Mississippi State University dropped 73 spots in the 2011 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card, a study released each year by Trojan brand condoms that ranks universities’ sexual health programs.
MSU, which ranked 44 of 141 universities in 2010, fell to 117 during the 2011 study. The report card ranks universities based on 13 criteria, including student opinion of the campus health center, availability of condoms and contraceptives at the health center, sexual health awareness programs on campus and the availability of sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing in the area.
Despite MSU’s low ranking, JuLeigh Baker, a health and wellness educator for the Longest Student Health Center, said she thinks MSU is working to increase awareness about sexual health issues.
“We do a lot of programming with the residence halls, Greek organizations and student groups and displays and programs throughout the campus providing sexual health information to students,” she said.
The Health Education and Wellness Department of the university health services is giving attention to the sexual health and education of students by using its resources to increase awareness, Baker said. This year, the Health Education and Wellness Department employs a graduate assistant who focuses on sexual health and responsibility programs.
Baker said the health center also offers free condoms for students without asking any questions.
“We have condom goody packs located right inside the front door and right outside the elevator in the health center,” she said. “It is something that students can pick up anytime, and they don’t even have to ask.”
She said she thinks MSU is promoting sexual health education more now than it has been in the past, which is resulting in more understanding about the topic.
“Students are looking at it more as being responsible with their sexual health instead of something that is shameful,” Baker said.
Baker said she thinks even with this increase in sexual health education on campus, a lack of funding from the state government for these types of programs may be one cause for MSU’s lower ranking this year.
“The Mississippi Department of Health cut their funding for their mobile STI testing unit so it is not able to come to college campuses this year. If they can work it into their budget, that would be a great thing,” she said.
Rhonda Rahn, director of the Office of Health Education at Texas A&M said Texas A&M University, which rose 73 spots on the report card between 2010 and 2011, has felt the same budgetary concerns as MSU.
She said free anonymous STI testing is no longer available to its students, but the office has worked hard to keep STI testing available on campus in spite of the budget cuts.
Rahn said she thinks there are several factors in Texas A&M’s improved ranking, including a mandatory health class featuring a sexual health unit for all students.
“We do sexual health programming for different awareness events, such as sexual responsibility week,” she said. “We give out condoms, and we offer free STI testing in the health center.”
Another popular resource for students wanting to learn about sexual responsibility at Texas A&M is the group of peer educators, Rahn said.
Bruce Tetreault, group product manager of Trojan sexual health products, said in a press release he hopes the report card will encourage universities to improve their sexual health programs.
“Now in its sixth year, the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card continues to call attention to the importance of sexual health resources on campus and inspire students to take action into their own hands,” Tetreault said.