It is very obvious that Buffalo State College is big on safe sex and making sure that it’s students have access to not only the knowledge but also to the tools of how to practice safe sex and prevent the spread of STDs through the many campus events that have been created to inform students on both STDs and preventative measures. As a Buffalo State College student I have gone to many programs and events in which they’ve thrown condoms in to the audience, or have had baskets of condoms and pamphlets ready at hand for anyone who wanted to take one. There is also free condoms and pamphlets located in the Weigel Health Center for students to come and take them as they please. With all this opportunity, access, and knowledge provided to us on how to take safe steps towards preventing STDs it is actually interesting to find out the views of students on campus when it comes to safe sex and the ever so common one night stands that occur frequently amongst many college students.
With meeting new people, going out to parties, and being introduced to many new things once placed in a college setting it is not surprising that sex and STDs become a big factor in the lives of college students. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, “nearly half of the 19 million new STDs each year are among young people aged 15–24 years” and with the majority of college students being between the ages of 18 and 24 and being in such close proximity to one another and possibly having the same sexual partners on campus it is not surprising that the spread of STDs often occur. A lot of the time the partying aspect of college mixed with alcohol and sometimes drugs is a leading factor in one night stands and college students not using safe sex. A male student here at Buffalo State College, who wanted to remain anonymous, stated “safe sex is important because in college people tend to have multiple sex partners in a short time, and that can easily aid the spread of an STD, so the best way to avoid that is to strap up with a condom.” When asked his views on one night stands he replied, ” with one night stands, it satisfies sexual needs that we as college students crave on those drunk college nights.” When asked if he’d ever had a one night stand he responded “yes”.
It is more common then not that as a college student you will face at least one experience involving being placed in a situation where you have to decide whether you will or will not have sex or safe sex or even a one night stand. A Junior here at Buffalo State by the name of David Dyson explained “one night stands are bound to happen on campus, especially when alcohol is involved so as long as you are being safe and don’t make it a habit with many different people it’s ok to a point” but other students such as, Juniors, Alexis Close and Melissa Wasserman see one night stands as “not a good idea ever” and “stupid”. You also have those students such as a male here at Buffalo State that wished to remain anonymous that boldly state, “yes I’ve had a one night stand and yes I’ve had unprotected sex and it was great.”
It is very obvious that opinions and views on one night stands and STDs amongst college students are bound to be torn because everyone has their own belief and views on what is appropriate or not appropriate when it comes to sex and STD prevention. You can only hope that people are wise enough to openly have conversations with their sexual partners about their sexual history and that they frequently get tested and that if they decide to have one night stands they take the extra step of being prepared by having condoms to prevent the spread of STDs. One extra step when dealing with sex, STDs, and one night stands can really go a long way.
Links/Sources:
Image- http://media.photobucket.com/image/sex/lewdbehavior/couple-having-sex.jp…
Center for Disease Control and Prevention- http://www.cdc.gov/family/college/