When it comes to sexual health, Ohio University isn't quite making the dean's list ' at least not according to a recent ranking.
OU received a 3.18 GPA and ranked 30 of 139 schools graded in Trojan brand condoms' second annual Sexual Health Report Card.
Researchers polled student health centers across the country by e-mail and a written survey and reviewed their Web sites to assign a grade point average for sexual health resources across 11 categories, according to a Trojan news release.
While the survey provided Student Health Resources with some valuable feedback, researchers did not interview actual OU students, said Char Kopchick, director of the program.
The Trojan survey gave OU an A for its Web site, but Kopchick said the site is actually one of the program's weaknesses.
The program could improve through a more interactive site with increased communication from employees, she said.
The program received an F for the section rating anonymous advice, a concern Kopchick said has been discussed in the past.
We are considering implementing this feature
and in the mean time students are encouraged to e-mail any one of our staff for questions she said.
The program's Web site can be hard to access and is outdated, said Sally Neidhard, women's affairs commissioner for Student Senate.
Overall
we have a great program
it could just be improved by updates to the site that would make it more student-friendly
Neidhard said.
Peer-to-peer education programs and birth control distribution through the OU Latex League are strengths of the program, Kopchick said.
More than 80 people have signed up for the league in the past month, she said.
Kopchick said increased accessibility could also improve next year's ranking.
Part of what we pride ourselves on is that we're in Baker Center now
which is a very approachable place for students
Kopchick said.
The program ranks schools on several aspects of sexual health resources available to students, said Jim Daniels, the vice president of marketing at Trojan condoms.
The purpose of the survey is to increase America's sexual health awareness, which Daniels said is the worst in the Western world.
Sixty-five million Americans are currently afflicted with an incurable sexually transmitted infection, he said.
Our target audience is sexually active singles 18 and 24
and college is a place where consumers live; it seems very logical to take our message to where our target groups are
Daniels said.
OU could easily improve its ranking next year, as the highest-ranking University of Minnesota rose from 54 last year, Daniels said.
The health promotion office isn't giving up any time soon.
As for promotion
we can always have room for improvement
