To have or not to have - again

The “to have or not to have” a condom machine installed on campus has recently been revisited, or regurgitated for that matter- all it took was for one student organisation to think it witty to include one in every fresher’s welcome pack and another organisation to inquire whether they were actually reliable. Before you knew it, the student government meeting was thwarted with the very heated debate yet again.

One thing that has been voiced over this past month (and indeed, all last year) is why it should even be an issue, why condoms, which have been around since the time of the Egyptians, should be treated as such a taboo. It is very simple to understand the necessity of condoms- the lack of which could easily be seen as responsible for the increasing STI rates and the fact that 20% of all births are to unwed mothers, many of whom are teenagers. But it’s not right; we must not have a condom machine on campus.

A lot of attention has been given to what it will mean for the university to provide condoms, it seems that the provision of condoms is screaming “FREE SEX”, making many people scowl at, or better yet, shun the entire notion of providing anything of the sort for students. Students should come to university for the love of knowledge, not for the love of their genitalia. What I hear condoms saying, however, is “safe sex”, “responsible sex” “respectful sex”; we cannot deny that students are sexually active in their free time, so why not promote a healthy and responsible way to go about this?

While some may argue that the provision of condoms on campus may connote student priorities other than that of education, one must make way for some more practical considerations. The average student has between 15- 30 lecture hours a week on campus, and spends many more in between lectures; often till times when shops (including pharmacies) may no longer be open. While students may purchase condoms from other dispensaries aside from those (hypothetically) available on campus, one must also question the issue of convenience.

If a student should need to buy condoms or any other product really, it would be a lot easier if it were in the general university area. We currently can easily buy food, books, stationery, gifts and even electronics and clothes on campus- as these are seen as “appropriate” products to endorse as part of student life, yet condoms are not. With sexuality being such a primary part of young adulthood, I find the questioning of student priorities for desiring easily-accessible condoms to be somewhat ridiculous.

Yet condoms appear to be speaking, even if the word cannot be published in government documents or if they cannot be used in educational promotions in schools- they have a voice and are primarily speaking of issues regarding health. What is the issue at present, however, is whether we’re going to listen to them. At the end of 2008, I believe the question is- why not?

Glorianne Spiteri is president of BetaPsi