After two years without a Wake Forest homecoming, more alumni are coming back to campus than usual. To Bevin Burns’ (‘21) advantage, this is perfect timing to promote her business and new partnership to all of the Wake Forest community.

Burns’ startup promotes safer and consensual sex on Wake Forest’s campus … by using condoms.

The business, Campus Condomz, provides free and accessible condoms and sexual health resources around campus.

Inside a small cardstock trifold with sexual health and safety resources, a gold-packaged condom is tucked in that screams Old Gold. The trifold features a Demon Deacon holding a Campus Condom and wearing a shirt saying “Yes” inside a red heart.

While talking with Burns about Campus Condomz, she stated, “Our goal is quite simple … to provide education and to create conversation about safe sex practices, consent and condom usage on college campuses through humor and non-traditional means.”

Let’s face it … sex is natural, but many find it uncomfortable to discuss — especially when they’re not properly educated.

To change this, Burns explained, “I want to be able to deliver this typically stigmatized information to college students who may have never learned about safe sex in a way that is not intimidating and in a way that the info would actually stick.”

Burns founded Campus Condomz two years ago in a Wake Forest entrepreneurship class when she was tasked with creating a product, service or business to share as a final project.

“I had a list of about 100 ideas and we had to pitch our favorite … I had no idea what I was going to pitch, so I went up to the least intimidating looking guy and told him my idea about humorous college condoms,” Burns said. “He immediately handed me his card and told me to call him tomorrow since he thought it was the best idea of the night.”

After that, Burns worked with the entrepreneurship department, Deacon Springboard, StartUp Lab and numerous mentors to turn her idea into reality.

Then, in Spring 2020, just as things were heating up, COVID-19 interrupted her plans.

Regarding this pause, Burns said, “I was in contact with several other schools … then COVID hit. [The] school’s main goals were to keep people apart, not bring them together safely, which is one of the most important parts of Campus Condomz.”

More eager than ever, Campus Condomz promoted their pilot with Trojan this past Saturday at Truist Field. But, this wasn’t just any promo. Burns promoted her business in the best way Deacs know — tailgate style.

“Saturday. Tailgate. Trojan X Campus Condomz Tent. We will have t-shirts, condoms, giveaways, sunglasses, chances to get on the Trojan Tiktok — you name it, we probably have it,” Burns said.

Burns will be joined by a team of nine other student influencers who have helped her promote Campus Condomz around campus and through social media.

Ahead of the event, Burns said, “I have been working for the past three months for this Trojan X Campus Condomz football tailgate and am so excited about it this weekend … I mean, we have so many people talking about sex and consent for the homecoming game, and who would ever expect to get free condoms, Trojan sunglasses and Trojan bags at a football game? It is all about putting this conversation into places where it wouldn’t normally be had.”

Burns — now a senior — plans on continuing Campus Condomz after her graduation in May 2022.

When asked about the future of her business, Burns enthusiastically stated, “Campus Condomz is less about the product and more about the messaging. It really doesn’t matter what we are selling, giving out, etc. as long as it gets people to talk about safe sex and consent. We are all about creating the conversation.”