Allana Vanin

Valentine’s day has come and gone, but the season of love is still upon us. College is notoriously a time in people’s lives where freedom and experimentation are not only permissible but encouraged, with 94% of college students admitting to being sexually active according to a report done by the Health Resources and Services Administration reviewed in 2023. However, sexual experimentation often comes with certain risks, one of those being the contraction of STIs. 

STI cases continue to rise among college students. Approximately half of the reported infections occur in people between the ages of 15-24, according to the CDC. Penn State Abington responds by emphasizing the importance of safe sexual activity by combating misinformation and providing multiple free resources to students. 

What are STDs and STIs?

Some of the language surrounding this topic can be confusing to understand, especially when acronyms such as “STD” and “STI” being used interchangeably when, in reality, they are two distinct things. 

According to Planned Parenthood “STD stands for ‘sexually transmitted disease,’ and STI stands for ‘sexually transmitted infection.’” STIs happen when infections enter the body through viruses or bacteria and the immune system reacts while STDs happen when said infections cause symptoms and lead to illness. Every STD starts out as an STI but not every STI develops into an STD. 

This distinction is important not only to prevent the spread of further misinformation, but also to minimize the stigma attached to the word “disease.” Many people who suspect they might have an STI refuse to come forward due to the negative connotations surrounding the “STD” acronym, causing major repercussions to their health.  

According to Michele Scott, nurse at Penn State Abington, few students come forward each year with concerns about STIs, most presenting towards the beginning of the semester. She speculates this is due to the stigma surrounding sex and prevention. 

Common Misconceptions

Scott also states that one of the most common misconceptions surrounding STIs is that they can only be contracted through sex. 

“I try to talk to students anytime I can that they don’t have to have sex to get an STI or and STD.” she says, “Every student has a different definition [of sex], (…) they don’t necessarily consider oral sex as sex.” 

Due to the varying definitions of sex, many students also don’t realize that STIs can also be contracted through bodily secretions, such as blood or precum, even if penetrative sex did not occur. 

When asked whether LGBT students are more susceptible to contracting STIs, Scott emphasized how, regardless of sexual orientation, anyone who engages in sexual activity is at risk of contracting an STI, especially if they are doing so with multiple partners. 

“By definition and by the Department of Health, they say [LGBT students] are still [at higher risk]” she says, “But anyone who engages with multiple partners, whether or not they are LGBT [are more susceptible].” 

What’s On The Rise?

STIs are not limited to HIV and Herpes, but, according to the CDC “reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis increased  between 2020 and 2021 in the United States, totaling more than 2.5 million.” With syphilis cases having increased by 32% totaling in 176,713 cases, chlamydia by 3.9% with a total of 1,644,416 cases, and gonorrhea by 4% with 710,151 cases.

In the year of 2023, Cecilia Devonshire, Infection Control Nurse Manager and Commonwealth Nurse Liaison for the Health Center at University Park, states “Of all chlamydia/gonorrhea tests run here- 6.6% were positive for chlamydia and 0.7% were positive for gonorrhea.” 

Devonshire also states, “the majority of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases are asymptomatic- many people do not know they are infected and unknowingly continue to spread it to others.” 

Given this information, getting tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and other infections regularly helps to stop the spread. 

How To Prevent Them

Scott and Penn State Abington have provided students with multiple resources and materials to help with STI prevention: 

1. Free condoms: Free condoms and dental dams for students in Scott’s office at 103 Lares Building. She also helps with the distribution of condoms in the cafeteria on International Condom Day. 
2. Free STI test kits: Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, a Health Clinic would be open every Monday at Abington Hospital partnered with the Department of Health providing students with free and anonymous testing for various STIs. Due to the reallocation of resources, this was shut down and has recently been replaced with mail-in testing kits. For more information, access this Sway provided by Scott. 
3. Sexual Health Seminars: Scott and other health care providers are regularly holding seminars and casual lunches at Lionsgate to answer students’ questions about sexual health. She plans on hosting similar events in the Lares Building for all Penn State students to attend. 

By implementing these measures, Penn State Abington is helping its students combat misinformation and breaking the stigma against STIs, making the campus a safer and healthier environment for all.