Ball State University students said in an open forum Wednesday that they want college students to feel more comfortable talking about sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases.
Approximately 30 students discussed "The Sweetest Taboo. Sex, Drugs, and HIV," the second in a monthly series of discussions sponsored by the Multicultural Center. Students talked about HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and drug uses.
"Even with the immense amount of education and awareness available, STDs, HIV and drugs remain a significant issue," Tatum Rucker, graduate assistant at the Multicultural Center, said.-á"We need to discuss why these issues are still prevalent in society and ask tough questions.-áDo people ignore the consequences of their risky behavior? Are people afraid of getting tested? Why is it all taboo?"
The Multicultural Center did not have medical information available, Rucker said, so the focus could be on student concerns. However, the Center always keeps pamphlets with information about STDs and safe sex practices on hand for students.
"We want education and awareness to become a behavior, not a convenience," Rucker said.
Because of the sensitive nature of discussion, participants asked that responses to questions and personal stories be kept confidential. Students told stories about having or knowing people who have HIV. John Olson, graduate assistant, and David Taylor, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, co-facilitated the discussion.
Students agreed the media has a significant effect on how they viewed sex and sexual health. Many said the media was their main source of sexual education.
Director of the Multicultural Center Derick Virgil agreed the media is a powerful force in shaping sexual experiences.
"Sex only sells if it is in a provocative way," Virgil said. "Safe sex isn't addressed in the media because it adds too much depth to the issue. The media is focused on profit, not worrying about how the material they portray is affecting younger people and their future relationships."
The Ball State Health Education Center said it does not have data on how many Ball State students use drugs or have had a sexually transmitted disease. Such data would be difficult to obtain because of the anonymous testing that Ball State makes available and the availability of other testing centers, Anna Lamb, from the Health Education Center, said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004 HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 3,815 people in Indiana are living with HIV/AIDS. In 2003, approximately 25 percent of people with HIV were not aware they were infected.
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