UW, WSU drop in sexual health rankings
Nov 1, 2012, 8:03 AM | Updated: 9:04 am
The UW and WSU both get high grades for availability of contraceptives and other areas but lower marks for availability of other services in new rankings of sexual health on college campuses. (AP file photo)
(AP file photo)
A new report card by the maker of Trojan condoms says both the University of Washington and Washington State University have fallen in its annual rankings of sexual health.
The seventh annual study, conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces, is aimed at calling attention to the state of sexual health on campuses nationwide by ranking them according to accessibility of sexual health resources and information available to students.
The UW fell 15 places from last year, ranking of 53 out of 141 participating schools. WSU slipped to 94th, dropping 17 spots from last year. The drops reflect recent budget cuts for health education programs, the UW Daily reports.
“Sometimes it can be useful to see what other schools are doing,” said study lead Bert Sperling. “Having done the study for seven years, I think that a lot of [the value of] it is the light we’re shining on these aspects of schools… For us it’s pretty powerful stuff that we can empower students to make a positive change.”
Sperling gave the UW a top score of “A” in the contraceptives category, saying students have easy access to information about different contraceptive options and contraceptives themselves.
The UW got a “B” for availability of STD and HIV testing, sexual assault programs, and the hours and availability of student health resources.
But the report gives the UW just a “C” for drop-ins and “extra credit” events, which include things like special informative programs, anonymous advice availability, and sexual-health columns in the student newspaper.
Despite the drop in the rankings for both schools, Sperling said it’s more a reflection of other schools improvement rather than a significant drop in quality.
“It’s sort of like a race where all the schools are being ranked against each other. Everyone can be gaining but the positions changed relative to each other,” he told the Daily. “Some schools improved relative to the UW. I think Washington still did a good job, much the same as it did in previous years, but just some others ranked ahead.”
