First week for freshmen: prizes, pizza, pictures included

Alexandra Nicolas - Editor-in-Chief

Alexandra Nicolas – Editor-in-Chief

As an incoming freshman at Missouri Southern I spent the first week registering for drawings, eating lots of free pizza and getting handfuls of brightly colored condoms.

Now coming from a part of the country where our sexual education consisted of “Don’t have sex, you’ll get AIDS,” the openness on Southern’s campus was refreshing. (Almost as refreshing as the off-brand water-based lubricant they were handing out)

I’m sure that I wasn’t the only freshman experiencing the culture shock of going from an abstinence-only curriculum to a school where condoms are available in Cola, Banana, Strawberry, Orange, Chocolate, XXL, ultra-thin and tri-color. (Mostly in red, white and blue. God Bless America.)

I am glad to see an institution that is aware enough of human nature to understand that sex happens, but I was surprised to find out the number of options available right on campus. Southern’s health center offers free condoms, lubricant and instructions for use (pictures included) right inside the door as well as birth control pills for $20 plus the $35 cost of a physical examination. Depo Provera[registered trademark], or “the shot” and birth control patches are also available at a low cost for students.

I have always been a firm supporter of sexual awareness in America and I am impressed to see Southern’s commitment to the health and safety of its students. HIV testing at the student health center is free and confidential, and pregnancy testing is available for only $3.50. Emergency contraception such as the morning-after pill is also available on a one-time-only basis and a prescription is required.

Having sex is a choice that many college students make and it’s great to know that the safety of Southern students comes before the moral hang-ups that others may have.

Just as having sex is a personal choice so is the choice to wait, and to everyone who’s “worth waiting for,” be thankful you do not have to work through the vast options in condom colors.