This semester, Students for Sexual Health (SSH) has been urging the University to allow it, as an externally funded organization, to distribute condoms on campus. According to the results of a referendum attached to the Undergraduate Government of Boston College presidential election ballot proposed by SSH, 94 percent of voters support the organization’s appeal to distribute contraceptives on campus without any funding from the University.
The University’s response to the referendum expressed continued disapproval of SSH’s appeal. In an email, University Spokesman Jack Dunn said that the University would not change its contraceptives policy “out of respect for our commitments as a Jesuit, Catholic university.” Despite the student body’s expressed interest in contraceptive resources, shown through an SSH survey as well as the referendum, the administration remains committed to its identity.
To compromise, SSH is examining the potential of a free condom delivery service, which would be funded by public health grants and run by BC student volunteers. Through the program, students are able to receive the contraceptives in their mailboxes twice a month. Based at an off-campus location, the service would be completely free of charge for BC students.
Since the administration decided to prevent the independently funded organization from distributing contraceptives on campus, this proposition could be a pragmatic compromise that both heeds the commitments of the University and allows students to receive the contraceptive care they need to better practice safe sex. Since students have clearly expressed their desire for accessible contraceptive resources, partnering with this separate condom distribution service is a good alternative.
Featured Graphic by Nicole Chan / Graphics Editor
