Results of the Student Assembly's BlitzMail poll sent to the entire sophomore class Friday regarding the increased availability of condoms on campus revealed most students are strongly in favor of increasing condom distribution and awareness of where to acquire condoms, according to Assembly member Prince Neelankavil '01.
Neelankavil is in charge of planning the distribution and increased awareness by the Assembly this summer. He said over 200 students responded to the poll -- 78 percent said they supported a condom awareness day, 14 percent said they were against it and 8 percent said they had no opinion about the matter. As for vending machines in bathrooms, 78 percent of respondents said they were in favor of it, and 13 percent said they were against it.
"Students responded pretty positively," he said.
Neelankavil said the poll was not geared toward individual opinions, but simply intended to give the Assembly some sense of how students feel about the idea and whether pursuing the project would be worthwhile.
Both ideas of installing more condom vending machines in residence hall bathrooms and holding a condom distribution and awareness day received considerable student support, he said. Summer Assembly President Jorge Miranda '01 said several students commented they would like to see the condoms free, as well as information on other contraceptive methods.
During the condom awareness day, which would take place either later this summer or during the Fall term, Neelankavil said students would learn about condom use as well as where to acquire condoms on and around campus.
Neelankavil said the next step involves discussing with the Office of Residential Life about implementing more vending machines in bathrooms, as well as calculating the costs of this undertaking.
In addition, he said he plans to start contacting condom manufacturers who would provide free condoms to be distributed during the planned condom awareness day.
The opinions of students interviewed by The Dartmouth largely corresponded with the results of the poll.
Josh Holman '01 said he believes increasing distribution and the availability of condoms by providing additional vending machines in bathrooms would be a good idea.
Holman said he thinks the Assembly should also be concerned with using its money in the most efficient way when deciding on ways to make condoms more available to students.
Marc Fenigstein '01 also said he thinks making condoms more readily available to students would be a benefit to the campus, especially if the condoms are relatively inexpensive. He said he also agrees with the idea of giving undergraduate advisors free condoms to distribute.
"Providing them free is a bad idea," Fenigstein said, citing the risk of tampering.
A large number of students, however, also said they were indifferent to the idea and felt it did not concern them very much.
"I don't think it's necessary," Melissa Alves '01 said. "I didn't think there would be any problem with getting condoms."
Alves said she thinks there are already enough condom vending machines available in the bathrooms of Mid Mass, the residence hall where she lives.
Like Alves, Brian Lavoie '01 said he thinks the project is unnecessary.
"I really don't care," he said.
Michael Holmes '01 expressed a similar opinion, saying while he understands how some students may regard increased condom availability as important, he is indifferent toward the issue.
Holmes said he wonders if working on awareness the increased availability of condoms is "the best thing the SA has to do with their time."
