EDITORIAL: CMU must redouble sexual health efforts
Trojan Condoms has released its annual “Sexual Health Report Card” of sexual health resources on college campuses, and Central Michigan University has fallen to No. 89 from 45 in 2010.
The list, compiled from independent research done by Sperling’s BestPlaces, looked at 141 American universities, mostly grading their student health centers.
Aspects of health centers such as hours of operation, availability of condoms and contraceptives, availability and cost of HIV and sexually transmitted infection tests, and lecture and outreach programs were taken into consideration.
This means programs run independent of CMU’s University Health Services were not heavily evaluated in this study, if at all. A major part of sexual education and counseling at CMU comes from Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, which is a separate entity.
SAPA is a program nationally recognized for the incredible work it does, but SAPA cannot be expected to provide medical sexual health services.
Regardless, CMU fell 44 places in a ranking derived from a research study. Four other Michigan universities, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University, were also on the list and CMU ranked lower than all but EMU.
Regardless of SAPA and its efforts, the university needs to improve its sexual health services. Clinic hours should be expanded and the services offered at University Health Services need to be publicized better and made available for the lowerst possible cost to students.
Beyond expanding the clinic’s services, CMU should have a program to teach freshmen about the importance of protection and testing. With our clinic’s limited operations, it’s important students be informed about other options for prevention, testing and treatment in Mount Pleasant.
Condoms and other forms of protection should be made more readily available to students. When the C-3 Express in the Towers closes at 2 a.m., students are unable to purchase protection. The lack of availability helps reinforce many students' lackadaisical attitude toward protecting themselves and their partners.
Failing to provide for students' sexual health needs is tantamount to not acknowledging that students are having sex at all.
