WILL KARR
Staff Writer
Moving away from friends and family to college can be difficult. However, Student Teaching Equals Positive Sexuality, better known as S.T.E.P.S, is an educational club which works to help students make the transition from home to campus.
“I think that S.T.E.P.S is really important because oftentimes, no one is going to come right up to you and say it’s really important for you to know information about a certain topic,” said Jay Byron.
Byron is a senior theatre major with a minor in creative writing and diversity, equity and inclusion chair of S.T.E.P.S.
From experimentation to making new friends, college is a very transitional period in a young person’s life. Oftentimes, when an individual leaves for college, there’s no one to help guide them through the process after arriving.
S.T.E.P.S, however, is a student’s one-stop college survival guide. The club’s mission is to educate students on topics they can carry into their college career and beyond.
If you need information on any given subject, they’ve got you covered. From teaching about how to navigate romantic relationships to safe partying, the club offers information on a wide variety of topics in an effort to provide students with resources and tools.
“Right now, we specifically teach on eight different topics. We teach on alcohol awareness, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assault, safe sex, HIV and AIDS, healthy and unhealthy relationships, gender and sexuality and cannabis safety,” Byron said.
The group creates presentations and presents them in front of organizations, clubs and classes on campus. An organization or class can request for the club to give a personalized presentation.
Byron said that the club does not endeavor to tell people what to do, rather it aims to simply provide individuals with the resources and services they need to make their own informed decisions.
Byron has been involved with the group for the past two years. He views the club as a great way for those interested in the field of education to get involved, even if they are not necessarily education majors. As a senior theatre major with a minor in creative writing, the club allows him to still continue to pursue his interest in education.
“If you’re into education, this is a good club for you,” Byron said. “I’m not an education major, but I wanted to be at one point. If you’re one of those people who is still on the fence, but still wants to teach people and see them grow, this is definitely the club for you.”
The campus community and prospective members are encouraged to submit topic ideas that they would like to see covered by the group.
“It is so easy to research, make a presentation and to share information these days,” Byron said. “It is totally possible for a new member to present on a topic that maybe we haven’t normally focused on.” If you would like to join S.T.E.P.S or to submit a topic, you can reach out to them by directly messaging their Instagram page, @fredsteps.