Early Winter term, one male freshman had a sobering experience on a frat row dance floor. "I'm dancing with this girl at a party, starting to feel the music, things get going a little, next thing I know we're making out on the dance floor," he said. "I went to lunch the next day with my friends, and behind me I hear this group of upperclassmen girls saying that my dance partner was cute, but it was too bad that she had an STI. That really scared me." Through the grapevine he found out that she had scabies, and began researching the disease. He discovered that it could have been transmitted through prolonged skin-to-skin contact or orally. He has not been tested, and is waiting to see if he will get symptoms. "If we didn't have sex, I assumed I couldn't get it," he said.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Report, there were 19 new reports of AIDS, 1,842 reports of Chlamydia, 177 cases of gonorrhea, 27 new cases of HIV and 30 new reports of hepatitis B in New Hampshire in 2005. Of those chlamydia cases, 108 were in Grafton county alone. Only patients who get tested and test positive for the disease are included in these figures, so they could underestimate the number of infected individuals.
"An STI is a private thing. The only people who are going to know for sure are healthcare providers [after someone has been tested]" Sexual Education Peer Advisor Grace Chua '07 said. While the county seems like a broad population to sample, it is likely that STDs are more prevalent among undergraduates our age, as two thirds of all STDs occur in people 25 years of age or younger. Even more sobering is that by the age of 24, one in three sexually active people will have contracted an STD, according to the American Health Association.
Yes, it's the Valentine's season and love is in the air. And, if you're one of the lucky Dartmouth students out there, love may also be between the sheets, in a secluded Wilson Hall bathroom stall or on President Wright's lawn (perhaps the most challenging of the venerated Dartmouth Seven). Yet in this season of love and capricious physical passion, sexual safety should be of chief concern. And while some students may feel that their genitals are simply invincible (or infallible, according to some pompous gentlemen), unfortunate consequences can result from a lack of due caution. Dartmouth, it's time to have a fireside chat about our persistent nemeses: sexually transmitted infections. So put on your weekly Mirror Thinking Caps of Social Awareness -- it's time to talk.
Most Dartmouth students likely had adequate exposure to lessons about sexual health in their high school health classes, and many students feel they have adequate knowledge to address the problem.
However, Chua said Dartmouth students don't always employ safe sex practices. Many previous issues of every publication on campus have made references to the "hookup culture" here at Dartmouth. Whether this refers to sexual activity or more innocent lip-locking is ambiguous and varies from person to person. For those who think some form of penetration is the perfect finale to a romantic night out at the frats (the scents of urine and stale beer have been used as aphrodisiacs for centuries), there are some ways to make the night even more enjoyable: ensure that your reproductive organs remain blissfully ignorant to the ugly, genital-corrupting influence of infection.
Jokes aside, STDs are a real problem, but few Dartmouth students care to recognize the issue every time they eye a potential lover on the dance floor. Sure, STDs are out there, but they're somewhere in the back of the collective undergraduate mindset. "I think people have an it's-not-going-to-happen-to-me mentality," Chua said. Incurable STDs, such as human papilloma virus and HIV, are also risks of which students should be aware.
"Every Dartmouth student should get tested for peace of mind. It's always an available resource at Dick's House," Chua added.
There are some certain caveats to the adventurous, especially women, who are more susceptible to certain STDs such as chlamydia. According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "Because the cervix (opening to the uterus) of teenage girls and young women is not fully matured, they are at a particularly high risk for infection if sexually active." Some diseases are spread during oral sex and skin-to-skin contact, so vaginal sex is not the only method of transmission. Since a large number of STDs can be transmitted by oral or anal sex, homosexual couples are just as much at risk for infection. If there is anything that can unite this diverse student body, from the Dartmouth Review to the Free Press, it is our common susceptibility to STDs. Who ever said solidarity was just a dream?
Of course, abstinence is perfectly effective. However, to those to whom it is an irresistible hobby, sex's pleasures seem to outweigh its risks. The good news is that this behavior is perfectly healthy. "We help Dartmouth students realize and acknowledge that they're all sexual beings, whether they want to abstain, be monogamous, or have casual sexual activity," Chua said. "Have safe sex and you'll be fine. Play it safe."
With this in mind, it's normal to explore and experiment, but best done with the proper precautions. So whether you're bumping uglies in the Tower Room or mashing moisties at the BEMA, be safe this Valentine's season.
