The Game is three weeks away, but the University of Michigan has received some bragging rights a little early this year.
Trojan brand condoms recently released its 2012 Sexual Health Report Card. The study graded 141 universities on 11 categories of sexual information that student health centers presented to its students.
“We first started with the largest schools in the country because those are the ones that have the greatest impact on the students,” said research study leader Bert Sperling. “Then we also looked at the peers of those schools and used the notion of athletic conferences, because there would be some smaller schools that ordinarily wouldn’t make our list.”
The Buckeyes ranked No. 14 on the list, one behind the No. 13-ranked Michigan Wolverines. OSU rose 20 spots from its 2011 ranking at No. 34.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign topped the list, with Brown University at No. 2 and Columbia University at No. 3. The U.S. Air Force Academy was ranked last as No. 141.
However, Sperling said the study didn’t look at sexually transmitted disease or the amount of sexual activity.
“(We) look at is the amount of resources regarding sexual health information and the services that are provided by the student health centers for the students,” he said.
University health centers for students were evaluated on 11 separate areas, including contraceptive availability, on-site disease testing, sexual assault programs and overall usability and quality of the student wellness website.
“One area that we counted more significantly is looking at the information provided on the website, because a lot of students will get their information on the services and resources of the student health center website,” Sperling said.
Anna Gaser, a fourth-year in human development and family science, said OSU’s Student Wellness Center has provided her with useful information regarding sexual health.
“I took two sex classes, and the Student Wellness Center came and talked about all the stuff they do,” Gaser said. “I thought that was really interesting because then you have to take a test and you have to pass the test to pretty much show that you were paying attention.”
Other students also said they feel the Student Wellness Center has adequate health information that it presents in a variety of ways.
“They (Student Wellness Center) are very good with any type of resources … even if something is outside their realm,” said Lauren Phillips, a fourth-year in strategic communication. “They have all this information about classes and wellness for students that we can take or we can go to and they even have a Twitter.”
The OSU Student Wellness Twitter account @OSUwellness has about 630 followers. Sperling said it is important that students have multiple resources available to allow them to make the most informed sexual decisions.
“The thought is that students then can make their own best decisions on how to stay healthy in their sexual activity or they choose not to at all,” Sperling said. “It is completely up to them.”