The Health Education Office started Sexual Responsibility Week Monday with a celebration of National Condom Day in the University Union.

Lorraine Martinez, a health educator at the Sacramento State Health Center, said, “The event is celebrated on Valentine’s Day for obvious reasons. We want to raise awareness and promote safer sex.”

Volunteers from the Health Education Office spent the morning handing out bagels and getting students involved in the activities.

They stationed themselves on the ground floor of the Union building, where they handed out safe-sex packets and bead necklaces with condoms attached to them. There were also flyers and information sheets for students about alcohol, safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases.

Volunteers encouraged students to participate in activities like guessing the number of condoms and lubes inside a nearby canister.

Sonya Thomas, one of the student volunteers, said that the prize for guessing correctly was not the canister full of condoms and lubes. Instead, students were given gift certificates that were donated by local businesses like Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Noah’s Bagels and Trader Joe’s.

Other activities included a “Wheel of Fortune”-style trivia game where students were asked questions about safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases.

Thomas said she likes helping out at the events because educating people about safe sex is important.

Martinez said there will be more events throughout the week, including the film “Searching for Angela Shelton” on Wednesday in the Women’s Resource Center. As an incentive for students, she said there will be free popcorn at the event.

Justin Patterson, another student volunteer, said the event started off slow in the morning, but that they attracted more students by lunchtime.

“We usually hold the event in the quad so we catch students’ attention as they are walking between classes, but this year we had to hold it in the Union because of the weather, so most people who stop by are the lunch crowd,” Patterson said.