Ellington

Though a recent study by Trojan implies sexual-health awareness at the UW is decreasing, students and staff seem to doubt the legitimacy of the study.

In the annual Sexual Health Report Card ranking sponsored by Trojan Condoms and conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces, the UW placed 91st out of 141 colleges in the United States.

This number demonstrates a significant decrease from the past two years. Between 2007 and 2008, the UW dropped from third place to 74th place and has since dropped 17 more places in the past year.

The ranking structure is based on 13 separate criteria, ranging from “student opinion of the health center” to “condom availability.” Each category receives a grade, all of which are combined to create an overall “GPA” that represents sexual health at the specific school. Despite the UW’s low ranking and 2.52 GPA, the results show eight “B’s,” three “C’s,” and only one “D” in student survey answers, and one “F” in availability of an anonymous sex-help hotline.

In a handout sent out to all ranked schools, Trojan expressed their reasons for conducting this annual study.

“America has poor sexual health, and the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card is another iteration of our efforts to raise awareness and spark conversation about the importance of sexual health,” the handout said.

However, Mark Shaw, UW director of health promotion, believes the survey to be subjective.

“I do not feel this survey is legitimate,” he said. “The same information was given [this year], and a vastly different ‘ranking’ resulted. That shows that the people interpreting the information at the other end, who would be different from year to year, respond differently to what’s given to them.”

Though one of the lowest scores was received in the “student survey” category, this score may not accurately represent the student body. Bert Sperling, founder of Sperling’s BestPlaces, explained the methods in acquiring survey responses.

“[The survey] was something new for us in the last two years,” Sperling said. “So that might be part of [the low ranking]. One thing I have noticed looking at the UW’s brief is that the overall student perceptions are not particularly great regarding the health center, for whatever reason.”

The survey, which was advertised through Facebook to each school on the report card, asked general questions regarding trust in the health center and knowledge of sexual-health services. However, only 75 students participated in the quiz about sexual health at the UW, Sperling said.

Despite the reported low opinions provided in the student survey, there is a myriad of opportunities to seek out sexual-health assistance. Through the University Health Education Leadership Program (UHELP), students can pay $15 for a membership card in the Condom Club and use the card up to 10 times, receiving five condoms per use. However, unlike schools such as Washington State University and Western Washington University, the UW does not offer free condoms on a consistently available basis.

Aside from the Condom Club, UHELP also offers presentations for any group that is interested, especially Freshman Interest Groups. During presentations, the group’s speakers discuss contraceptives and other areas of sexual health, as well as conducting an interactive game for students called “Condom Olympics,” which focuses on “contraceptives, their uses, effectiveness and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),” Shaw said.

Though normally a drop in ranking may represent a decrease in the efforts of sexual-health groups, UHELP peer health educator Will Kappes says the only change in the UHELP program is advertising.

“We have a Web site, and we just designed a poster that you can see on the door, and we’re getting T-shirts really soon,” he said. “So we’re getting advertising on the way. We actually do have committees as well: presentation, marketing and events committees.”

In regard to other categories that affect the UW’s ranking, Hall Health also offers STD testing for a fee, drop-in appointments, peer health educators, and a committee to prevent rape and sexual violence.

“A more objective instrument to use could be the National College Health Assessment (NCHA),” Shaw said. Though not specifically geared toward sexual health, the NCHA provides a more comprehensive survey, with approximately 245,000 students at 400 colleges and universities participating.

Reach contributing writer Kristen Steenbeeke at news@dailyuw.com.