From Deseret News archives:

Does BYU deserve F or an A for sex health?

Published: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006 11:26 p.m. MDT
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Gillman buys 10,000 condoms a year to give out free to students. A student committee and other campus organizations give out "living well kits" — stocked with a three of different types of condoms, lubricants and information about STDs — to students during class presentations and other events throughout the year.

"There are condoms all over our campus," Gillman said. "All you have to do is look."

Unsafe sex creates costly problems in the United States. About 65 million Americans are living with an incurable sexually transmitted infection. Utah is sponsoring free gonorrhea and chlamydia testing this week because of a soaring number of cases in the state. Utah County, where BYU is located, saw a 50 percent increase in those two infections between 2004 to 2005.

Trojan vice president of marketing Jim Daniels said the company recognized that schools have various reasons for not providing all of the resources graded in the survey. Trojan's position is that comprehensive sex education, including abstinence, is the best way to help students make smart decisions about sex.

"We live in a country with the highest rates of new STIs and unintended pregnancies of any Western nation, and we applaud those schools that provide fact-based, accurate and comprehensive information about sexual health to all students," Daniels said in a statement.

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BYU's Olson suggested the report would be stronger if it graded schools in their own contexts and displayed an understanding that sex involves complex relationships and consequences that can last for generations.

"One of the problems with our culture is sexuality has been dangled out as just a sexual act and the only consequences are physical consequences."

Other categories on the Trojan report card included HIV and STD testing, sexual assault services and lecture or outreach programs.

Jenkins said Trojan should have ranked BYU higher in sexual assault services. BYU's Web site includes information about the campus Women's Services and Resources Center. This semester, the center is sponsoring classes on healthy relationships, pornography addiction, anger management and "What Every College Woman Should Know About Dating."

Jenkins and Gillman said BYU and the U. provide sexual harassment training and sexual assault counseling and services.

BYU's student medical center provides prescriptions for birth control and testing for HIV and STDs.

BYU's Daily Universe student newspaper does not print a sex advice column.

Danyelle White, editor of the U.'s student newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle, said the paper had a sex-and-relationships advice column last year, but the writers couldn't continue this year. White said the column will resume when the paper finds writers who can provide strong advice in an entertaining fashion.


E-mail: twalch@desnews.com; terickson@desnews.com

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