted to sell condoms, and dorms can’t give condoms because kids are allergic to latex,” SGA notes say.