DU leapt to fifth place from 73rd in Trojan Condoms’ annual ranking of the sexually healthiest colleges this year, according to a report done and issued by the company.
Trojan used 13 criteria in its 2008 ranking. Some of the categories were condom and contraceptive availability and use, HIV and STD/STI testing, sexual assault programs and lecture/outreach programs.
Improved functionality of the DU Health and Counseling Cent’s Web site, condom distribution, and an additional hour of operation at the health center may be reasons for DU’s jump in rank, according to Katie Dunker, health promotions coordinator at the center.
The coming together of a peer health education group, DU Peer Educators (DUPE’d), over the past year may have also elevated DU in the rankings, Dunker said.
“DUPE’d is a pretty young group,” said Cori Lohss, the student coordinator for the Peer Health Education Pogram, “we weren’t even really solidified as a group until last year.”
DUPE’d sexual health efforts include making condoms fun and easily available to students. The group is known for distributing condom “roses” to students around Valentine’s Day, said Lohss.
“The way we present [condoms] makes it easy for students to take them,” Lohss said.
Improvements in sexual assault programs on campus may also have pushed DU into the top five, Dunker said.
“In terms of sexual assault programming on campus, it’s gotten much better,” said Dunker. Access to the Sexual Assault Survivors Advocate Network (SASA) hotline, available 24/7 during the school year, is one of the improvements.
Trojan’s Report Card is a yearly ranking of 139 colleges in each state and athletic conference. It is part of Trojan’s Evolve campaign, which aims to get Americans to pledge they will use a condom every time.
Started in 2006, the Report Card evaluates accessibility of sexual health information and resources to students.
Trojan added one category to its 2008 Report Card, student opinion of their health center.
The schools ahead of DU in the ranking were Stanford University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and the University of Iowa. The bottom ranking school was DePaul University.
