Safe sex? U rated best in nation at promoting it

By Jeff Shelman, Star Tribune

Last update: September 12, 2007 - 10:53 PM

Emergency contraception, tests for sexually transmitted diseases, 10,000 free condoms and a walking condom-shaped mascot nicknamed Shady.

These are some of the reasons the maker of Trojan condoms ranked the University of Minnesota as first among 139 colleges and universities for sexual health on campus.

The company's second-annual survey took 11 factors into account, ranging from sexual health programming on campus to the availability of testing for STDs to the operating hours of the student health service and education about sexual assault.

Minnesota edged out the University of Wyoming for the top spot. At the bottom was Louisiana Tech University.

"This is the best news I've heard all day; I didn't know anything about it," said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, director of the University of Minnesota's Boynton Health Service. "We're No. 1 in something that's good."

Ehlinger called sexual health "one of the three or four biggies on a college campus." About two-thirds of students on campus are sexually active, he said. The university's philosophy has been to openly discuss the issues.

That's what brought Emily Matson and fellow students in SHADE (Sexual Health Awareness and Disease Education) to a campus concert on Friday.

When she handed out her freebies, Matson said, the looks on some of the freshmen's faces were "priceless."Some of these kids were like, 'I've never seen a condom in person in real life and someone's handing one to me,'" Matson said.

"They're definitely shocked, a lot of them. Their parents probably weren't expecting that when they sent their kids off to college."

SHADE members give presentations at residence halls and fraternity and sorority houses across campus, and Shady is a frequent visitor to campus events. "It's not the best costume in the world, but it gets the point across," Matson said. "It definitely invites people to be more open and come up and talk."

Jeff Shelman • 612-673-7478

Jeff Shelman • jshelman@startribune.com

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