Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Comedian to lay out the ‘rules’ of sex

Falzone to perform tonight at UCLA as part of national collegiate tour advocating safe decisions

"SEX RULES" Today, 7 p.m. De Neve Auditorium

Tonight, sex will rule on campus – at least in one auditorium.

“Sex Rules” is a comedic performance focused on sex education, specifically on teaching students safe practices and how to deal with emotional issues.

Maria Falzone, the presenter, is a comedian currently on a speaking tour of colleges nationwide.

“Maria uses her frank and funny style to challenge the audience’s attitudes,” wrote Karma Dickerson, a recent UCLA graduate, in a letter to the Daily Bruin.

Dickerson is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which helped organize the event.

Falzone’s performance will address issues such as body image, drug and alcohol use in relation to sexual encounters, date rape, sexual orientation, sexual harassment, self-esteem, sexual violence and safe sex, Dickerson added.

“Maria celebrates human sexuality,” said Dickerson. “She is funny, but addresses the issues.”

Cailin Crockett, a first-year political science student and an intern at the UCLA Center for Women & Men, said she thought the “Sex Rules” program would be useful.

“This is an effective way of educating students on an important issue and opening the dialogue on an issue that is generally seen as taboo,” Crockett said.

“This program is especially important for students coming from high school where there is little information regarding safe sex and a stronger support for abstinence,” Crockett said.

Through audience participation, Dickerson said Falzone teaches students appropriate and effective communication skills and emphasizes the importance of communication in a relationship.

This is Falzone’s second visit to UCLA.

“Last year (Falzone) was a huge hit. She is open with her audience and overwhelmingly popular,” Dickerson said.

But Nelson Villaluz, a fifth-year aerospace engineering student, was not as confident in the virtues of the program’s approach.

“The issues need to be addressed, but I don’t know if comedy is the best way to do it,” Villaluz said. “It really depends on how she presents them and the premise of the show. We need to recognize (that) the tone of the issues at hand are very serious.”

The Center for Women & Men, the Office of Residential Life and Alpha Kappa Alpha worked together to put on the event.

Falzone has performed at several universities throughout the nation, including UC Irvine, UC Davis, Dartmouth and the University of Connecticut.

According to Dickerson, tickets to Falzone’s show sold out at both UC campuses.

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