In honor of Romance Responsibility Days, Feb. 10-Feb. 12, Ohio University students attending this Friday's Swing Soiree will learn more than just how to swing dance.

The dance will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight in The Baker Center Ballroom and will have a "latex focus," said Char Kopchick, the director of Health Education and Wellness at Hudson Health Center.

During the dance, Promotion of OU Wellness, Education and Responsibility (POWER) will give demonstrations of how to use condoms, latex gloves and dental dams effectively, said Jennifer Stripe, a graduate student and POWER peer advisor.

Kopchick said the philosophy behind the dance isn't just to distribute the products, but to show students how to use them.

"That is our message," she said. "If you are going to get the product, you are going to get the information too."

Condoms are 80 percent effective against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and 18 percent of ineffectiveness results from user error. It is important students know how to use them properly, she said.

But the purpose of Romance Responsibility Days is not just to promote sex education, Kopchick said.

"We don't want to assume everyone is sexually active," she said. "There are so many other things that tie into it."

Romance Responsibility Days have been marked on OU calendars for five years, and every year a different approach is taken, she said. This year, the theme is taking on a social perspective.

Kopchick hopes the atmosphere of the dance will make students more comfortable with the topic. Often, students are afraid to ask sex-related questions, but with a more relaxed environment, that shouldn't be the case, she said.

Plans for the dance began last quarter, Stripe said. Stripe collaborated with University Program Council, and was able to get funding from the Student Activities Commission.

The OU jazz band will provide music for students to "learn to swing and protect their thing," and the Jitterbug Club will offer swing-dance lessons the first hour, Stripe said. Presale tickets can be bought today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students purchasing the tickets will receive Hershey kisses with safe-sex facts attached.

Both Kopchick and Stripe said the dance isn't just for couples and both encouraged singles to attend, but OU sophomore Theresa Bilz said she wouldn't feel comfortable going as a single.

"Why would I need to go?" she said." "I'm not in a relationship."

Even though she probably won't attend the dance, Bilz likes the idea of Romance Responsibility Days.

"I think it's a good thing," she said. "It's not all about sex - there is more to a healthy relationship than just sex."