 "Photo: Diane Whiteside")
Despite the hype surrounding sex, some college students are still in the dark about the many issues that come with being sexually active – or not.
“Almost all of us come from either a culture, community or family setting where sex has been very difficult to talk about,” said Kristen Scholly, the University of Hawai‘i health education coordinator.
And this silence, Scholly said, is what leads many to misinformation and sometimes even fear about sex.
Initially one has to decide for themselves whether they want to have sex or not. Unfortunately, this decision is often based off of false information.
Many times, students make choices based on what they think their peers are doing. Students may think everyone is having lots of sex with lots of partners and that they’re the only one who isn’t having sex.
However, this isn’t the case at all.
“When you look at the national data, and the UH data, too, in a calendar school year, the average number of sexual partners that someone has is zero to one,” Scholly said. “So they’re either abstinent or they’re basically monogamous, but the perception is much higher than that.”
People may choose abstinence for different reasons. Some decide against having sex because of religious beliefs; some want to wait until they are married.
Taylor Lockard, a junior at UH Mānoa, has chosen to wait to have sex.
“I’m a romantic,” she said. “I just haven’t met someone I like.”
Some people think abstinence means they have to be a prude or hide out in the library for the next five years, but this is not true. People can still have a boyfriend or girlfriend, partner, and/or relationship and just not share sexual fluids, Scholly said.
According to Scholly, one of the more popular brochures that can be found around campus is “101 Ways to Make Love Without Doin’ It.” The brochure includes ideas such as planning and going on a road trip together, playing music together, and making the other person feel important and respected.
Those who choose to be sexually active should be aware of the risks and concerns before blindly jumping into bed.
“I see people coming on college campuses now with less information about sexual health and healthy relationships and how to protect themselves than I probably did 10 years ago,” Scholly said.
During the Bush administration, abstinence was the focus of sex education, but Scholly frowns upon this policy.
“I really do think, and there’s some research that show this, too, is (that) the ‘abstinence only’ kind of messages or abstinence-based education didn’t teach people what they needed to do when they did become sexually active,” Scholly said.
For sexually active students, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and/or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy are main concerns – abstinence is the only way to guarantee none of them happen.
According to Scholly, sexually active students should be getting tested regularly for STDs and STIs, and getting tested with your partner is the best way to go. She also stresses condom use to reduce the risk of STDs, STIs and pregnancy.
If pregnancy is an issue for a couple, she says, even if birth control is being used, it is still important for men to wear condoms.
Get Informed
Students may be unaware of the facilities and programs dealing with sexual issues available to them on campus.
University Health Services Mānoa (UHSM) houses both a general medical clinic and a women’s health clinic. With insurance, students can be tested for STDs/STIs and pregnancy, as well as receive birth control and the HPV vaccine. Free condoms are also available.
Local pharmacies also sell condoms at a low cost and have more of a variety than the free ones given away on campus.
“The clinic (on campus) is so much catering towards and designed for students, so there’s a comfort level there that comes with that, more so than sometimes outside (the campus),” Scholly said.
Diamond Head Health Center also has free STD/STI testing and walk-in hours. About three-and-a-half miles from the UH Mānoa campus, Diamond Head Health Center also gives HIV tests, which, due to lack of funding, are no longer available on campus.
The Health Promotion Program, located in the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services (QLCSS), room 313, also gives away free condoms among its many brochures and aims at teaching students about maintaining healthy relationships. Students can get help with academic papers or projects that are related to sexual health, may borrow materials, or can come with questions about their own personal relationship.
“We’re doing a lot of sexual health prevention education,” Scholly said.
A few times a month, presentations held in classes and resident halls give information about sexual health issues for adolescents and young adults. The presentations include interactive activities that teach students to use condoms and how to talk to their partner about what behaviors they do and don’t want to engage in.
Also put on by the Health Promotion Program is a large-scale event held on campus each February in connection with Valentine’s Day: the condom fair. Students get information pertaining to sexual health, and free condoms are available to students.
For ongoing counseling and support, students can go to the counseling centers in the QLCSS. These services are free, having already been paid for in student fees.
The Women’s Center is another place students can go on campus for support. The Center also houses the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Student Services; Prevention, Awareness and Understand (PAU) Violence; and the UH System Sexual Violence Prevention Project.
Sidebar
hawaii.edu/womenscenter
Mentors in Violence Prevention
A leadership-training seminar focused on preventing all forms of violence against women
Thursday, Nov. 19
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
RSVP for room location
You Pau?
For those students and faculty interested in preventing and putting an end to on campus violence, such as dating violence, sex assault and stalking
Monday, Nov. 30
1:30 to 3 p.m.
QLCSS, room 208
For more information on these events, please contact Leslie Cabingabang at (808) 956-8059 or pauvaw@hawaii.edu.
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