For 10 years now, Trojan Brand Condoms has released a Sexual Health Report Card that ranks colleges and universities nationally on their sexual health. This year, the UA ranked No. 10.
The report card has changed over its 10-year life span. When it first launched in 2006, it reviewed the sexual health of 100 schools. Now, it looks at 140 schools.
A school’s ranking is based on a 4.0 point scale not unlike a real report cart. The average GPA at the beginning of this study in 2006 was a 1.9—this year, the national average GPA is a 3.0.
Schools earn their grade based on their performance in 11 categories: quality of sexual health information and resources on its website, contraceptive availability, condom availability, HIV testing on-site, STI testing, outreach programs and student peer groups for sexual health education, sexual assault programs, overall website usability and quality, hours of operation, drop-in availability or requiring appointments for student scheduling, and extra credit.
The Pac-12 Conference prevailed over other regions in the rankings, with four schools including the UA in the top 10.
“It’s great to see the Pac-12 dominating the top 10 for the second year in a row,” said Carrie Hardesty, a health educator at the UA Campus Health Service.
It’s not surprising that the UA did considerably well in Trojan’s ranking this year. Although the UA placed 10th overall, the school has fallen from fourth place the previous year.
Campus Health has programs like Free Condom Friday and SexTalk, which is a long -running paid sexual health advertising feature published weekly in partnership with the Daily Wildcat, along with providing a number for students to call a health educator if they have questions about sexual health. Campus Health holds a SexTalk week in February, where experts answer questions about sex on the UA Mall. It also houses the Oasis Program, which helps students with sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. The service also hosts talks at residence halls, fraternities and sororities.
The Campus Health Pharmacy offers students reduced prices on contraception and condoms. Condoms at the pharmacy are roughly $15 for 100. Most pharmacies charge around $50 for Plan B, but at the Campus Health Pharmacy, it’s only $35.
“Campus Health is a resource for students. It intends to meet their sexual health need[s],” Hardesty said, while listing the many sexual health facilities at the UA.
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