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DOES YOUR SEXUAL HEALTH AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
GET SMART BEFORE AND AFTER GETTING BUSY
// ALEXANDRA ESPOSITO
You go to the doctor for your yearly physical and you go to the dentist twice a year for teeth cleanings, but how often do you get an examination to check on how your body's sexual function?
Sexual health is not something to ignore. Ken Sarber, a health educator for Watkins Memorial Health Center's wellness resource center, says 50 percent of all sexually active college students will get at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI) by the time they graduate.
Students can prevent such infections by taking advantage of the sexual health resources that Watkins offers. The health center has two clinics, one for men and one for women.
The health clinics see patients for contraception, STI treatment, screenings and problems like pain or bleeding during sex. They also work with Counseling and Psychological Services to help treat patients having problems like low sex drive.
Nicole Anderson went to the Women's Health Clinic for her annual physical exam. She chose Watkins instead of a gynecologist off campus because of the convenience for her
Watkins offers affordable methods of contraception, including more than 15 different types of condoms. Students can purchase three condoms for 50 cents.
to go there between classes."Gynecological visits are always super awkward but somehow the staff there succeeds at providing excellent customer service and affordable options," Anderson, San Bernadino, Calif. junior, says. "Also, confidentiality seems to be a main priority there."
If students cannot afford services at Watkins, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and the Douglas County AIDS Project offers similar services for lower prices. For example, Douglas County AIDS Project offers free oral swab HIV tests.
Dr. Carolyn Johnson at Watkins' Women's Health Clinic says the Watkins business center will help students find where they can get the services they need for the best price, even if they're not at Watkins. All they have to do is call and ask.
To avoid paying too much, Sarber says it's important to meet with a doctor and determine what's wrong so you don't have to spend money
on multiple tests. "If [doctors] can narrow it down to one or two tests it can save [patients] lots of money and time, and agony for that matter," Sarber says.
All students, faculty and staff at the University can use the services at Watkins. Full-time students paying the health services fee can see a doctor without paying a doctor's visit fee if they schedule an appointment for Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. "What I tell students is when you call in, ask ahead of time, 'am I going to get charged with an office visit fee or is this time covered under my student health fees?'" Sarber says.
The staff will also help patients get qualified for manufacture discounts on medications such as the Gardasil vaccination to protect against human papillomavirus.
Having unprotected sex can change your entire life. An STI can make you infertile or give you a virus that will never go away. "I think there's an attitude when you're young that everything's just going to be OK without really worrying about making sure that it's OK," Johnson says. "But it's a big benefit to you later on if you take care of your sexual health as a young person."
Your sexual health isn't just a personal matter. It affects you as well as every person with whom you have sex. Being honest about your sexual background with a partner and knowing your partner's history as well is important. Sarber's student group created a questionnaire to help couples learn about each other's sexual history. Both partners answer questions like, "Have you ever had sex? How many partners have you had? Did you use protection every time? Have you ever had sex under the influence of alcohol? Have you ever had any STIs?"
"That kind of just helps open up the avenue before it's too late," Sarber says. "If [couples]
Photo Illustration | Chris Bronson
Health protection: Watkins Memorial Health Center offers students exams and contraceptives.
would have that conversation, a lot of things can be prevented."
If you're not sexually active, you should still take precautions so you'll be healthy when you do become sexually active. Johnson says that if a person is not sexually active, now is the perfect time to get the Gardisil vaccination.
You're not at risk of getting an STI if you're not sexually active, but remember, sexual activity is not just sex. Johnson says STIs are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.
Sarber urges students who are not sexually active to stay strong and not be influenced to have sex before they are ready. "I think something that stereotypically is thought of is that everybody at college is having sex, and that's not true," Sarber says. "There's a large portion of college students that aren't having sex and not choosing to have sex for many different reasons." Jp
...
WHEN SHOULD I GET ...
An STI screening?
