Stanford University is not STD-free zone

By Cassidy Deline
Staff Writer The Stanford Daily
Wednesday, April 27, 2005


When that pick-up line finally works, contracting a sexually transmitted disease is likely to be the last thing on students? minds. Perhaps this is the problem. Medical professionals are increasingly concerned about the rise in people afflicted with sexually transmitted diseases, especially in genital warts, herpes and chlamydia.
Nationwide, it is estimated that one out of every four potential sexual partners is likely to have a sexually transmitted disease. One in 500 is likely to carry HIV.

While Stanford keeps no statistics due to confidentiality, Vaden Student Health Center estimates the Stanford population to be on track with national norms.

?People assume Stanford students to be more educated, but that doesn?t necessarily correlate to practice,? said senior Cat Alquero, who works at the Sexual Health Peer Resource Center at Vaden.

Still many students assume that the Stanford bubble is more-or-less a STD-free zone.

?I think there is this conception that Stanford is somehow safer because of this mentality that everyone is smart and well-educated,? freshman Jess Schafer said. ?There is also the sense that there is less dating, less sex and therefore less STDs.?

However, less dating does not necessarily mean less sexual activity among those who are sexually active, just a lack of monogamy.

In fact, Donnovan Somera Yisrael, a sexual health educator with Health Promotion Services, also a part of Vaden, points out that fewer relationships often leads to more partners, potentially increasing the likelihood of contracting a disease.

However, according to Yisrael, it does not matter if you do not know your partner?s last name, if he or she is drunk or sober or your third partner that week, as long as proper precautions are taken.

Biologically ? psychological ramifications aside ? you are safer hooking up with multiple people if you consistently and successfully use condoms than if you are in a monogamous relationship for years without being tested, he said.

?It has nothing to do with how the hook-up happens,? Yisrael said. ?An STD has nothing to do with whether it?s a random hook up or your husband of 20 years. All we care about, from a biological sense, is whether people are using protection.?

Condoms are the first recommendation for protecting yourself from STDs, or now commonly referred to as STIs, since many ailments take the form of infections. Alternatives include abstinence or monogamy in conjunction with testing.

?The most effective way to stop STDs is the using contraception,? Alquero said. ?If we want to reduce the rate of STDs we need to increase education on contraception and de-stigmatize any negative perceptions that may exist about using protection.?

While condoms are a student?s best weapon against STDs, many still hook up worry-free, believing they are protected by the common birth control pill.

?I think that people are more worried about pregnancies than STDs,? senior Kate Berglund said. ?So if they are on birth control and drunk they don?t really think about it.?

Yisrael agreed that students focus more on the threat of pregnancy that contracting chlamydia.

?There is the idea that no matter who you are you can get somebody pregnant, but with STDs people think of it differently,? he said. ?You think you know the person; they are a Stanford student; you know what car they drive, what frat they are in and feel safer with them and feel less of a need to use a condom.?

No matter how well students may think they know their partners, Somera emphasized the importance of being tested regularly.

Students have two options: either confidential, comprehensive screening through medical services at Vaden or anonymous HIV testing upstairs in the SHPRC through the HIV*PACT program. Health Promotion Service also offers individual consultations to discuss concerns about sexual health and relationships in a confidential environment.