SAGES Launch New Sexual Health Network

By Erin Shanahan

Last Fall, the Fordham SAGES (Students for Sex and Gender Equality and Safety), won the attention of the university by publically displaying its demands on campus. The group has resurfaced for the first time this semester and will be hosting an information session about its new sexual health network, “The-Just-a-Friend-Network.”

SAGES not only deals with sex related issues, such as a lack of contraceptives on campus, but also works to enforce freedom of speech, combat women centered issues and address LGBT concerns.

Last September, members of SAGES were seen distributing condoms at President’s Ball. Then, on Nov. 3, the group officially brought its grievances to the university in the form of a petition and demanded reform. In addition to placing the petition and demands on the door of Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, the group then organized a demonstration near Dealy Hall.

On Nov. 20, the group attended a rally organized by Women Organized to Resist and Defend in Manhattan with community activists to show their disapproval of Fordham’s policy, which denies student access to prescriptions for contraceptives on campus.

Since their last rally, SAGES left the public eye for some time, but the organization kept busy within their ranks. “We recognized that students went into finals mode,” commented Rachel Field, FCRH ’15, “When students go into finals mode, they’re a lot less likely to come out and be active. So we took advantage of this time and worked to build ourselves up.” For the past few months, SAGES has been working to recruit new members and teach new skills to the younger members. Field said, “Right now, some of our most active members are graduating, and we want the rest of our group to have the ability and capacity to keep moving without us.”

In addition to increasing and empowering their membership, SAGES is also working on launching a sexual health network. “We’ve come to the conclusion that the administration is not going to budge whatsoever on these initiatives,” Field explains, “so we are going to have to create them ourselves.” SAGES is building a health group called “The -Just a Friend- Network” network. This group will be a loose collection of students, friends and peers who desire to offer safe sex materials, such as contraceptive, to their friends. SAGES has been building connections around the city over the past few months to help orchestrate this new network.

The organization has also met with many of Fordham’s deans over the past few months. “Basically, nothing has come of these meeting,” Field reports, “Not a single reform, not a single change.” SAGES asked Dean Rogers about the installment of a list of OBGYNs available to the student body. Although he told SAGES that he would “get back to them” about this request, Field said the organization still awaits his response.

Although SAGES is finding it difficult to get administration to budge on these policies, they have seen improvement in other regards, such as the movement of ideas. Field explains, “I think at Lincoln Center, the SAGES conversation has sparked the development of another group of students there. This group has made a lot of progress with the gender neutral bathroom initiative.”

SAGES will be holding an information session about their sexual-health network Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6:00 p.m. in Dealy Hall, room 306 for all those interested in the student organization and their new initiative.