With the second annual Consent Carnival, the LSU Student Health Center is putting a fun spin on sexual education.
This past Friday, Feb. 6, marked the comeback of warmth in the midst of a harsh winter. Along with it came the LSU Student Health Center returning with the now annual Consent Carnival.
Under the sun and in the shade of the towering magnolias on Tower Drive, games, food and sexual education trivia were abundant. It was not just that either — the students of LSU were flocking to join in on the fun. Carli Dilorenzo, wellness coordinator for the LSU Student Health Center and creator of the Consent Carnival, believes the turnout this year was just as good as the previous year.
“Students are always in class being lectured at,” Dilorenzo said, “and while that’s a great form of learning, I think hands-on learning is also really good. So, how do we make sexual health fun?”
The answer is carnival games and trivia, with a little bit of free food in the mix.
After checking in and getting a wristband, students could treat themselves to a wide variety of activities. The Consent Carnival featured everything from axe throwing and ring toss to even bigger draws like condom balloon popping and the brand new anatomy plinko.
“We really wanted to cover a few different areas in sexual health. Consent being one, healthy relationships, anatomy and then we also wanted to cover contraceptives and STIs,” Dilorenzo said. “We wanted to make sure we had a game for each one, and we were lacking in anatomy, so we came up with Plinko Anatomy.”
Along with trivia games, there were tables and booths there with the sole purpose of education and spreading the word. One such table was for the Take 5 convenience store in The 5 dining hall. Maya Brown, who was tabling for them, wants students to have easier access to all their needs, especially feminine care products.
“With the stores being a little far for people that don’t have cars and vehicles here that are out of state, it’s really just convenient,” says Brown. “I do have other things such as Advil’s and Tylenol’s, but I just want people to be able to be safe. It’s convenient, it’s reliable and that’s my motto.”
On top of all of this, students had the chance to take a picture with Mike the Tiger himself. By the ring toss table, the beloved mascot had a small kissing booth set up to take photos. Dilorenzo hopes Mike can engage with students even more in the future.
“We have little fake lips for the kissing booth process of it, and we need to ask consent,” said Dilorenzo. “So, it’s an aspect of asking consent to take a photo with Mike.”
It is safe to say Consent Carnival will be returning for another year. The event drew quite a large crowd and entertained students in an informative way. Dilorenzo has huge plans for the near future; she dreams of something on the level of LSU’s Mardi Gras Mambo. Maybe we will even get a Consent Carnival Concert.
The 2026 Consent Carnival is done for this year, but for updates on next year and any health-related needs, you can follow LSU Student Health Center on Instagram.
