Members of fraternities, sororities and interested individuals attended “Bed Bugs,” an information session meant to help “demystify” the condom, on Wednesday night in Memorial Chapel.By showing the audience how to properly use condoms, performers Shawn and Gwen demonstrated to Colgate students how to practice safer sex. They made the performance interactive, inviting students up on stage and getting the audience involved. They started off by offering the audience two facts about STDs and young people. People under the age of 25 have more sexually transmitted diseases than any other age group, and 25 percent of sexually active people under the age of 25 have a sexually transmitted disease.From that point on, Shawn and Gwen tried to get the audience involved through interactive segments called “Pick a Chick, Pick a Dick” and a condom race so that audience members would do more than just regurgitate facts about sexually transmitted diseases and safe sex.In “Pick a Dick, Pick a Chick,” Shawn and Gwen brought a male and female audience member onstage. The male selected an egg out of a carton, while the female chose a penis from a selection. They then told the audience to imagine this was a typical hook up situation at Colgate, and the person was about to have sex with the chick (egg) or penis he or she had selected.After the selection was made, the audience members were told which STD the partner they had just slept had. The best way for sexually active students to protect themselves from contracting STDs, according to Shawn and Gwen, is by using condoms.While Shawn and Gwen tried to make their talk interactive by using games as a way to inform students about STDs, some students found this approach too childish. “I thought it was too immature,” junior Kate Howard said. “It was not as informative as I would have hoped.”Shawn and Gwen stressed that students should always use condoms by debunking some of the common reasons given by students who do not use them. Shawn and Gwen said that reasons such as, “Just this one time,” “It doesn’t feel right” or “I’m too big,” are all poor reasons for not using a condom.The final segment of the program involved students trying to get condoms onto penis models in a condom race. After the race was over, Shawn and Gwen pointed out common mistakes that could make condoms less effective, such as failing to pinch the tip or putting the condom on upside down.Shawn concluded the lecture by offering that an STD does not have to end one’s life. He cited his sexually active relationship with Gwen as an example; Shawn is HIV positive, while Gwen has remained HIV negative after being together for six years and using protection every time. Their story is proof, Shawn said, that when used effectively, condoms can be the best way for sexually active students to protect themselves from STDs.