Sex Week at UWM Residence Halls Undergoes Changes From Past Years

Sex Week takes over UWM Residence Halls once again, but this year’s week-long event is a little different from past years, undergoing changes and leaving returning students disappointed. 

UWM Housing has hosted this week-long event for over 10 years now, this year happening the second week of October. Hidden behind fun-titled events like, “Condom Olympics” or “Sexy Kahoot,” reeled students in to make sex education engaging. During these events, residents also had the opportunity to win prizes ranging from Penis pillows to various choices of sex toys, some provided by The Tool Shed, Milwaukee’s adult entertainment store. 

This year’s Sex Week, different from other years, included inclusive events that were more PG-13 than the traditional events. “Non-sexy Kahoot” would be an example of this kind of event, which offered non-sex-related prizes categories that included: Disney, Milwaukee facts, and more. They also offered non-sex-related prizes that included: laundry detergent, UWM merchandise, and more. The cause of these changes was due to the complaints to higher housing staff over events which forced the groups hosting to make changes including the Student Housing Administrative Council (SHAC) and Panther Activities Committee (PAC). 

Nicholas Geringer, a 5th-year Senior, who has worked as a Residential Assistant for three years has made an effort to attend every year since 2021. Geringer was able to be directly involved in this year’s Sex Week by filling in spots that were needed to help the events run smoothly.  

“This year the biggest differences were the fact that we had to have events catered to more PG-13 style than just sexy events because there was public outcry so we had to change,” said Geringer. 

Over the years, Geringer has enjoyed seeing just how much the students have been excited about Sex Week. Geringer as a Residential Assistant can win prizes at Sex Week being the only UWM Housing event where RA’s can win prizes. 

“I enjoy seeing just how excited people get with it because it is a weird tradition we have, but it’s fun and it teaches good lessons,” said Geringer. 

Geringer understands why the changes to Sex Week were made but is still disappointed in the complaints and the changes that were soon made after. Even despite the craziness of the events it was still able to engage students in learning about sex education. 

“I understand why but it’s very disappointing still because there is no harm in what we’re doing–there never has been so I don’t understand why there were complaints.”

Alexis Parr, Junior, has lived in the residence halls for the past three years and has attended Sex Week since she was a freshman. She was disappointed with this year’s event and especially felt bad for the freshman who had heard about the event from the upperclassmen.

“A lot of the new students got very excited about the past years of sex week so they were hoping this year would be great,” said Parr. “They were excited about seeing the shirts and the events because the upperclassmen hyped it up and it ended up being very lackluster.”

Sex Week is infamous for its t-shirts which students were able to obtain by attending at least two events. Residents especially loved the 2023 Sex Week Shirt as it portrayed a panther in a lying position wearing nothing but a towel. This year’s shirt featured a printout in big letters that said Sex Week Ed 2024 which included no combining graphics with it. 

Parr, like Geringer, understands why the changes to Sex Week were made, especially with the changes to the t-shirt this year but reminisces on the fun she had the last few years attending, especially for the incentive of obtaining the shirt. 

“Last year’s shirt was a little vulgar, don’t get me wrong he was a bit crazy,” said Parr. “But we were still learning stuff. I would rather have people have fun and learn about this stuff than search up on their own or be nervous.” 

Hoping that next year could be better, Parr wants to see a better design and overall just to have that same feeling that Sex Week brought to her and her friends the past years as that was one of the reasons she and her friends have attended events.

“I hope that it goes back to how the last years were,” said Parr. “I’m pretty sure it’s probably going to be toned down a bit now that the parents already complained. I’m hoping that the design of the shirt is more fun.”