Sex is commonly talked about on college campuses. Many students see it as a part of college life, or the college experience. Some colleges freely give out condoms to the students in order for them to be safe if they do choose to have sex. However, one northern school feels that students receiving free condoms is against their “values and traditions.”
Boston College is a Catholic college, and a spokesperson for the college, Jack Dunn, said to the New York Times, “As a Jesuit, Catholic university, there are certain Catholic commitments that we are called to uphold, including the commitment not to publicly distribute condoms on our campus.”
An unofficial campus group, the Boston College Students for Sexual Health, regularly gives away free condoms to the students. The college has challenged them, saying that if they are caught giving out free condoms again, they will be referred to the conduct office for disciplinary action.
The University of Tampa, on the other hand, is very open about giving out condoms and other forms of birth control, to students. At the Dickey Health and Wellness Center, females can receive three forms of generic birth control pills, and the Depo-Provera shot. All students can receive free condoms there, and also from their Resident Assistants, and various events on campus.
The University of Tampa wellness coordinator, Charlotte Petonic, said the university is aware that not all students have the same moral values regarding sex, “We do understand that people do have different views on being sexually active so we’re conscious of what locations we give them out at and we try to be respectful to everyone’s belief system.”
In an anonymous survey of 27 students and faculty at UT, 70% were aware that contraceptives are available for free on campus. Also, 85% said they think it’s a good idea that the university provides students with condoms, while the other 15% said it didn’t matter to them.
The health center does testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and infections including ones for Chlamydia and syphilis, but does not publish statistics due to student’s privacy.
One anonymous responder said, “Whether your religious views are opposed to contraception, you do not need to use the services provided. Students are adults, and for better or worse, sexually active. The prevention of the spread of STDs and unwanted pregnancies far outweighs the moral qualms of certain students.”
Another agreed saying, “I don’t think it is condoning nor condemning either way. I think it’s safe and effective, and I think we need to offer these to lower the spread of diseases, lower birth rates in young women, and to lower abortion rates.
This is not stopping conception after it happens. This is prevention. A good choice for men and women.”
Junior Breanna Wright says that she’s glad the university is aware of what happens on a college campus, “It just goes to show that practicing safe sex is the way to go. The university clearly knows that sex is a part of the college life so they help keep it safe and STI free.”
SASS, which stands for Safe and Sexy Spartans, is a student group that educates others on how to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancy, and how to properly use condoms.
SASS is co-sponsoring an event with the PEACE office in a couple weeks for sexually active students. It will be a “Get Yourself Tested” campaign, which is also sponsored by the CDC, itsyoursexlife.org and MTV. For free, students can be tested for HIV, gonorrhea and Chlamydia, and syphilis. The tests will consist of a cheek swab, urine sample, and blood sample. The event will be in the Brevard Community Room on April 24th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Petonic said the point of these events is to just keep students safe, not to promote having sex, “We’re not promoting it by any means, we’re promoting if you choose to be sexually active that you take the steps necessary to protect yourself and your partner. We have plenty of condoms that we would love to give out in any way, if an RA wants them or any other program wants them.”
Many of the health center’s services are covered by student health insurance, but services not included may result in a fee, including most prescriptions. There is a fee anywhere from $10 to $25 if students do not show up for their appointments due to the high demand of the health center’s facilities.