February 14 is dedicated to your valentine in more ways than one. It’s also National Condom Day. 

According to the American College Health Association, about 30 percent of all college students polled believe in the famous “pull and pray” method (pulling out the penis right before ejaculation).   This method will prevent pregnancy for 73 out of 100 women, but it is no defense against a sexually transmitted infection. In many cases, especially on college campuses, STI symptoms go unnoticed. Left untreated, STIs only get worse, progressing into a sexually transmitted disease, or STD. 

Birth control claims to be 99.9 percent effective against pregnancy, but does absolutely nothing against infection or disease.

“I hear students say all the time, ‘Oh well I’m on birth control’, not realizing that just prevents pregnancy, that’s it,” said Katrin Wesner, director of the student health center at UNC Wilmington.

The most prevalent STI among college campuses is chlamydia, according to Wesner. Chlamydia goes undetected by most carriers. Only 30 percent of women and 25 percent of men who carry chlamydia show symptoms. Even those that do detect it early may find treatment useless, as with some yearly cases. 

Bloody discharge. Burning sensation during urination. Infertility. Not the ideal Valentine’s Day gifts. So why do so many students risk unprotected sex? 

There are pros to riding bareback. Without a condom, there is nothing shielding his 20,000 nerve endings from encountering the 8,000 nerve endings of hers. Also, some partners feel that there is an increased intimacy or pleasure with unprotected sex. But very few partners demand the results of a recent STI or STD test before rolling around in the sack. Thus, college campuses are breeding grounds for STDs. 

So how exactly do we prevent these things from spreading?

“Communication is the biggest problem. If people stopped being awkward and just being honest, there would be less STDs. Besides, if you can’t talk about sex, you probably shouldn’t be having it.” said Trisha Tinny, a health educator at the UNCW Health Promotion Center.

Together with the student health center, Tinny has organized a sex education program called Sexual Responsibility Week that will be held Feb. 11 through Feb. 15. Activities and locations for the program are on the UNCW website.

But STD prevention doesn’t stop after V-day. If you feel that you might have an STD or STI, the student health center provides full testing. Also, HIV test are administered for free every Tuesday of the month.

Communication and education may minimize the risk of STDs at UNCW, but only condoms can prevent partners from passing them along. 

Condoms are free at the student health center and the health promotion center. You can also purchase them at the Fisher University Union.