Viki Muench | Staff Reporter
From Print [Nov. 18, 2014] | Legacy
The Lindenwood Student Government Association has reacted to the HIV scandal last year by passing the Condom Distribution Act of 2014, whose purpose is to adapt Lindenwood’s policies to distributing condoms on campus and therefore promoting safe sex.
Junior Senator Elizabeth Petersen proposed the bill and said, “once the news broke of this scandal the only thing that Lindenwood offered to its students was a free STD screening. Nothing more was given to the students to help prevent the spread, only help to those already affected.”
According to a survey that was given to 95 Lindenwood students, “82 percent of the student surveyed have been sexually active since coming to Lindenwood” and with 5 sexual partners being the average number, “13 percent do not use any forms of contraception.” One hundred percent of the students surveyed said that they would take more care of using protection if condoms were made available to them for free.
The approach to this issue and the result of this Act would be the allowance of free condoms available in the Student Health Clinic as well as with every RD in all dorms, and permit the distribution of condoms at campus events by organizations. The installment of dispensers in community bathrooms around campus would allow students to discreetly purchase condoms at a very low cost.
Petersen thinks that this change will benefit the general health of the student body and would help Lindenwood University to be “a proactive institution in the prevention against sexually transmitted diseases” and would promote “healthy safe sex among the students.” In her research, Petersen asked Lindenwood students about their stance on this matter and all of them expressed their approval. In the survey, OahSah Small said,“I think that making the contraception available on campus would show that we care about the overall health of our students. Sex will happen so let’s promote safe sex.”
Condom Committee will be established to organize events in this regard and will also be responsible for taking care of all the dispensers on campus. “Lindenwood University provides little to no awareness or protection in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases as well as unplanned pregnancies. Allowing access to condoms on campus will promote safe sex practices as well as lower the spread of STDs,” according to senator Petersen. “This proposal does not promote sexual behaviors but rather a healthy sexual lifestyle.”
The bill was officially passed by the LSGA and will be proposed to President James Evans and the administration on Nov. 21.
