LSU is getting it up in the rankings.
The University has ranked of the most sexually healthy schools in the nation, according to a recent study by Trojan Condoms.
The University was ranked No. 29 among more than 100 American schools. LSU and Tulane University were the only Louisiana schools ranked in the top 50, while others like the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Louisiana Tech University ranked among the least sexually healthy.
The most sexually healthy schools included Columbia University, Princeton University and the University of Florida.
Information from different schools' health centers were gathered to compile the rankings, and criteria included the availability of quality health centers, contraceptives and sexually transmitted disease testing sites on campus, among other factors.
The LSU Student Health Center has extensive sexual education available to students, said Kathy Saichuk, Health Promotion coordinator.
Saichuk said the Health Center's goal is to dispel sexual myths and other misconceptions so students can make informed decisions about sex.
"Students aren't as well informed as they should be," Saichuk said. "We want them to practice safer sex. Any sexual situation presents risks, so safe sex isn't possible, but safer sex is."
She said the center's health promotion department tries to educate students as early as possible. The department is involved in orientation sessions so potential students can learn about sexual health before they begin college.
The center caters much of its sexual health promotions toward freshmen, when many of them are free from their parents' beliefs and are able to form their own, Saichuk said.
"For many students, freshman year is the first time leaving home," she said. "College is a time to broaden paradigms."
The center tries to make learning about sex comfortable for students, offering anonymous advice over the phone and e-mail or face-to-face counseling, Saichuk said.
She said the Health Center emphasizes that students are in control of their sexuality and can find their niches on campus if they want to abstain from sexual activity, reminding students that not everyone is having sex.
"We want students to have pertinent evidence-based information in order to make the healthiest choice possible," Saichuk said. "We are sexual beings, and sexual health is one aspect of total wellness for us."
Saichuk said the center does a good a job of promoting sexual health but can always improve. One of the center's more recent initiatives is spreading awareness of programs and information sessions through Facebook.
The reason LSU ranked higher on Trojan's list than other Louisiana institutions may be because LSU is the flagship university and has more funding, Saichuk said.
But she said many of the lower-ranked schools are in the "Bible Belt" of America where cultural and religious beliefs often discourage sexual education.
"We are fortunate to have had resources and an open-minded administration," she said. "The University is supportive of sexual education."
Jordan Brown, communication studies sophomore, said the University is more tolerant than other Louisiana schools, but she has not noticed much promotion of sexual health on campus.
"A lot of people don't wear condoms and don't care," Brown said. "People are more concerned with not getting pregnant than avoiding STDs."
The University should try harder to educate students about sexual health, especially because HIV rates are higher in the South, said Nikolai Illin, accounting freshman.
"I haven't seen much promotion [of sexual health]," Illin said. "People like to party here, so they should do more."
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Contact Brian Sibille at bsibille@lsureveille.com
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