By Emily Senger
Sexual awareness week 2005 saw women clothed in sheer chain mail parading through MacEwan Student Centre and an adults-only trade show of naughty toys and fetish wear. This year, due to a Students’ Union booking mishap, sexual awareness week 2006 was a lot less sexy.
The SU cancelled the sex trade show planned for Tues., Feb. 28 and Wed., Mar. 1 when they could not confirm the required number of trade show vendors by their cut off date. As a result, the SU couldn’t pay the performers for the erotic fashion show, which was also cancelled.
“Last year we used somebody from the sex trade show community to pay for the show and to book everything,” said SU vice-president events Alex Vyskocil. “This year we tried to keep it all in house and it didn’t really work that well.”
Vyskocil said the SU fell short when it came to crunch time.
“We sent out requests at the beginning of January to have vendors confirm by Thursday,” said Vyskocil. “We didn’t reach our minimum number of tables to fill the hall.”
Last year the SU used the proceeds from the vendors to pay the fashion show performers. Vyskocil explained this approach was taken to appease more sexually conservative students. Because the show pays for itself, student money isn’t spent on exotic performers.
Vyskocil admitted his disappointment with the cancellation.
“It was a commissioner project–maybe I should have taken more control over it,” he said.
The community health organizations represented in MacEwan Hall were the Calgary STD Clinic, Calgary Birth Control Association, Gay and Lesbian Community Service Association, Positive Space Campaign, the Calgary Health Region and U of C’s Wellness and Health Awareness Team.
Though they were passing out free candy, condoms and lube with their insightful sex education information, all of the organizations reported low levels of student interest in their booths.