Condom plan rolling out
Published April 24, 2007
The condoms plan is unrolling slowly as students seek funding so the plan can be implemented by next year.
The Rollins Group Council, the area council that serves Hudson and Gillett residence halls, voted to fund condom machines that will be placed in those two halls if the proposal to put condom machines and condoms in residence halls is passed.
This proposal would cover two of the 14 suggested locations for the machines to be placed in and around various halls on campus.
According to council representative Emily Steckel, the task force working on the condom plan has proposed 14 locations with two additional locations that could materialize depending on the funding the task force receives from various hall councils and other areas.
The task force was formed in March with the goal of having a proposal for condoms in residence halls by the end of the year.
"I know that they are asking individual hall councils to make donations in any denomination that they wish," Steckel said of the task force.
Steckel said if the proposal passes, the machines would be in place by the beginning of the fall semester. The machines would contain male and female condoms, packaged with educational materials and lubricant, as well as dental dams, which will be similar to the feminine hygiene dispensers in women's bathrooms.
Missouri Students Association President Rachel Anderson said the machines could be costly.
"Students expressed their concerns to make sure they're tamper-proof," Anderson said. "With that also comes an expense."
According to Steckel, those machines will cost $1,100 each, but there will be no cost for any of the condoms or other materials in the machines.
Anderson said the budget for this fiscal year has already been tentatively set, and though nothing is official, a temporary plan could include adding fees to help pay for the project after that.
"Maybe the first year we could have one machine in each residence hall, and then the next year we could possibly look into the Student Health Center fee or adding a new student fee," she said.
Anderson said different funding options would be looked at during the first year of implementation.
Although there might be concern that free condoms would encourage sexual activity, Steckel said she is not worried.
Steckel said studies from other schools have shown that having free condom dispensers in residence halls does not increase promiscuity among students, but it does lower STD and pregnancy rates.
"Even so, some students say that these machines are babying people too much who want to have sex," she said.
Steckel said the proposal should be given some serious thought.
"I agree with the fact that students should be responsible enough to provide their own protection, and I admit that walking down the hall to the bathroom and hearing sex noises coming from someone's room is awkward and irritating," Steckel said. "But I can't help but believe that if the free condom dispensers lower STDs and pregnancy rates while not raising promiscuity rates, then the program is a good thing."
Anderson said nothing is official yet.
"We want to do research to make sure it's all-inclusive for students at Mizzou," Anderson said.