Sex. Making love. Fornication. Call it what you will, but college kids are ‘doin it.’ Even college kids who attend Catholic Universities are participating in this pre-marital activity.

The question is, are these Catholic college students well suited and prepared to be doing it safely?

For those of you who don’t know, condoms are not made available to us here on Fairfield’s campus.

According to a recent article in the Connecticut Post, out of the 230 Catholic campuses nationwide, only a handful of these schools have contraception available.

These colleges and universities also will not prescribe birth control to their female population who are seeking safer sex alternatives.

This, coupled with the fact that the Vatican denounces sexual activity prior to marriage, does not seem to stop college age students from having sex.

So what does this mean for our student population at Fairfield?

Are we, (those sexually active) as a student body, having unsafe sex that our school does not care to address?

It is not to say that the university should commend us for our sometimes hasty and other times thoughtful acts, but there should be support should we fall.

“I believe it is the students’ responsibility to keep themselves protected if they are choosing to have sex,” said a student who wishes to remain anonymous.

“The university is not ignoring the issue, but is standing firm, as it should in their traditional Catholic beliefs. Contraception is wrong in the eyes of the church.”

However, not everyone shares this opinion.

“Condoms should be available on campus,” said Lisa Porpora, ’03. “The university should be concerned with issues like STDs and safe sex instead of ignoring them. Like Marvin Gaye said, ‘Let’s get it on!'”

In a recent unofficial survey conducted in a sociology classroom, a professor asked his students if they thought a condom machine on campus would be a smart idea. More than half of the students in the class raised their hands, supporting the idea. It is safe to say that the student body is split in its beliefs to remedy the problem of premarital sex and probable devastating consequences.

One would think that the church would choose to support the use of contraception, rather than face the issues of unwanted pregnancies and even, in some cases, abortion.

The fact is, times are-a-changin, and these issues will continue to remain prevalent, even if they are not addressed by some Catholic communities.

Anne Cole from the Fairfield University Health Center did not return phone calls regarding this article.

It should be noted, however, that the health center is well equipped with pamphlets containing up to date information on issues such as STDs, condoms, and abstinence.

There is also a Women’s Health Clinic open two afternoons a week, which is strictly confidential.

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