University students recently gathered in the Student Learning Center to openly “talk about sex” and discuss the true meaning of consent.

Last year, over 17 percent of women at the University of Georgia reported an experience involving unwanted sexual touching, attempted penetration or intercourse against their will, according to a National College Health Assessment.

These statistics led Larry Gourdine, the new University Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator, to plan a semester full of talks and speeches aimed at educating students about relationship violence.

“I have to be proactive,” Gourdine said, claiming that communication is crucial to improvement. “I can’t do my job behind a desk.”

Gourdine, along with Sexual Health Educator Kyle Dietz, facilitated one of the first of many interactive town hall discussions on Sept. 19. The pair asked important questions to initiate conversation, but eventually the hesitantly interested audience of 40 students braved their way into the meeting.

The discussion opened with a humorous video about suggested talking points couples should discuss prior to sexual activity, which led to student discussion concerning alcohol and consent, opinions on abstinence education and sex in general.

“Society teaches us it’s taboo to talk about sex,” said Vesna Ikanovic. “It’s viewed as private.”

Gourdine agreed, saying, “We do sex, we don’t talk about sex.” Dietz, referencing TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” added that teens generally do not see their favorite TV or movie characters communicating their feelings and limitations concerning sex to their partners, training them to think it unnecessary.

Students learned the presence or absence of this conversation could be the deciding factor in whether or not a sexual violence case can claim legal consent.

According to the Office of Violence Prevention, much blame for this lack of sexual communication lies with the media’s practice of sending inaccurate depictions of what sex is like.

These messages, coupled with strong societal gender socializations of what is “masculine” or “feminine” often steer students in the wrong direction.

Dietz closed the discussion by encouraging all students present to be advocates for consent, and to start practicing safe sexual decisions now.

Both coordinators see September 19′s event, along with the rest of the semester’s talks, as important steps in breaking down the sexual barriers of University students.