The Center for Disease Control suggests getting tested for Chlamydia and HIV once a year, but Johnson recommends getting tested every time you have sex with someone new. "It's reasonable to go ahead and get checked whenever you have a new exposure," Dr. Carolyn Johnson says.
A mammogram?
Johnson says that women don't need to get mammograms until they are 50, unless they have a family history of breast cancer. If you have had a first-degree relative, like a mother or sister, or several second-degree relatives, like several aunts, who have had breast cancer you should start getting mammograms when you're five years younger than the youngest relative was when she had the diseases.
A pap smear?
Although the recommendation used to be three years after a woman first has sex, it has recently been changed to once a woman turns 21, no matter how old she was when she became sexually active, Johnson says. This has to do with the immune system's ability to heal Human Pamplona Virus [HPV] without treatment. After a woman turns 21, she should get a pap smear every other year until she turns 30. Women who are 30 years old who have had normal pap smears and negative HPV DNA screens should get a pap smear every three years.
and the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St., is packed with students.
B Double E
A full week has passed since Beejay “B DOUBLE E” McLoyd shot his music video at the same location for the newest University of Kansas anthem with senior Alan Ginsberg. The Blue Valley North graduate has only been rapping for three years now after freestyleing at
Mickey wanted to record "Red and Blue" because he thought he could do it better. He said he didn't think other people doing remixes were as serious as him when it came to music.
"I feel like mine is unique because it's somebody else's beat," McLoyd said. "I saw a bunch of remixes and I felt I could do it better than most of the other ones I heard from other colleges."
shot the music video two weeks before it was shot with another videographer, but he decided to wait because he believed in Ginsberg and the way he shoots.
"Alan's my boy," McLoyd said. "We've been meaning to work together for last two, three months."
SEE RAP ON PAGE 2A
Freestyle rapper Beejay "B Double E" McLoyd performs at the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St. He performed his hit "Red and Blue."
Susan lang, a freshman from Hunan, China, performs a minority traditional dance depicting the stages of womanhood last year. KU students will celebrate the Chinese New Year Saturday afternoon with various performances, calligraphy workshops and food.
Students remember home through Chinese New Year
CULTURE
Jerry Wang/FILE PHOTO
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
BY CHRIS HONG chong@kansan.com
Although the new year didn't start until Thursday in China, the 14-hour time difference meant col
While many students welcomed Wednesday's canceled classes, it was more than just a snow day to Chinese students: It was the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
ebrations began Wednesday morning in Kansas. Wednesday's de facto holiday combined with the preparation for new year celebrations gave man, Chinese students a sense of familiarity,
Maggie Liu, a senior from Jiangsu, China, said celebrating the 15-day holiday made her feel more at home.
"It's another way to not make us
miss family as much," Liu said.
Xinjie Tang, a sophomore from Hunan, China, said celebrating together eased the loneliness some students felt while they were away from China. Tang added that without the celebrations, the new year would simply not have its festive atmosphere.
SEE CELEBRATE ON PAGE 2A
GREEK LIFE
IFC board members may step down
BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
According to a December report by Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Lori Reesor, members of the council engaged in paddling on Nov. 18. The report said that no new executive board members were paddled by former
Multiple executive board members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the governing body for fraternities, said they were willing to subject themselves to a vote to remove themselves from the council, following a hazing incident that occurred in November.
The declarations came at an IFC meeting Thursday evening that served as a forum for fraternity members and others to question council members about the hazing incident, which occurred after a turnover ceremony between the 2010 IFC council to the 2011 IFC council.
SEE HAZING ON PAGE 2A
BASKETBALL|10A
Taylor becomes true guard
Turnovers don't dominate Tyshawn Taylor's game as he focuses on helping the Jayhawks take care of the ball and play good defense.
KARAOKE | 6A
Karaoke provides fun for all
INDEX
Downtown bars offer Karaoke on weeknights.
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
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