Recently, the seventh annual Trojan Report Card of Sexual Health was released, showing that Eastern Michigan University ranks No. 103 out of 141 institutions of higher education that were reviewed. EMU is up 21 spots from last year’s report card, showing an improvement in the area of sexual health knowledge and resource availability.
The study looked at the amount of information and resources available for students to make the most well educated decisions as possible when deciding to engage in sexual activity.
The team of five evaluators contacted each individual university’s health center and gave them a two page questionnaire involving 10 major categories and instructed them to return it. They also took a good look at the university’s websites, for the majority of students find out about available resources regarding sexual health via their university’s website.
The study’s lead researcher, Bert Spaulding, said they did not look at the amount of sexual activity going on at the universities and they did not account for the number of sexually transmitted infections at the schools.
“This would have simply been too hard to measure,” Spaulding said.
“Mostly, schools improved in information and website availability to students and provided a wider range of distribution.”
Spalding was especially pleased to find that this study has helped account for these improvements.
“This study casts a light on student media and we are pleased to put it out there for students so that they are able to compare their university to others. Most students are only familiar with their school’s resources. This gives them an independent look and evaluation of their school in comparison to others,” he said.
While EMU is in the bottom half of the schools evaluated, there are many resources available to students when it comes to sexual health. EMU’s Snow Health Center offers free Lifestyle brand condoms, chosen because they are federally regulated for quality,
to students.
EMU Health Education Coordinator Eric Ward said there are other services that EMU offers as well. There are campus presentations and programs about sex such as Sex in the Dark, a program put on last year by the Delta Zeta sorority. There is free and anonymous HIV testing every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which about 300 students take advantage of annually, there are also other STI tests available, as well as a Women’s Clinic.
“Most students that I see are monogamous with one partner. The majority of couples do not get tested for STIs,” Ward said. “Something that I focus on with students is the integration of their values. There is often a discrepancy between what students say and do. They do not want an STI but then do not use a condom during sex.”
Ward said it’s about living what your values are.
Snow Health Center is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Condoms can also be purchased at the Quick Fixx, the Marketplace and other various locations around campus that are open as late as 2 a.m.
