A pro-life organization, formed by Southern students, seeks to promote education and awareness regarding sexual issues, abortions and pregnancy counseling.

Eli Spencer, sophomore elementary education major, is the vice president for the Vitae Forum.

“Vitae is the Latin word for life,” Spencer said. “We’re a pro-life group on campus, but we’re about a whole lot more than the abortion issue.”

Spencer said the new organization seeks to help people make smart decisions regarding any sexual-related issue.

“We want people to be safe,” he said.

The Vitae Forum is working closely with Life Choices. Life Choices is a local organization that provides free STD testing and pregnancy counseling. Life Choices and the Vitae Forum share similar missions.

“We are really closely related to Life Choices,” Spencer said. “We have an education day planned with them.”

Both groups seek to inform people about all their options.

Spencer said college is a time for students to have fun, too. He said he wants to make sure they are safe and smart with their decisions.

The organization meets at 6 p.m. Monday in the ICS room in Blaine Hall.

The Vitae Forum is not affiliated with any current student organizations on campus; however, Spencer said the group is going to try to work with other organizations on campus.

This organization is nonpartisan.

The Vitae Forum brought a speaker to campus on April 24 in Cornell Auditorium in Matthews Hall.

Dr. Phil Gloyer, CEO of Life Choices, spoke.

Free ice cream sundaes will be provided to those who come.

Austin Mayfield, sophomore business administration major, is a member of the Vitae Forum.

“The organization promotes education and awareness on the issue,” Mayfield said.

Mayfield said the club is Christian based, but is not a sector of any campus organizations.

“It’s definitely an issue that needs to be confronted,” said Ryan Shoemake, junior biology major, “It relates largely to college-age students”

“It’s important for students to see that choosing life is the best decision,” he said.

With abortion being such a controversial issue, the Vitae Forum wants to promote friendly education and awareness on all sexual issues that college students may come into contact with.