Like so many others on campus, Vandal Health Education Coordinator Emily Tuschhoff has heard the rumors – sexually transmitted diseases and infections are on the rise at the University of Idaho.
Yet, Tuschhoff said the rumors don”t hold water.
“(Student Health) is seeing an increase in testing because of what I would assume are the rumors, but not an increase in numbers that would be any more than the normal,” Tuschhoff said.
For the university, that”s a great step forward from a few years ago, Tuschhoff said.
Trojan Brand Condoms releases a Sexual Health Report Card every year that ranks the sexual health programs at 140 major U.S. universities. Rankings are based on 11 categories, including accessibility of resources such as education programs, availability of condoms, contraceptives and STD screenings and quality of information provided.
Nina Rydalch | Argonaut
Former ASUI Director of Health and Wellness Nick Wren and current ASUI Director of Health and Wellness Katherin Pope work to promote condom use on campus. Pope is part of the Vandal Health Coalition that hopes to increase access to free condoms.
In 2006, UI sat at No. 136 of 140 universities.
“It”s not like a valid and reliable survey,” Tuschhoff said. “They glamorize it. They access information off the website and UI scored low on this. So that was the impetus for determining we definitely need some sexual health education on campus.”
Tuschhoff said that her position was created in response to that in 2012. The monthly Got Sex? Programs, held through the Women”s Center, began a little before that.
In 2014, the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card listed UI at 70 out of the 140 universities, a far cry from its previous ranking.
Tuschhoff said Got Sex? and similar programs, such as Sex Talks and Blow Pops, are always well-attended and have informed students about sexual health issues.
“I don”t know if they”re more open, but they”re more open to talking about it,” Tuschhoff said.
Tuschhoff said when it comes to knowing exactly how many students seek STD and STI treatment and testing, UI doesn”t have great data simply because many students visit clinics other than Student Health.
Nick Wren, who was the ASUI director of health and wellness last year, said data from the National College Health Assessment supports the idea that UI has some work to do to catch up with the national standard for sexual health education.
Last spring, Wren and the Vandal Health Coalition, which is comprised of health experts from across campus, voted on five student health issues they wanted to address and improve upon in the next seven years.
While Wren said there were dozens of issues that were discussed, when it came time to vote, there were five issues that were clearly the favorites to win. One of those issues was condom use to prevent pregnancy and STDs and STIs.
“I think there”s somewhat the perception that (condom use) isn”t normal,” Wren said. “The fact of the matter is studies and data and years of research have shown it”s not only good at preventing pregnancy, but STDs and STIs, and it”s one of the easiest ways to do so.”
The Vandal Health Coalition found that 51.7 percent of sexually active students reported using a condom during vaginal intercourse during the past 30 days in 2013. Their goal is to increase that number to 60 percent by 2021.
To do this, they hope to install condom dispensers on campus and implement Free Condom Hump Days and condom pickup programs by fall 2016. They also plan to create a sexual health coordinator position and increase the number of peer health educators by fall 2017.
Katherin Pope, the current ASUI director of health and wellness, said the coalition is working to design promotional materials to encourage the message of condom use.
“Hookups happen,” Pope said. “It needs to be more on the minds of students that pregnancy and STI prevention could be better on this campus.”
She said ASUI Senators Taylor Willey and Cruz Botello have applied to take part in the Great American Condom Campaign, which will send each senator 500 free condoms to distribute on campus.
As the initiative advances, Pope said she and the coalition has discussed installing condom dispensers in bathrooms around campus – an idea that is still in the brainstorming stages.
Tuschhoff said after the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card was released, it was helpful to see which universities made the top of the list. She said she has researched what those universities do to be so successful.
She said the Vandal Health Education office has placed an emphasis in recent years on organizing more health and wellness fairs that focus on sexual health – something that is more common at other universities.
Tuschhoff also said other universities have connected with sex education apps to inform students. She said opportunities like these are exciting for students and university health officials alike.
Tuschhoff said the Student Health Center seeing an increase in students seeking STD and STI testing is indicative of a slow but certain success on the sexual health education front.
To Tuschhoff, the rise in testing indicates that students are more aware and concerned about their safety.
Pope said UI”s rank on the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card will only get better with continued effort.
“Be on the lookout for free condoms,” Pope said. “They”re coming. They”re going to be everywhere.”
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @itshannah7