IVORY TOWERS: Safe sex education at national universities

At the University of Illinois, the hot new game on campus is "Sexual Pursuit." A sample question states: "What is the best time to talk about sex with your partner?" a) in bed with the lights on b) in bed with the lights off c) at dinner d) when the date was made e) after intercourse While there is no right answer, this is no party game, though. It is just one of several examples of how creative thinking is bringing college students to information sessions about safe sex on campuses across the country. · Student health clinics at dozens of colleges and universities have implemented programs to educate students about safe sex. Informations sessions and condom distribution are hallmarks of these programs, but they are not all as attractive as Illinois' inviting game. Categories in "Sexual Pursuit," modeled after Trivial Pursuit, include men's health, women's health, sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives, and general information, according to Deborah Richie, Illinois' sexual education coordinator. After each "Sexual Pursuit" question, a ten-minute discussion follows, led by campus health officials, where students can ask questions, express opinions, and apply real-life situations to the issue. Illinois is unusual in that they have figured out how to make these information sessions interesting enough to attract large numbers of students. Richie also sees students by appointment and advises them on "risk-reduction." "I tell them to ask themselves three questions, 'What am I willing to risk, with whom, and how many times?' " Richie said. She then gives them solid information on their options -- abstinence, abstinence from high-risk groups, and contraception. At Illinois, the students pay a mandatory Health Center fee each year which entitles them to free services, including free contraceptives. Even aside from fun and games, student health directors across the country said that recent years have marked a turnaround in the openess and frequency with which students come to health officials for information, advice, sexually transmitted disease testing and birth control. Peer groups have spun off from student health agencies to deal with the growing demand for information on sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancies and contraception. At Colgate University, the need for a sexual information center was recognized 20 years ago, just one year after the school began admitting women. Colgate's Sexual Crisis Resource Center offers private appointments with a doctor as well as a telephone hotline. Merrill Miller, director of Colgate's Student Health Center, feels the program has increased sexual awareness on campus, but that the university still has a long way to go. "The information is out there, but it is not the sort of thing people want to talk about out loud," Miller said. She said there is a large demand for contraceptives, especially condoms and spermicidal foam, in the campus-operated store. But she added that this demand is not due to the promiscuity of the students, but a result of Colgate's isolated locality, with few convenience stores in the area for students to purchase contraceptives. "I don't think our campus in any more promiscuous than any other campus, but we are no more celibate either," Miller said. According to Miller, when people come to Colgate's center for advice, the most frequently asked question is, "Which birth control should I use?" not, "Should I form a sexually active relationship?" Miller usually outlines the options for those seeking advice. She talks about abstinence, monogomy, and different forms of contraception. Miller also advises to use caution during party atmospheres. "Sometimes if under the influence of alcohol, students forget where the condoms are," Miller said. At the State University of New York at New Paltz, sexual education and awareness is promoted primarily through the Women's Studies Department and a peer group called Contraception and Sexual Awareness, or CASA. CASA was formed in the early 1970s and runs question and answer sessions in dormitories on contraception, STDs and pregnancy. At each session, they also give away condoms. Pat Clarke, the program's director, said she was disappointed in the turnout for the most recent session entitled, "I Don't Know Anyone with AIDS Yet." "It's hard to attract people who are not interested in the subject of safe sex to a meeting like this," Clarke said. "And yet they're the ones who may need the information most." As a Catholic university, the University of Notre Dame Health Services faces more restrictions. According to Health Services Director Carol Seager, the school is allowed to advise the students of all their options, but is forbidden to distribute contraception. Seager said she has not seen an increase in sexual awareness at Notre Dame, describing the turnout at sexual-health programs as poor. "The people who come have an interest anyway and are usually already knowledgeable on the subject. Others just don't show up," Seager said. Stanford University spokesperson John Dorman said that he first advises students to seriously consider abstinence. "I have kids in college and abstinence is a viable option for them," he said. If students are to be involved in a sexually active relationship, he suggests that partners discuss the situation and use condoms with spermicidal foam every time. He also said that condoms are distributed without charge in limited quantities and after that are sold at cost from the Health Center.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.