Trojan Sexual Health ranking:
Ball State - 35
IU - 36
Purdue - 57
Notre Dame - 127
Ranking Criteria
- Hours of operation
- Allow drop-ins or require appointments for student scheduling
- Quality of sexual health information and resources on website
- Contraceptive availability -- free or at cost
- Condom availability -- free or at cost
- HIV testing on-site (On/off campus, cost)
- STI testing on-site (On/off campus, cost)
- Lecture/outreach programs and student peer groups for sexual health education
- Sexual assault programs, resources or services
- Overall website usability and quality
- Extra credit
Delaware County STI/STD count:
Gonorrhea - 163
Chlamydia - 660
Syphilis - Less than 5
Despite Ball State being ranked the best Indiana college for sexual health, Delaware County had the third highest chlamydia rate out of Indiana's 92 counties in 2012.
In 2012 in Delaware County, there were 660 cases of chlamydia, 163 cases of gonorrhea and fewer than five cases of syphilis, according to Indiana's Spotlight on HIV/STD/Viral Hepatitis, the most recent data set for Indiana.
Although that data can't be simply attributed to college students, people ages 15-24 make up half of the nation's sexually transmitted disease count. That group is only a quarter of the sexually active population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Julie Sturek, a Ball State health educator in the office of health, alcohol and drug education, said about 70 percent of students are sexually active, which makes it more important to have education and resources available to them for safer sex.
In the annual Trojan Sexual Health Report Card, released in October, Ball State was ranked 35 out of 140 universities in sexual health, higher than every other Indiana school on the list.
Some of the criteria Sperling's BestPlaces, the center that did the research, looked for in universities was quality of sexual health information and resources on the university’s website, STI testing and condom and contraceptive availability.
Ball State offers HIV and STD testing twice a month, free condoms, on-campus programs, a walk-in clinic and online resources for students.
Students can get tested for STDs at the health center for a cost, depending on which STD is being tested for. Chlamydia and gonorrhea testing are both $25. Students can also go to Planned Parenthood, Open Door Family Planning or the Delaware County Health Department for tests, although this is not included as a resource in the Trojan ranking.
Frank Wyand, director of communications at the American Sexual Health Association, said having resources like this available can make it a lot easier for students to go get help.
“Students need to know as much as they can about [STDs],” Wyand said. “They should understand that sexual health is universal, and no matter what they think about sex or worry about with sex, that it pretty much happens to everybody.”
Wyand said it was important for students to know how to protect themselves, and also when to go in for help.
“A lot of people won’t go for sexual health testing or counseling or treatment because it’s embarrassing,” he said. “We need to do a better job encouraging people not to feel embarrassed, but instead to feel empowered to talk about these matters with health professionals and partners.”
Many times, people might not know where to go to find reliable resources, like STD testing, and having an institution like a student health center on campus can help students, Wyand said.
“They know which organizations have a good track record,” Wyand said. “They can sort of help separate good from bad, so student are not out there Googling sexual health and getting God knows what.”
Rates of Chlamydia* in Counties with Major Colleges
*Rate per 100,000 individuals
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include more information on Muncie resources for STD's.
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