Taylor offers condom bouqet for students on Valentine's Day
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Posted: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 12:08 am, Tue Feb 14, 2012.
By Paige Oxendine, For The Standard | 0 comments
Missouri State University's Taylor Health and Wellness Center is encouraging students to celebrate Valentine's Day responsibly by giving away 150 condom roses on the morning of the holiday.
The roses will be given away at the pharmacy on a first come, first served basis beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and will come attached to a pen along with information regarding sexual health.
Jerilyn Reed, student wellness coordinator for Taylor Health and Wellness, helped develop the project and said that while the obvious goal is to promote safe sex, Taylor Health and Wellness hopes to send another message as well.
"We wanted to remind students that Taylor Health and Wellness Center cares about them and their well-being," Reed said.
While some students may oppose the idea of student wellness fees going toward special promotions such as this, many others feel that promoting safe sex among college students is an important task for Taylor Health and Wellness staff.
When asked about student responses to the promotional campaign, Reed said that so far the interactions she has had with students have been positive. She said many students think the idea of condom roses is a fun way to commemorate Valentine's Day while promoting safe sex.
Blaire Peters, a junior exercise and movement science major at Missouri State seems to agree with Reed's thinking.
"I think the condom roses are a great idea because a lot of students are sexually active," Peters said. "Being proactive about promoting safe sex will help to keep those students here in college longer than if they were to start a family and have to drop out."
Burnie Snodgrass, the director of Taylor Health and Wellness Center, said sexual health is merely one aspect of overall health that Taylor Health and Wellness staff are responsible for assisting students with.
"Our purpose is to serve patients' needs, no matter what type of health assistance they are in need of," Snodgrass said. "We help patients with all types of health concerns, whether they relate to sexual health or something else."
Students who miss the promotion can rest easy knowing that the distribution of condoms is not something Taylor Health and Wellness only engages in for Valentine's Day. The pharmacy located inside Taylor Health and Wellness has a jar of condoms that students can take from for no charge in addition to condoms that are available for sale.
Taylor Health and Wellness Center also offers other services to students in regards to sexual health, including testing for pregnancy, STDs and HIV/AIDS.