Students from a Visual Arts 2 course handed out condoms punctured with staples on Library Walk last Wednesday as part of a performance art project promoting abstinence. The students’ actions caused discontent among those from Student Health Services.
The small group of students handed out condoms on Library Walk around 3 p.m. Wednesday. Some of the condoms were found with messages attached reading, “”Don’t be Stupid”” or “”No Glove, No Love.””
Other condoms were correctly attached to information from Student Health Services. An anonymous member of the visual arts group said that the condoms were attained from Student Health Services at various times throughout the week.
A group of students was given the condoms and they returned to inform the group that the condoms were unusable. One of the students visited Student Health Services on the assumption that the art students were student health advocates.
Sherrie Hendrickson, a nurse at Student Health Services, called the police and went outside to speak with the group of students. In the meantime, the offended students pressured the visual arts group to leave. By the time the police arrived, the group had left.
Harmony Rhoades, a Marshall sophomore, found the group offensive.
“”We walked back to them and said, ‘Do you guys know that these condoms are not usable?’ They replied, ‘Abstinence is the only safe sex.’ We came back and told them that what they were doing was wrong and that people could get STDs if they use these condoms,”” Rhoades said.
The visual arts students insisted that the staples were intentional.
“”I was totally surprised,”” Rhoades said. “”They’re misleading people. I’m totally upset.””
Stephanie Medina was also present at the table and echoed Rhoades’ words.
“”Their message was very unclear. They took a serious topic and mocked it,”” Medina said.
It is unclear if the group was playing the part of serious abstinence advocates or if they were genuinely concerned with the issues at hand. Visual arts students defended their actions and claimed that their motives were less ambiguous.
“”The act of handing out stapled condoms was clearly and unmistakably a demand to UCSD students, and any other passers by, to address the serious gamble and threat that promiscuity poses,”” said visual arts student Adriana Barraza. “”The condoms served as a tangible reminder of the uncertainty that comes hand-in-hand with sex, be it protected or not.””
Lupe Samaniego-Kraus, an educator at Student Health Services, was upset that the visual arts students were being mistaken for student health advocates.
“”People trust the student health advocates,”” Samaniego-Kraus said. “”We were worried that students would think these people were associated with Student Health.””
Hendrickson, who called the police, was also annoyed.
“”I was not pleased,”” Hendrickson said. “”I’m fine with people expressing their opinions, but when they attach my name, the name of Student Health Services, then I’m not all right with that. If it was a joke, it wasn’t funny. Unwanted pregnancy is not funny.””
Barraza asked people to consider their message.
“”My response to the anger is that the encouragement of false trust that is perpetuated by the common act of passing out condoms is far more dangerous than the commentary on the risks of sex that these students were making,”” Baraz said
Workers at Student Health Services were also upset that the visual arts group would destroy condoms that are provided by Student Health Services and paid for by student registration fees.
The visual arts students claimed that the destruction was necessary for the message to get across.
