Face off: wrapping up the contraceptives debate
By Armand Domalewski and Gabe Taylor
Armand Domalewski
I like to think of myself as a pretty manly guy. I'm in the military, I fist pump at least ten times day, and yeah…I work out. But even manly men such as myself have their weak moments.
Some enjoy listening to a little Bieber on their downtime, some cannot get enough of "America's Next Top Model," and I…well, I watch the hit Fox TV show, "Glee."
In fact, I was recently watching an episode when a certain plotline caught my eye. One of the characters, Brittany, shocks her family, friends, and boyfriend by declaring she is pregnant.
The entire community reacts, offering her assistance and worrying about her future, until someone finally thinks to ask Brittany how exactly she knew she was pregnant. Her answer?
Well, the stork had started building a nest next to her window, and we all know what that means.
What it really means, unfortunately, is that America's young people are woefully uneducated about sexual health.
In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention did a study which revealed that approximately 17 percent of sexually active college girls say that they use the rhythm method as their primary form of birth control, despite the fact that it's considered by experts to be one of the least effective methods of pregnancy prevention.
The lack of access to birth control on campus contributes to an atmosphere of sexual miseducation. It's time to put condoms in Cowell, and here's why.
First, contraception is critical to preventing STDs and unwanted pregnancy. Stanford University's Sexual Health Peer Resource Center points out that an estimated 1 in 4 college students has a sexually transmitted disease.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy notes that 61 percent of students who have a child after enrolling in a college drop out before finishing a degree. Condoms on campus provide an effective way to combat these problems.
As Dr. Lora L. Jasman, the director of student health services at Oregon State University points out, "Students are, for the first time, out on their own, and they have to make decisions on their own. It's critical we find ways to reach out to them."
Making condoms easily available is key to building life long habits of safe sex at a time when students are most vulnerable to unsafe sexual practices. Furthermore, condoms on campus increase the use of contraception by both being significantly less costly and, perhaps more importantly, carrying less of a social stigma.
If condoms were available on campus, students could simply walk over to the condom box. Contraception is critical to protecting the sexual health of our campus.
By not endorsing contraception on campus, the university is implicitly siding with the Catholic Church and supporting abstinence only education.
The problem is that this alternative is a dangerous failure. A congressional study of all abstinence programs in the US found that students exposed to abstinence only education were just as likely to have sex than those who took comprehensive sex education.
Furthermore, they did not have less sexual partners on average.
The only difference was that they were significantly less likely to use effective contraception and more likely to experience unwanted pregnancy.
The university needs to abandon its support for a policy that does not work.
Finally, we need to understand and view this as a critical first step in starting a conversation about sex on this campus. For too long, Santa Clara University has fostered a culture of shame on campus.
When sexual violence and rape occur, instead of having an open and honest discussion, we sweep it under the rug. The university's main current resource for sexual health is Cowell, whose website reflects just how seriously this campus treats sexual health.
Half the links on the site don't work, and it lists sterilization as a major option for contraception. Unfortunately, we're not alone. According to a survey done by The Body: The Complete HIV/AID Resource website, only 16 Catholic colleges out of 133 reported making contraceptives available to students.
That's ridiculous, and it has to stop. By boldly making a statement on the side of sexual education and against sexual ignorance, Santa Clara University has a real chance to dramatically change not just this campus, but all Catholic campuses. Our university has historically stood as a progressive icon in the Jesuit community. In 1857, Santa Clara awarded the first bachelor's degree given in California. Santa Clara was the first Catholic university in California to admit both men and women.
When Santa Clara leads, Catholic schools follow. When Santa Clara leads, communities stand up. And when Santa Clara leads, the world listens.
Armand Domalewski is a junior economics major.
For safe sex, go to Safeway
Gabe Taylor
Despite the rapidly changing world that surrounds the campus, Santa Clara University still holds strong to Jesuit traditions and rules, especially when dealing with contraceptives. Although college is portrayed in movies and stories as being jam-packed with partying and sex, Santa Clara remains to be one of the many Jesuit – and Catholic – universities that do not have contraceptives available on campus.
And for a Catholic institution, that is the correct move. Of course ideological and religious values are the main reason behind the decision.
But it's important to look at it from another angle as well. It teaches students to be responsible. When we jump into life as a college student, we shop for groceries, we setup doctors' appointments, and we take full control of our lives.
What this also entails at Santa Clara is picking up condoms from an off-campus location, or traveling just a half of a mile to Planned Parenthood to receive a birth control prescription.
In a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2002, researchers found that only 16 out of the 133 Catholic colleges surveyed reported that contraceptives are made available on campus.
Since Santa Clara is considered a catholic institution, the school abides by the rules of the Archdiocese of San Jose, and, ultimately, the Vatican. According to Health Educator Alison Bateman, the reason lies primarily in the morality of the Catholic Church regarding premarital sex.
"There's no topic that's taboo, or something that we can't talk about; we cannot provide condoms," said Bateman, who runs the Wellness Center.
Cowell Health Center prescribes birth control to women for reasons unrelated to sex. Birth control is known for helping cure skin problems, specifically acne, in addition to other health related conditions. However, some students argue that women should have the choice of being put on birth control whether they are sexually active or not.
But Bateman feels that if the students are mature enough to engage in sexual activity, then they should be "taking the responsibility to go out and get condoms, get birth control" from sources outside of the Santa Clara health center.
Despite its inability to provide contraceptives to students, the university is allowed and encouraged to inform students on the matter of sex.
The Wellness Center, Cowell Health Center, Campus Ministry and Counseling and Psychological Services open their doors to students in need of guidance and information. Bateman is a strong believer in providing the students with all the necessary information they need to feel comfortable in a college environment.
"We want students to be as informed as possible and know about all the resources that are available to them whether they are on campus or not," said Bateman.
Safeway, 7-Eleven, and Planned Parenthood are all close by the campus, allowing students to easily access condoms and birth control if needed.
The Santa Clara Wellness Center releases a monthly pamphlet entitled "Potty Talk," as a way to inform students about both physical and emotional health.
In addition to the monthly newsletter that is placed in each residence hall bathrooms the Wellness Center has brochures readily available that cover a vast range of health issues.
"It's certainly not sufficient," said Bateman, explaining that she would like to reach the students in a more direct manner. "And that's part of why when we do sexual health education that we want to make it as personal as possible, including incorporating one's values into decisions about sexual activity."
Santa Clara still understands that sex is common on college campuses.
The university doesn't simply bundle the issue up and throw it in the closet.
"It's really important to find that balance between the catholic values and then being able to meet an individual's best needs for their health and wellness," said Bateman, adding that she urges students to explore their own values as well.
"There's a lot of passion around not just sex itself, but just the larger context around a person's values and relationships" said Bateman. "And I think that speaks to how important it is to be able to tend to the bigger picture with students, rather than only giving them basic information about sex."
What it comes down to is maturity. What it comes down to is making smart decisions.
If students are sexually active, having to go grab a pack of condoms off the shelf of a Safeway is in no way a difficult feat.
It shows responsibility.
After all, we are college students, and we need to begin preparing for the ever-imminent real world. Businesses don't include condoms in their benefits packages. And Santa Clara University should not have to provide them for its students either.
So be responsible, and realize that condoms are just like many things in life, important if not always as convenient as possible.
Gabe Taylor is a junior political science and communications double major and the editor of the Sports section of The Santa Clara.