Thursday, October 7, 2010
Sexual Health College Rankings
Methodology: To develop this year's rankings, researchers at Sperling's BestPlaces analyzed data from campus health centers and student opinion polls across 12 separate categories. Based on this analysis, each category was assigned a letter grade and a cumulative GPA was calculated, based on a four point scale.
Sexual Health Report Card Categories:
- Health center hours of operation
- Availability of patient drop-in vs. appointment only
- Availability of separate sexual awareness program
- Contraceptive availability and cost
- Condom availability and cost
- HIV testing, cost and locality (on- vs. off-campus)
- Other STI testing, cost and locality (on- vs. off-campus)
- Availability of anonymous advice via email / newspaper column
- Existence of lecture / outreach programs
- Existence of student peer groups
- Availability of sexual assault programs
- Website usability and functionality
The Top 25 Sexually Healthy Colleges are:
- Columbia
- Michigan State
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Brown
- Iowa
- Orgeon
- Princeton
- Rutgers
- Minnesota
- Western Michigan
- Cornell
- Yale
- Penn State
- West Virginia
- Harvard
- Florida
- Florida Atlantic
- Purdue
- Louisiana-Monroe
- Pittsburgh
- Texas
- UConn
- Rice
- Kansas
The 10 Sexually Unhealthiest Colleges are:
141. Idaho
140. BYU
139. DePaul
138. Marshall
137. Chicago State
136. Auburn
135. Alabama
134. Louisiana-Lafayette
133. Louisiana Tech
132. Notre Dame
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2010/10/sexual-health.html
Comments
Since approximately one-third of BYU students are married, and since even a married Casper Milquetoast gets sex more often than the most ambitious rake, I'd say that BYU's sexual health--and activity--would stand a very good chance of being first in the nation.
Married people tend to like the pill, however. Trojan obviously wouldn't want to consider that.
Posted by: mac | Oct 8, 2010 6:09:35 PM
I love it. BYU is "unhealthy". Yeah, right. I think you need to take the source of the information with a grain of salt.
However, the school is rather reticent to disclose its statistics, but I'd be curious to know them in light of this "survey". I remember asking a counselor how many suicides they have, and he said "zero" in a weird tone of voice that gave me to understand he was lying. So in order to find out how BYU compared in a number of categories, I arranged to go on a ride along with campus police as a part of a creative dating contest. Those who enforce the law like to communicate to their public the problems they have to deal with and, in my experience, more open. I asked the officer lots of questions to which he gave candid replies. And yes, there were more than zero suicides annually. Drug usage was about average, but skewed on certain kinds of drugs. Gays tried to solicit in restrooms. So on the issue of STDs, I don't know how it would fall out, but I'm certain BYU is much healthier than second to last place, simply because of its demographic: mostly (99%) Mormon, with abstinence required prior to marriage.
I think Trojan's metrics go for everything but the one that counts. They have an interest in facilitating sex. So take it for what its worth.
Posted by: BYU Alum | Oct 8, 2010 11:39:25 AM
BYU being next to last proves that the methodology is horribly flawed. I bet BYU has fewer STDs, unwanted pregnancies, sexual assaults, etc. than just about any campus in America. Obviously, to the people at Trojan, "sexual health" doesn't actually mean "health," but, rather, the freedom to engage in any sexual practice you want, no matter how potentially unhealthy, with facilities in place to clean up the mess you make.
Posted by: Vinnie | Oct 8, 2010 7:42:48 AM
I agree Xixi. As a BYU alum, I'm a bit disappointed it's not last.
Posted by: Scott | Oct 8, 2010 7:39:08 AM
The availability of those resources is great--but I want to see what the percent of STDs to student population is. Resources are nothing if they don't succeed in actually keeping people healthy.
Posted by: MJ | Oct 8, 2010 7:23:29 AM
Well, since Utah has some of the lowest STD rates in the nation, and Utah County -- where BYU is located -- has some of the lowest rates in the state, I don't think "sexual health" means what the makers of Trojan condoms think it means.
Posted by: Captain Holly | Oct 8, 2010 7:12:15 AM
Not sure there's much correlation between that and #of STDs either.
Posted by: Xixi | Oct 8, 2010 5:49:47 AM
"Orgeon" -- Freudian slip?
Posted by: Bob | Oct 8, 2010 8:24:45 PM