When I was a freshman, I lived in Aubie Hall. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Auburn’s campus, Aubie Hall is a co-ed dorm building in the Village for honors college students. There are eight dorms that make up the Village community; three are coed, three are sorority halls, one is female only, and one is male only. Now, what sold me on these dorms was the amazing layout. It’s an apartment-style dorm with four private bedrooms, two private bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a small living room. Amazing, right?! But wait, there’s more! Apparently, the people that live in Auburn’s dorms are also the morally superior part of Auburn’s student body. You know, the kinds of kids that would never drink or smoke or fornicate without a marriage certificate that means their orgasms are no longer sinful.
Or so I thought.
Or so I thought.
Apparently, making Auburn a dry campus won’t stop students from sneaking alcohol into their dorms. Making Auburn a smoke-free campus won’t stop students from smoking, whether it’s cigarettes or a more organic substitute. And banning overnight visitors of the opposite sex from dorms won’t stop students from hooking up in them. Apparently, genitals, hands, and mouths don’t stop working at sunrise, and same-sex hookups are actually a thing. Oh, and students are also probably not going to listen to rules that treat them more like children and less like the young adults we actually are. In case you haven’t already drawn that conclusion on your own.
So, upon realizing that students are going to have sex whether or not the old men that run this college like it, I say to my naïve, freshman self, “Hey, self, why are there virtually no places on campus students can get condoms? If people are having sex, they should be able to do so safely, right?” So, I decided I’d help make a change. One day, our dining hall’s convenience store had a suggestion list for students to write down things that it currently didn’t carry, but should in the future. And I, naturally, wrote down “condoms.”
That’s when all hell broke loose.
The next few days, I would pass by the list and see supporters circle and underline my suggestion, while detractors would either cross it out or write something like “NO!” or “LOL” next to it. I’m assuming the latter happened because (as you all know), condoms are obviously both evil and hilarious. Or, at least, that’s what some of my peers would have you think.
But you know what? That’s simply not true. Sex can be awesome, and condoms can actually make it even better.
Sex with the right person(s) in the right circumstances can be a wonderful thing, so long as all parties involved are safe and able to consent to everything that’s happening to them. One thing that can ensure the safety of all sex partners is the proper and effective use of birth control, including condoms. They aren’t going to lead to the moral degradation of our student body, and their existence definitely won’t make students start having sex left and right. Actually, increased access to condoms on campus allows Auburn’s students to be more responsible and respectful to both themselves and their partners. And fortunately, Auburn is starting to see that.
Now I am in my junior year, and still a resident of Aubie Hall. However, I am happy to say that things are slowly changing since my freshman year. For example, the convenience store in my dining hall now carries condoms. Also, Auburn’s GSA began holding an informational panel in my dorm where residents can ask some of Auburn’s LGBT* students about their experiences, which allows students to see representations of sexualities and gender identities that are outside the heteronorm. Finally, I even have the pleasure of being able to say that my dorm will now be holding an event on safe sex with free condoms for residents!
Nevertheless, Auburn still has a long way to go if they wish to become a college that acknowledges that the sexual health of their students is a pretty big deal. Male condoms can only do so much, and it is crucial that Auburn begin to offer female condoms, dental dams, and similar items in order to meet the safe sex needs of all students. Auburn could also have more information readily available on ALL the kinds of birth control available for use, including hormonal contraception and implants. Hopefully, the campus environment will progress as the student body does, but in the meantime, for more information on different methods of birth control, feel free to check out Planned Parenthood. Information on dental dams and female condoms can be found here and here, and for free male condoms, feel free to either shoot me a message or contact Auburn's Women's Resource Center, which also has them available as well.
-Sami Lee
So, upon realizing that students are going to have sex whether or not the old men that run this college like it, I say to my naïve, freshman self, “Hey, self, why are there virtually no places on campus students can get condoms? If people are having sex, they should be able to do so safely, right?” So, I decided I’d help make a change. One day, our dining hall’s convenience store had a suggestion list for students to write down things that it currently didn’t carry, but should in the future. And I, naturally, wrote down “condoms.”
That’s when all hell broke loose.
The next few days, I would pass by the list and see supporters circle and underline my suggestion, while detractors would either cross it out or write something like “NO!” or “LOL” next to it. I’m assuming the latter happened because (as you all know), condoms are obviously both evil and hilarious. Or, at least, that’s what some of my peers would have you think.
But you know what? That’s simply not true. Sex can be awesome, and condoms can actually make it even better.
Sex with the right person(s) in the right circumstances can be a wonderful thing, so long as all parties involved are safe and able to consent to everything that’s happening to them. One thing that can ensure the safety of all sex partners is the proper and effective use of birth control, including condoms. They aren’t going to lead to the moral degradation of our student body, and their existence definitely won’t make students start having sex left and right. Actually, increased access to condoms on campus allows Auburn’s students to be more responsible and respectful to both themselves and their partners. And fortunately, Auburn is starting to see that.
Now I am in my junior year, and still a resident of Aubie Hall. However, I am happy to say that things are slowly changing since my freshman year. For example, the convenience store in my dining hall now carries condoms. Also, Auburn’s GSA began holding an informational panel in my dorm where residents can ask some of Auburn’s LGBT* students about their experiences, which allows students to see representations of sexualities and gender identities that are outside the heteronorm. Finally, I even have the pleasure of being able to say that my dorm will now be holding an event on safe sex with free condoms for residents!
Nevertheless, Auburn still has a long way to go if they wish to become a college that acknowledges that the sexual health of their students is a pretty big deal. Male condoms can only do so much, and it is crucial that Auburn begin to offer female condoms, dental dams, and similar items in order to meet the safe sex needs of all students. Auburn could also have more information readily available on ALL the kinds of birth control available for use, including hormonal contraception and implants. Hopefully, the campus environment will progress as the student body does, but in the meantime, for more information on different methods of birth control, feel free to check out Planned Parenthood. Information on dental dams and female condoms can be found here and here, and for free male condoms, feel free to either shoot me a message or contact Auburn's Women's Resource Center, which also has them available as well.
-Sami Lee