Sex under the Button may just be the stuff of Penn mythology, but the University is giving hopeful students 50,000 chances to make sure they do it safely.
The Office of Health Education purchases 50,000 Lifestyle condoms per year, according to Director Susan Villari.
But that number's just a small dent in a huge back-to-school boom for the condom industry each year.
The season usually reserved for sharpened pencils, a new wardrobe and quixotic hopes of keeping up with homework is also the highest-demand period for condoms, industry officials say.
Condom sales reached a peak of $398.3 million overall last year, up almost 3 percent from 2004, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts.
And Penn is certainly helping boost that figure.
Though a receipt for 50,000 condoms may seem exorbitant - officials wouldn't say how much they cost the Office of University Life - administrators said that the major purchase is not outrageous.
Seventy percent of the Penn population is "sexually active," according to a 2006 research study conducted by the Office of Health Education.
And even though "sexually active" does not necessarily imply intercourse, national statistics bolster the University's decision to make sure they've got plenty of latex in stock.
"One third of all condom purchases are made by college-age individuals," said Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing at Trojan Brand condoms.
Other busy nights tend to take place on New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, when condom sales boast "the biggest sales spikes," he added.
But sex isn't just an activity for the holidays: Students say condoms are everywhere at Penn all year round.
College junior Nazlee Navabi recalled that when she lived in Kings Court/English House during her freshman year, condoms were often "strewn across tables" in the lobby and "pretty accessible" for freshmen.
Still, freshmen don't have to be the only ones having safe sex.
Thanks to programs sponsored by student groups - like Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health and AIDS Awareness at Penn - free condoms are available at multiple events throughout the entire academic year. Most groups that hand out condoms get their supply from the Office of Health Education.
Inundating college houses with condoms is not a University policy, and residential advisers and graduate associates are not required to offer them to students living on their halls, according to Pamela Robinson of College Houses and Academic Services.
Most RAs and GAs, however, obtain condoms from the Health Education Office and are not charged for them, Robinson said.
Condoms are available for free at the LGBT Center, the Penn Women's Center and other resource hubs. Student Health Services, Fresh Grocer and CVS Pharmacy carry them for purchase.
