East Carolinian

On April 24, Student Health Service is giving students the opportunity to get screened for free at "Barefoot on the Mall" day. McMillan said they will "pass out condoms, provide free blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol screenings. No STI screenings will be done at Barefoot and the only free test at Student Health Service is HIV.

Considering we're all (legally) adults here, it boggles my mind how poorly-educated many students on campus are about sexual health. Maybe it's because of our country's conservative abstinence-only sexual education in schools (which is obviously failing miserably), or maybe it's just that people don't recognize how big of an issue STD/STIs have become.

I have heard that on this campus, at least one out of every four students has an STD/STI. Considering how dangerous some of these infections are, that's a really scary thought. Trichomoniasis, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are all really easily treated, but can cause irreversible damage if left unattended. All can cause infertility in females, permanent damage to the cervix and uterus, and even death if untreated. Herpes, HPV, and HIV/AIDS are all viral and therefore incurable. HPV can cause cervical cancer, and HIV/AIDS almost always leads to death. Knowing how much of an impact these infections have, it amazes me that many students here are so likely to have unprotected sex with people they barely know! Do you want to eliminate your chances of ever having kids? Do you really want oozing blisters in your crotch? Do you want to die? If not, do you know what whoever you're sleeping with has? It's pretty likely in this day and age that they have something you don't want, so don't be stupid! Condoms are cheap - use them.