Event aims to entertain, educate

The importance of safe sex is a lesson three campus organizations are hoping to send to students on Nov. 4.

Rap It Up, an event hosted by PROACTIVE Volunteer Organization, the Chicago Club and the freshman class, is a freestyle contest with the idea of promoting protection and sexual health and responsibility.

The battle will host eight lyricists, each competing for a $100 prize and bragging rights to being FAMU’s best lyricist. During each intermission, the show will include facts and statistics on sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

“When I thought of the idea to have this showcase, I realized this would be a good initiative for the university,” PROACTIVE co-founder & president Ryan Morand said. “Students don’t realize how serious the importance of safe sex really is.”

Morand, a junior business administration student from Tampa, is using Rap It Up to educate students on staying healthy. He wanted to spread the word to other organizations who shared PROACTIVE’s vision of promoting safe sex in an innovative way.

“Ryan came to me with the idea after I won the election,” said Phillip Agnew, freshman class president. “This is the most important class to reach about safe sex, so I could not pass up the opportunity.”

Agnew said the audience can expect the best rappers on campus along with performances from Mahogany and Boyz of Poison. He also said that the event differs from other talent competitions because its purpose is different.

“It is more than a show,” said Agnew, an 18-year-old business administration student from Chicago. “Our main focus is (promoting) safe sex while others are just based on crowd approval.”

The event coordinators made sure to schedule veteran lyricists such as David Satchell.

Satchell, a physical therapy student from Brooklyn, N.Y., has been freestyling for seven years.

“This is something I like to do,” the 19-year-old said of his interest in the art of freestyling. “It is a big part of my life.”

On Tuesday, he will put his skills to the test against others for the competition and the cause.

“(It’s about) being safe,” Satchell said. “It is hard to find adolescents who are virgins these days. They have to know about contraceptives.”

Morand said the primary goal is to educate students about sexual health through a series of events and Rap It Up is just the first of many.

He said the proceeds from the event will go toward a scholarship for a deserving FAMU DRS student.

Tickets are $3 and will be sold Tuesday in the FAMU ticket booth. The show is in the Lee Hall Auditorium at 7 pm. For more information, contact Ryan Morand at famuproactive@yahoo.com.