Card companies and other businesses in the United States sell Valentine's Day as a holiday filled with flowers, chocolates, romance - and in some cases, sex. At least, that's what the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) believes, which is why it distributed 1,000 condoms to students throughout campus last week.
Among the noise and signs of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) presidential campaigning efforts, 15 students passed out condoms in the dustbowl to students as they made their way to class. Within 10 minutes, they had distributed 500 condoms with an attached poem, which said "If you're struck by Cupid's spell, take this condom, use it well."
The previous night, the group had distributed the other 500 condoms to residence halls on Lower Campus, slipping them under doors in envelopes with statistics regarding the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases and the risks of unprotected sex. The condoms were donated by Planned Parenthood.
WHI is a self-proclaimed grassroots group that is unrecognized and unfunded by the Boston College administration, as it advocates issues that conflict with the traditional Jesuit ideals of the University. As a Jesuit university, BC promotes abstinence as the best means to avoid STDs and unwanted pregnancies and prohibits the distribution of contraceptives at University Health Services.
Although the BC Web site does provide a link to the Center for Disease Control and Protection's Web page on STDs, the site itself currently does not provide information on how STDs can be specifically contracted or prevented by any means other than abstinence. This contributed to the University's failed sexual health report card conducted last year by independent researchers last September. BC was ranked 120 out of the 139 colleges and universities polled.
The students in WHI seek to challenge current administrative policies, which they said endanger student health.
"We hope that through the distribution of condoms, discussion can be facilitated among the student body, exerting pressure on BC to change its current policy of carelessness and denial in regard to sexual and reproductive health," said a press release by WHI.
Those distributing condoms said they did not attempt to seek prior permission from the University because they knew they would not receive it, which would hinder their efforts.
Recognizing that their actions were not sanctioned by BC, the group members limited their time in the Dustbowl to 10 minutes.
"We definitely could have gotten in trouble - we considered it quite likely," said Cecilia Fierro, a participant in the condom distribution and A&S '08. "But if we were to get in trouble, that would have been an injustice."
Despite the potential risk of administrative backlash, the group decided to distribute the condoms, viewing as it an important sexual health issue.
"First and foremost, we want to make sure the issue of sexual and reproductive health is raised," Fierro said.
She said that because this issue was so important for students universally, the group of students decided not to wear representative WHI shirts while distributing the condoms.
"This affects the student body as a whole, and that's why we just wanted to be students that day," Fierro said.
Fierro said that Valentine's Day seemed to be the ideal time for the group to raise awareness on campus regarding sexual and reproductive issues.
"Valentine's Day is a socially salient day. People think about romance, and perhaps sex," Fierro said. "It's a fun and romantic day, but sexual health is always a priority."
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