These three little letters make up an acronym that might cause some to hold a stigma of promiscuity, irresponsibility and uncleanliness to the sexual activities young people engage in, and in particular, individuals in college.

Health officials agree some sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and HPV, can be contracted at any time when an individual is engaging in unsafe sex. Many STIs have few to no symptoms, which, in turn, can lead any person to have a disingenuous sense of security about the state of their sexual health — a worry that has crossed the mind of some students.

Supply chain management sophomore Collin Frink said knowing the possible dangers makes him more likely to be aware when engaging in sexual activity.

“(STIs are) not something that is not contagious (and are) pretty easy to catch if you’re not careful,” Frink said.

Frink is one of many students at MSU who is sexually active and practices safe sex.

But according to the MSU Spring Health Assessment 2012, some students might not be as safe, and the risk of contracting an infection does exist.

At MSU, 2.2 percent of students reported having an STI, and as Spartans go through their day-to-day lives in East Lansing, MSU students and faculty are reflecting on the safe-sex practice of the MSU community.

By the numbers
When it comes to the number of sexual partners individuals have in a year, MSU’s statistics are along the same lines of those on the national level but are not necessarily as close when it comes to the percentage of STIs reported nationally.

According to the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment, or ACHA-NCHA, Reference Group Executive Summary from fall 2011, the national percentage of students who reported having one or no sexual partners in the last year was 80.3 percent, while the percentage at MSU came to 72.1 percent.

Although individuals under the age of 25 only account for a quarter of the nation’s sexually active population, they currently represent half of the 19 million STIs reported each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.

Also according to the CDC, as of 2009, 39 percent of all new infections were found in people between the ages 13 and 29.

Erica Phillipich, a health educator for the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at MSU, said there are many reasons MSU’s student community does not have an epidemically large problem with STIs.
She said this might be because many students use protective measures during sexual activity or choose to simply not have sex during their time at college.

“I think sex complicates things for a lot of people, and (if) their job here is to be successful at MSU as a student … (many) find sex has to go,” Phillipich said.

Phillipich also said although the data is an accurate representation of MSU, one should acknowledge some STIs might not be reported right away because most have no symptoms.

“It doesn’t matter what age, what disease … people assume they are going to feel funny, (but) they’re not going to probably have symptoms, period,” Phillipich said. “Nothing is going to physically look different … That’s why testing and having a conversation with your partner is critical.”

Mary Hoban, director of the ACHA-NCHA program office, said in any type of self-reported data set, actual numbers are difficult to record and likely are to be higher than what is reported.

“You can only report what you know,” Hoban said. “It’s absolutely possible to be infected with something and not know it.”

Dr. Edward Rosick, a physician and the chairperson of the Family Medicine Department in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said it all depends on the disease and the individual’s specific case when talking of the different STIs.

Whereas certain infections, such as many cases of gonorrhea and herpes, have obvious symptoms, some of the most common STIs, including chlamydia, syphilis and HPV, have no symptoms at all, Rosick said.

Rosick also said in some cases, using HPV as an example, the men who are carriers would not be affected by the most common strand that can develop into cervical cancer, making regular testing and using protection even more necessary for those who are sexually active.

“(Sexually active students) need to get in to see someone, see a family physician or be seen at Olin,” Rosick stressed. “If you wait, there will be secondary problems ­— so, the sooner, the better.”

Necessary and available precautions
If these data sets are an accurate representation of the college-aged population, one might question the stereotype of students and their sexually charged lifestyles, Rosick said. Although, he said when first hearing the statistic of only about 2.2 percent of the student population being infected, it was a bit hard to believe.

Historically, individuals are more sexually active in college, especially in their freshman and sophomore years when they have been liberated from the watch of their families and are ready to explore sexual experiences, Rosick said.

“I think about times changing, and I think that the … college freshmen of 2012 are different than when I was a college (student) in 1980,” Rosick said. “I think the young men and women today are much more safe.”

To prevent the contraction of STIs, health officials highlighted three main ways to stay sexually safe — using condoms, having a monogamous relationship and abstaining from having sex.
Phillipich said there are many services available to facilitate students to make sure they are able to practice safe and preventative sexual behaviors.

“We also have a really great support system for those students who choose to have sex (and) do it safely,” Phillipich said. “We have a Condom Connection program, academic lectures and residences hall programming … (all ways) to access safe-sex supplies if they want them.”

Frink said he has had more than one sexual partner within the last year and though he has not been tested, he has always used condoms as a way to protect himself and his partner from contracting an STI. He also added the low percentage of people who are infected is refreshing and when he stops to evaluate the greater student population, it is not as surprising.

“When you hear the statistics compared to, like, the horror stories I guess, … it’s good that most people are actually using condoms and practicing safe sex and not just being crazy and typical — stereotypical — college students, who have sex (with everyone),” Frink said.

A choice
As STIs remain a concern on MSU’s campus, many sexually active college students consciously are making a decision to take precautions when it comes to sexual activity.

Premedical freshman Anika Nwosuocha, who not currently is sexually active, said students need to be more aware of the dangers and keep them in mind.

Nwosuocha said that because of her experience in some of her classes, she will definitely take precaution when she does choose to have sex.

“There’s a lot more (to them) than people think, (and) it makes me more cautious,” Nwosuocha said. “Though I am not (active) at the moment, when I decide to, I will use protection.”

However, for journalism freshman Mary Hennessy, who is involved in a monogamous relationship and chooses to use condoms, the scare of an STI is something she and other students should all care about when engaging in sexual activity — a topic she said she would like to know more about.

“I would want to know more about the effects of (STIs) and having more information would be good,” Hennessy said. “I mean, I took health class in high school, but that’s about it.”