Let's talk about sex, baby.
At least, Trojan Condoms thinks Penn students should.
Trojan, which just released its 2008 Sexual Health Report Card, placed Penn 21st out of 129 schools surveyed about the availability of "sexual health resources and information to their students," according to the study pamphlet.
The new ranking represents a ten-spot drop from last year, and Penn was not ranked in 2006.
Schools were graded according to a variety of anecdotal and hard factors, including student opinions of health centers, contraceptive availability and sexual assault programs.
"This is part of a very holistic campaign. We call it the Evolve campaign, focused on education," said Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing at Trojan. "America is not a sexually healthy nation."
When the study first came out three years ago, Daniels said, "We were really surprised at the number of opportunities . for significant improvement. There was a fantastic awakening."
Susan Villari, director of the Office of Health Education, wrote in an e-mail that her office was not contacted by Trojan, but she did stress that a variety of resources are available to students looking to improve their sexual health.
The staff and Web sites at OHE, Student Health Service and the LGBT Center all provide information, as does an upcoming blog called Sexpert, sponsored by OHE and Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health, a student group.
But whether students actually know about these resources is a different matter.
"There are a lot of services out there, but I don't think that students are aware of them" College sophomore Hannah Connor said.
"I'm not totally sure what's being done," she added, "but the fact I'm not totally sure means there's a lack of information available to students."
For instance, many students are unaware or do not take advantage of OHE's free condoms.
College sophomore John Evans said his GA gave out free condoms in the beginning of freshman year, but he hasn't been back to get more.
Under-utilization may not be an indication of lack of knowledge, however.
"I know they have events that I've heard of and not gone to" said College sophomore Jordan Lurie, adding, "I've learned what I need to know about sexual health before I came to Penn."
Villari stressed, however, that there is a "misperception on campus that Penn students are free from or immune to sexually transmitted infections."
Evans echoed that sentiment, saying that for some students sexual health "might go out the window when you introduce alcohol and heat of the moment circumstances."
That is why the Trojan study has such importance, according to Daniels. "We're hoping . to create literally thousands if not millions of voices calling for America to change our sexual health," he said.
Ultimately, though, sexual health is a personal duty.
"[The University] can only do so much," said Evans. "The rest of the responsibility rests on the students."
