Suffolk University’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action held an event Oct. 8 in association with the emergency contraceptive brand, Julie, to play trivia, answer questions and educate students on the myths and proper use of emergency contraceptives.
PPGA held their “A Night Out With Julie” in Sargent Hall, where they gave out free emergency contraceptives, played sexy trivia, gave out Julie merch and a basket of sex toys for winners. Additionally, Julie’s CEO Amanda E/J Morrison came to answer questions for the group.
With one of their largest turnouts yet, the event brought in over 100 students who engaged with the trivia and were encouraged to ask any question without shame.
PPGA and Julie began working with one another during the spring 2024 semester through tabling events. Julie already was making a sizable impact on the Suffolk community, having donated over 500 emergency contraceptives to Suffolk’s Counseling, Health and Wellness Center for students to have free access to the pills.
Since PPGA’s tabling events with Julie went so well last semester, they knew they wanted to expand on that success.
PPGA’s goal was to ensure that students could come to the event and feel they had a chance to be educated on something so traditionally taboo without shame.
The “sexy game nights” had been a huge success for PPGA and they found it was a great way to get students involved and feel more comfortable doing so, said PPGA President Lindsey Salek, a junior at Suffolk.
The lively event had students engaged from the beginning. Morrison answered questions about when an emergency contraceptive can be taken, what it does to the body, how safe an emergency contraceptive is and its efficacy. She also talked about myths surrounding emergency contraceptives and sex in general.
The trivia was set up as a way to get students to take their best guess on questions regarding reproduction and contraceptives.Morrison would then explain why each answer was correct.
Morrison was very open about why she and her co-founders started Julie in the first place — to make it easier for people to access reproductive information.
“It should not be difficult to unlock healthcare information. It also should not be difficult to understand sex and dating and implications,” said Morrison. “We started Julie to not only create really cool products but to try to bring those bottom shelf products to the top and remove all the shame and stigma. But also, the impact. Because for those that can’t afford it, or for those that are in school that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to access the products you need.”
PPGA amplifies those same beliefs. Both Salek and Vice President Briar Emeney, a senior at Suffolk, want their events, and the Suffolk community as a whole, to be a place where students can feel comfortable enough to ask questions that they were never able to before. They also want students to know that PPGA is there for them.
“I want students to first and foremost learn what PPGA is and what kind of resources we provide, while also giving students a judgment-free zone to ask those hard questions and be able to open up about subjects that are considered taboo, and really just let their guard down and have some fun with it,” said Emeney.
Not only does PPGA highlight the resources that they provide for students, but they also want the Suffolk community to be aware of the resources at their disposal across campus. Especially when it comes to the emergency contraceptive that CHW is now able to offer students free of charge. All they need to do is book an appointment.
“I also want to spread the word about the Julie in CHW, because it’s an incredible resource. Julie, specifically, if you go to Walgreens or another store, it’s anywhere from 30 to 50 dollars, which is not chump change for a college student. So it’s phenomenal,” said Salek.
PPGA continues to bring in larger and larger crowds at each of their events, further showing the message they are trying to spread around campus is reaching the right audience.
