Who We Are & What We Do
SSIS is a for-students, by-students organization at Brandeis University that strives to decrease sexual stigma on campus and support all students' sexual health and wellness. Since 1973, SSIS has proudly served the Brandeis community by offering peer support, educational workshops, resource and product referrals, a comprehensive library, and quality, subsidized sexual health and wellness products. All SSIS members are highly qualified to perform their roles and receive over 60 hours of extensive training each year, covering topics ranging from STIs to fetish to relationship abuse and everything in between.
Additionally, all SSIS members are required to sign a rigid and binding confidentiality agreement every year to ensure the provision of a safe space for students. Nothing said in confidentiality to an SSIS member will ever be shared with any other SSIS member or non-member. We will never ask for your name or other identifying information when you access our services, with two key exceptions: (1) if you check out a book from our library, we will ask for an email to contact in case it becomes overdue; and (2) due to COVID restrictions, you may be required to swipe your Brandeis ID at the door of some of our events, but this is only to enable us to contract trace if necessary. While SSIS cannot diagnose or prescribe medication, every counselor has the ability to refer peers to the best on- an off-campus resources in the Waltham and/or Boston areas.
SSIS's key values are confidentiality, accessibility, professionalism, trauma-informed care, and pleasure positivity.
We are SSIS.
Mission
At SSIS, we know that the beauty of our organization lies not only in our services, but also in the space we create on campus. For our organization to best serve the Brandeis community, our space must be confidential and judgement-free and increasingly accessible. Only through cultivating such a presence can we achieve our goal of decreasing sexual stigma on campus to create a healthier, happier, and freer student body.
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Vision
We envision a community of students educated about sexual health and wellness and empowered to seek out experiences to increase the health, pleasure, and fulfillment they enjoy. Since such experiences differ so much between people, we are committed to working with each individual to serve their personal needs. With this vision in mind, we offer a variety of services to cover as many needs as possible—from workshops to peer support and everything in between—for as many students as possible.
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