Among students at Hopkins, it's pretty clear that sexual health is not a top priority. I know too many people who rely on the pulling-out method, who don't visit the gynecologist and who refuse to get tested for sexually transmitted infections.
It's not due to a lack of sex. We aren't all D-level hermits. I've been to fraternity parties; I know there is a lot of horizontal dancing that goes on here. We've heard the stories and we've heard the moans through dorm room walls at 2 a.m. when we're studying for our finals.
But with sex being so typical at Hopkins, why is there ignorance among students about sexual health? Between scandalous escapades in the study rooms on D-Level and quiet "movie nights" in the AMRs, Hopkins students should get to know more about sexual risks. This is Johns Hopkins, the legendary school of future doctors, the school that may not be doing so well this lacrosse season but whose student body can mentally kick anyone's butt. Why is such an intelligent group of people so ignorant when it comes to sexual health?
Honestly, how many students, women or men, could recognize a dental dam? (It's a latex cover used by a woman during oral sex) Or more importantly, how many use them? But yet some of the nastiest sexually transmitted infections are transmitted through oral sex, namely herpes.
While there are many forms of barrier protection, condom usage is most common. But few people know how to put on a condom correctly beyond the traditional trial and error. Far too many times I've heard guys say, "Oh well, she's on the pill, so we don't use condoms." Really, a Hopkins student should know oral contraceptives do not block against sexually transmitted diseases. If both partners are not tested and clean, then condoms are still necessary. Or so often I've heard people say that they forget in the heat of the moment to care. Very few things could be more dangerous.
But options aren't too good for people at Hopkins who want to stay protected and who recognize the importance of sexual health. Even now, if you want to use protection, your best bet (besides taking the shuttle to Rite Aid and spending $12 on a dinky package of condoms) is to trek over to that nifty little Lifestyles basket in Health and Wellness. Having sex with Lifestyle condoms is much healthier than having sex with no protection at all, but I can't lie. Lifestyles suck. They are your junior high health teacher's idea of protection: thick, yellow and unimaginative. A person can't help but want some change once in a while, something with a little frill, maybe some ribbing or a little flavor.
Fortunately, the Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW) has introduced a new program called Condom Sense. Starting this fall, the program will provide the Hopkins community with the best condom brands available -- Durex and Trojan, to name a couple. Better yet, it's much cheaper than the costs at the grocery store or pharmacy. Next year, condoms can be ordered online in the privacy of your room or the computer lab. With the help of CHEW, sexual health does not have to mean running to the Health and Wellness center for a bag full of Lifestyle condoms, sexual health can be ribbed, mint flavored and extra lubricated.
At a place where students spend most of their time at clubs and organizations boosting their resume and in the library keeping their grades up, people hardly care about their sexual future. I mean, who wants to have sex with someone with red vaginal sores? I don't really want to make Hopkins students cringe; I want the Hopkins student body to stay protected. Hopefully this new initiative from CHEW will help.
--Alexis Jani is a senior political science major from Cranbury, N.J. She is a member of Preventative Education and Empowerment for Peers (PEEPs).
