The last time that you saw your school name with “sex” next to it was probably the last time you really wanted to see your school name with “sex” next to it — most likely in your 9th grade sex-ed class. So before we proceed, let’s clear some things up.

This is a sex column written by NYU students that will NOT be preaching a heteronormative, abstinence-thrusting narrative. And we definitely will not show you vilified pictures of penises to inflict a toxic belief in your head that sex is bad. Quite the opposite, really. This is college. This is different. We aren’t here to make you groan at the sight of gonorrhea; we’re here to talk openly about a different kind of groan — pun very much intended — and create an open space where we can discuss all things love and sex, plus all the rest (like those awkward moments when you’re like are we dating? Wait… did the condom just … shit. Yeah. We’ve all been there).

But why turn to a student-run newspaper for sex advice, you may ask? The answer is in the question: we’re student run. We are NYU. We are New York City. And we are totally lost and have more than once exacerbated the awkward one-night stand with a gauche run-in at Upstein. With that said, we’re also totally fascinated by love and sex.

Sex is more a part of our lives right now than it’s ever been. The aim of this column is to create an open forum to help each other navigate through the messy and amazing situations you may not be exactly comfortable discussing with even your closest friends. From the empowering or objectifying blow job to the close encounter with a friend that made you question your sexuality, and even the sexual dissonance of a hook-up that didn’t go quite as planned — we want to discuss it all.

The magic of this column is that you don’t know us and we don’t know you. All stories and advice are judgement-free! So we’ll be sure to cover every base. Ah, the beauty of anonymity.

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There is this weird contradiction in society that oversexualizes women in the media but also makes sex a taboo thing for both men AND women to explicitly talk about. Love and sex and all the rest are important. We need to talk about them.

On love: While NYU may be notorious for its hookup culture, relationships do exist. However, dating in the modern age is difficult. How do we use dating apps? Which ones are the best? What actually defines a date (is coffee a date)? What if he asks me to have lunch…at a dining hall? Yeah, it’s happened.

On sex: This column is a way for NYU students to get informed about all things sex in an empowering way. Our high school health teachers didn’t teach us much about sex besides not to have it. And let’s face it, a lot of us are. Knowledge is power, and you should feel empowered by your knowledge about sex. There is no shame in that.

On all the rest: Love and sex can make for some pretty confusing and uncomfortable situations. I think this can best be summed in that awkward moment that comes after “so” — so where is this going? So how many people have you slept with? So did you cum? Cringe. But don’t worry, we have your back.

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Ultimately, our goal is to make sex a topic of open conversation. So look past the heavy print and large titles, NYU. We aren’t experts. We are NYU students who love sex, love love and strongly believe that love, sex and relationships are public discussions that are necessary in maintaining a happy and healthy love life.

‘Til next week.

Click below to ask us questions on love or sex or all the rest! Don’t worry it’s anonymous.