“Sex is a healthy thing,” OU school nurse Martha Dodd said.
The Kinsey Institute reports that 89 percent of males and 92 percent of females have had sex by the time they are 24 years old.
“College students are at the height of their physical wellness,” Dodd said. “However, there should be a level of responsibility.”
While sex may a taboo subject to talk about, sophomore Resident Assistant Adam Henn says people need to talk about it.
“It shouldn’t be repressed,” Henn said. “People should be open to talking about it because it is human nature.”
An article in the 2010 Journal of Sexual Medicine said no one can act ignorant when it comes to talking about the topic of sex with adolescence.
“We cannot withhold information from children, adolescents or adults, live in silence about this taboo subject and expect everything to turn out all right,” former Surgeon General, M. Joycelyn Elders wrote in this article. “We have tried ignorance and it does not work.”
Henn made an informational bulletin board in Martin Hall to educate residents about the risk factors of having unsafe sex and how to properly use a condom.
Henn said some people weren’t open to the idea of having safe sex as a subject of the bulletin board, but he wanted to educate those who needed it.
“It is tough to make everyone happy,” Henn said. “I’m just trying to look out for the people who could be taking part in risky behavior and try to prevent bad situations.”
Dodd said students should be wise about when they have sex, such as after a night of drinking.
“When you drink, it decreases your ability to make smart, social decisions,” Dodd said. “You don’t think about consequences.”
Dodd said while young people are going to be together, they need to be prepared to protect themselves.
“Sexual relations are a good part of a relationship,” she said. “Guys and girls are going to be together. They just need to be cautious.”
The Kinsey Institute found that 45 percent of men and 38.7 percent of women ages 18 to 24 say they have used a condom in the past 10 vaginal intercourse acts.
Henn said he thinks it is important for students to know about protection because sex can have consequences.
“I think it should be practiced safely because diseases can be spread very quickly and unplanned pregnancies can be prevented,” Henn said.
Dodd said when two people consent to sex, each person is sleeping with everyone their partner has slept with.
“Couples can pass around STDs when they are having sexual relations outside of an exclusive relationship,” she said. “If you are in a healthy, exclusive relationship, there is time to discuss things like STDs and protection,” Dodd said.
The Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment published the state’s STD rates in a June 2010 report.
The report found that from January to June 2010 there were 4,817 reported cases of Chlamydia, 1,002 reported cases of gonorrhea and 43 reported cases of early syphilis.
Of these numbers, there were 38 Chlamydia and 4 gonorrhea cases that were reported in Franklin County. There were no reported cases of syphilis.
Dodd said while not all symptoms of STDs are evident; there are ways to prevent contracting STDs by just looking.
“Before you go to bed with someone, turn the light on and explore,” Dodd said. “Look for sores, warts and other things that do not look normal.”
The Center for Disease Control says not all warning signs for STDs can be seen right away, some can take many years before there are symptoms.
The CDC also says there are many undetected symptoms of non-curable diseases like genital herpes and HIV.
Dodd said people showing symptoms have an option for receiving treatment.
“If you have symptoms, you can walk in to any health department in Kansas and be treated,” Dodd said.
To be tested for STDs, free condoms and birth control, the Franklin County Health Department is located at the Franklin County Annex, 1418 S. Main St., Suite 1.
Free condoms are also available in the OU nurse’s office in Mowbray Union.