We found something FREE on campus that you should all know about!
The Student Health Center offers free sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing for undergraduate students. It’s FREE guys! It’s convenient, right here on campus for you all to have access to. Why wouldn’t you go?
Wait! Did you know?!
We asked and many students didn’t know the Health Center did such a thing. Out of the 20 students, only one knew of the STI testing that’s offered. About half of those students even said “yes” to going if they needed to. While doing research, it was presented that “one in two sexually active persons will contract an STI by age 25” (American Sexual Health Association).
A lot of the students we spoke to expressed how upset they were about this new information that was being exposed to them. When asking the question “should students be more informed” one sophomore male said, “why don’t they have posters around campus, there’s posters for everything else…”, another student, a senior female, said “I live close so I’ve always chose my home doctor, but what if someone’s from you know, like California, then they should be able to get help close by”.
Since you all asked, we found answers. The best way to have access to all of this important information is to visit the health center website. Inside their office there’s no pamphlets or poster hung for advertisement, but it does looks like a doctor’s office, which it basically is; the best part about it is we can find all of this help right here campus.
Not getting tested could be a public health risk, and no one wants that. Depending on the test there’s usually multiple ways to get it done. Like: 1) A mouth swab, 2) A urine test, 3) A blood test and 4) A physical exam. “STD testing is quick, easy, and it usually doesn’t hurt” (Planned Parenthood).
We have discovered that there are many people who want to make this information more clear and present to you. The University Student Senate has developed an initiative that will help topics like this become easier to talk about on our campus. While topics like this are not often talked about, they are important to the well-being of all of our students here on Hawk Hill.
Will you find yourself asking the Student Health Center for help if you need it?
