As new students moved into their dorms in August, NC State distributed wellness packets that contained several sexual wellness items ranging from condoms and lube to a sexually suggestive game.

NC State recently released 122 pages of documents that reflect how the University decided to pull the packets, over four months after Technician filed a public records request for communications between the stakeholders. 

A total of 10,000 packs were delivered to University Housing, the Graduate school and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Shannon DuPree, director of Wellness and Recreation, said this was the fourth consecutive year the University distributed the packets, which, according to emails the University provided in a public records request, were provided at no cost to NC State. 

“Before the packs were handed out, I never laid eyes on them,” DuPree said. “So that was something that we were like, ‘Whoa, that was an oversight,’ because when people start emailing, we only realize some of the contents of the packets.” 

DuPree said the packets were not curated by NC State. NC State received a list of items that may be included in the packet, including dry shampoo, a condom or lotion.

“They’re basically CVS samples that were inside, so everything in the pack is a sample of something that they carry,” DuPree said. 

On Friday, Aug. 18, the day the University stopped distributing the packets, DuPree forwarded a parent’s complaint to the CEO of the company who provided the packs to NC State.

“Imagine how uncomfortable that was when my daughter opened it in front of both parents and her boyfriend,” the parent’s email read in part. “My daughter and [her] boyfriend are both Christian and will be waiting to have sex until after marriage. Beyond that it came across that NCSU is a party school where sex and drinking is encouraged by leadership.” 

In the email, DuPree said she knew condoms would be included, but asked about the other contents, particularly the “sex card.”

A document on the packs shared by Lisa Zapata, senior associate vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, said Wellness and Recreation did not inspect the packs beforehand. One person who emailed University Housing said they weren’t concerned about the content of the packets; they were concerned that the University didn’t inspect the contents ahead of time.

“I don’t have a problem with the packets including condoms,” the email read. “I am concerned that the university response was that you did not know what was in it. What if there were packets of Tylenol but instead it was fentanyl? What if there were disguised flyers of hate speech? Did nobody thoroughly review these packets?”

DuPree said the University’s response was to immediately remove the packets from circulation and release a statement apologizing for the contents. 

However, some parents emailed and said they recognized the importance of educating young adults on sexual health. 

“For the record, as a parent, I was not offended at all by the Welcome Packets and was thrilled that NCSU would recognize that the students are adults and treat them as such,” another email read. 

Although there was controversy surrounding the packets, DuPree said she thinks the sole purpose of the packets should be to promote mental health — not sexual. 

“Sexual health is something that’s important,” DuPree said. “But I think if we were going to have a theme for the packs, it would probably be something more self-care and mental health related because right now that is the priority for our institution.” 

DuPree said the University would not continue to provide welcome packs to students in the future. 

“I think we will continue to do all the things that we do in terms of programming during Welcome Week,” DuPree said. “I’m trying to get that messaging out to students as much as we can. But no official welcome items … not at the moment.” 

More information on Wolfpack Wellness can be found on the website.

Emily Vespa contributed to this reporting.