This past summer, the University significantly changed its summer orientation schedule, incorporating programs focused on safety and community values. While the University has taken on an admirable amount of initiatives to address issues facing our community with incoming students, it should consider emphasizing sex education and healthy sexual practices as well.
Students enter the University with varying levels of sexual backgrounds and educations; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2012 study found that 69 percent of U.S. high schools require students to receive instruction on health topics as part of a specific course. However, only 28 percent taught 11 key pregnancy, HIV or other sexually transmitted disease prevention topics in a required health course, meaning 72 percent of schools with sex education classes don’t address essential aspects of that education.
Moreover, 87 percent of schools taught abstinence as the most effective method to avoid pregnancy, HIV and other STDs. Even comedian John Oliver has ranted about the failures of American sex education on his popular TV show, noting that only 13 states have in place legal standards requiring that sex ed students be taught medically accurate information.
University students may begin their college careers with anything in-between a comprehensive sex education or none at all. And this should certainly trouble us, as colleges are understood to be sexually active places where students may have multiple partners. Peer Health Educators offer sex education on demand for students, but an opt-in model is inherently problematic. The University’s student health center offers STD screenings alongside its typical resources for students, but what would motivate students without a strong understanding of the health risks of sex to get tested?
There are plenty of health reasons why students may need exposure to sex education upon entering the University, but there are also community concerns that are particularly relevant given the University’s recent emphasis on sexual assault and consent. Though orientation programming and Resident Advisors address these heavy topics with incoming students, the very concept of consent could be meaningless to a student who hasn’t had enough exposure to the mechanics of sex. Especially in light of new programming aimed at preventing sexual assault, providing sex education is about offering context for these difficult but important conversations in addition to promoting healthy sex practices.
Offering sex education to all undergraduates is no small task, and finding both the time and personnel to educate incoming students may be challenging. But there are creative ways to incorporate these discussions into students’ first weeks at the University. We have recently incorporated sexual assault and alcohol abuse prevention modules into every University student’s experience here. While modules cannot replace formal education, some kind of sex education module may be a good place to start. According to the CDC, nearly half of the 20 million new STDs diagnosed each year are among 15 to 24-year-olds — more or less the exact range of ages on college campuses. Student safety is a priority at our University, and that should extend to sexual health.
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