<p>STDs are mostly an urban legend, but still around in the gay and minority communities.</p>
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</p>
<p>On a serious note, as someone who has bridged the gap between young and old sexwise, I can assuredly say that the sex has gotten worse in this generation.</p>
<p><aren't you="" a="" baby="" boomer="" too="" hh?=""></aren't></p>
<p>Absolutely--first wave. College 1967-1971. Ring side seat on the genesis of the stupidest generation.</p>
<p>I hope I live long enough to see my kids raise THEIR kids. My prediction is that they will be quite strict, given they have seen so much (my daughter tells me some stuff but I know that I don't know half of what goes on). I remember that when I was young, the parents who were the strictest had once been the wildest.</p>
<p>"STDs are mostly an urban legend, but still around in the gay and minority communities."</p>
<p>Don't sail much down that river in Egypt, do ya, Joev?</p>
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[quote]
At Penn state orientation students were told that 75% of student body has an STD.
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</p>
<p>See Marian's hypothesis about drinking. Penn State also has one of the highest surveyed binge drinking rates in the country. High 60 percent range, if I recall.</p>
<p>poetsheart, I really thought Joev made that crack to get a rise out of someone. However, if he meant to say HIV is more prevalent in the gay & minority communities than the general pop., he is correct. </p>
<p>The truth is, STDs are out of control everywhere. Imagine being plagued with herpes your entire life because of a stupid sexual encounter with a fellow drunk college student? Or a lifetime of heartbreaking infertility caused by chlamydia that went untreated because there were no symptoms? I wish I knew how to reach kids with these real concerns. They tend to feel invincible at that age.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ring side seat on the genesis of the stupidest generation.
[/quote]
LOL!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ring side seat on the genesis of the stupidest generation
[/quote]
My college years were 1974-1979 (I was slow), but I couldn't agree more.</p>
<p>I was an RA ('80-'82) in college at a large state university with a HUGE drinking culture -- the best school I could afford to put myself through. </p>
<p>Being an RA is one of the best jobs around for preparing to be a parent of teenagers! The stories I've been able to share...random sex, binge drinking, academic burnout, basic survival skills, self-destructive behavior, unplanned pregnancies, date rape... Unfortunately I got to witness all too much of this stuff and deal with the aftermath of same. </p>
<p>It certainly has promoted some interesting discussions with my teenage sons about personal morality and "what if" scenarios. Not so much to scare them, but to get them thinking about the consequences of behavior and how easy it can be to find oneself in a difficult situation. One can go off to college with a firm grasp of one's beliefs and values, but seeing others toss those values aside can be an upsetting experience.</p>
<p>Do student health centers require that kids go through some sort of sexual health ed before dispensing devices, pills, etc.? My school (I know, this was in the dark ages) made folks watch a video, which for many kids who never learned this stuff at home, was quite enlightening. On the other hand, once you jumped through that hoop, the health center folks provided an excellent, non-judgemental service. Do schools figure kids know this stuff already? Do the centers think it's too paternalistic a role for them to assume? Are the centers dispensing without lots of questions, thinking "at least the kid is trying to protect him/herself?"</p>
<p>Just curious as to how things have changed...</p>
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[quote]
Are the centers dispensing without lots of questions, thinking "at least the kid is trying to protect him/herself?"
[/quote]
I have a weekly breakfast with a group of 10 women. Most of us now have college aged children. This topic came up and to a one, in every school that our children attend, student health keeps a bowl of condoms in the waiting area for students to take as needed. I don't know about prescription treatments or methods. The only phone call one of my friends got from her son his first week of school was to excitedly tell her about the free condoms. When she questioned him as to if he thought he would be needing these, his reply was that he really didn't know---but they were FREE!</p>
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<blockquote> <p>...as someone who has bridged the gap between young and old sexwise...<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>joev--would your explanation of this be interesting reading???</p>
<p>When she questioned him as to if he thought he would be needing these, his reply was that he really didn't know---but they were FREE! ;)</p>
<p>my daughters dorm had a bowlful in the ( co-ed) bathroom freshman year- I think sophmore year too
Personally- I wouldn't trust them- who knows how old they are?</p>
<p>Good point EK--or tampered with?</p>
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[quote]
...who knows how old they are?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think if they crumble into a puff of dust when you open one, they are less effective. Wasn't that in a scene from a movie? Was it Grease?</p>
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<p>I wouldn't trust them- who knows how old they are?</p>
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<p>My experience with those bowls of free condoms is that turnover is very, very rapid. At any rate, good brands have expiration dates stamped on each one, not just on the box.</p>
<p>It's a crying shame IMHO that colleges are in a position of having to deal with student ignorance because for so many kids, neither high schools nor parents are telling them what they need to know. 18 is way, way too late for sex ed, and that's true even at nerd schools like the ones I attended, never mind Penn State.</p>
<p>Requiring annual STD tests along with Pap smears wouldn't be a bad idea for colleges, though. At least then you can identify the kids who really need counseling.</p>
<p>thanks for the info Hanna-
I don't even know- cause my H got fixed-
that is a good idea for the std tests- but there must be a lot of things to test for-like chlamydia which does't even have any symptoms does it?</p>
<p>There are new "one-swab" pcr tests that you can test for a multitute of organisms with one Q-tip swab. I am sure these are avail at student health clinics and planned parenthood. Used to be that at student health clinics and PP, if you went in for a pap or for OCP's, etc, you were automatically screened for GC and Chamydia. Now, HPV testing is nearly routine at similar centers, and with the check of a pen, HSV, syphyllis, and a variety of other infections can be tested for. Unfortunately, with each organism selected, there is a fee, so testing for 6 things is 6 times the cost as testing for one.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Requiring annual STD tests along with Pap smears wouldn't be a bad idea for colleges, though. At least then you can identify the kids who really need counseling.
[/quote]
For those of us who choose to not have sex, would you still recommend it? I cannot even have Pap smears done... being quite stubborn, I would certainly refuse to submit to that and STD testing.</p>
<p>ellemenope: Yeah, my life would make a decent book and an even better reality show.</p>
<p>Aries: Are you never going to have sex again? You are missing out on a great stress reliever, and a nice release!</p>
<p>Joev, were you just kidding in post #21, or did you really mean: "STDs are mostly an urban legend, but still around in the gay and minority communities."?</p>
<p>AA--I agree with your point entirely. Menegitis vaccine is one thing; students living in a dorm have to breathe common air. But the idea of mandatory STD testing, or Pap smears, is chilling, to me. Choosing sexual behavior is voluntary, and it is up to each student to protect him/herself, not for the school to test and certify.</p>