At Cornell we don’t take tests, we take preliminary exams, or prelims. While complaints run rampant about such evaluations, they are good preparation for the biggest one — the final. Unfortunately, in terms of sexual health at Cornell, preliminary exams are not as easily accessible.

“Last year, I thought it would be a good idea for my friends and I to get tested,” recalled one female junior, who chose to remain anonymous.

Sexual Health at Cornell

“Over orientation week, we went to Gannett, thinking it would be quick and easy to make an appointment or even get tested right there and then,” she continued. “We were shocked to find out that we couldn’t get tested for free. We found out it would cost about $500 if we wanted to get tested for all the sexually transmitted infections we had heard of.”

The experience of this student is not unusual. Many students feel it is the job of Cornell and Gannett to offer free STI testing. Unfortunately, a lot of the student body does not realize that Cornell offers no such thing.

Nina Cummings, a health educator at Gannett, explained that Cornell and Gannett can’t afford to offer free preventive STI testing to all of the students.

“There is this assumption that health services should be free. In the U.S. we have a system of payment far from socialized medicine.. Someone still has to pay,” Cummings said.

“If you don’t have symptoms [of an STI], you most often have to pay out of pocket. Insurance usually doesn’t cover preventive measures or screenings. Insurance is for when something actually happens,” Cummings explained.

Aaron, a junior who has never been tested for STIs, was shocked that Gannett did not test for free.

“I would undoubtedly get tested if Gannett would offer it for free. It’s hard to believe a major university like Cornell doesn’t offer free testing,” Aaron said.

Years ago, according to Cummings, Gannett used to cover free HIV screening. Today they can no longer offer the free, anonymous testing due to state health department regulations.

“Then, due to state health department regulations, we ended up having to charge. Now we offer two kinds of HIV testing. One is a blood test and the other is the oral swab,” Cummings said.

The costs for these two tests are $45 for the oral swab and $25 for the blood test.

This cost can be slightly daunting for a student casually interested in preventive testing, but with no concrete reason for concern. Fortunately, the state health department has numerous locations for free and anonymous HIV testing.

Some of these locations in Ithaca include Planned Parenthood on West State St., the Southern Tier AIDS Program on South Meadow St. and the Tompkins County Health Department, which has numerous locations throughout the county.

Jennifer Foy, who works at Planned Parenthood, explained that the organization’s freely available testing has been funded by a contract with the Health Department for some 30+ years.

Anyone can come in for an STI screening that Planned Parenthood offers in conjunction with the Health Department. This includes tests for syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HPV and genital warts, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B and pubic lice.

National STD Statistics for 2007

“Because we use rapid testing with the swab in the mouth, we can have results available in 20 to 40 minutes,” Foy said.

Planned Parenthood also offers more affordable STI testing, and can do screening without any symptoms.

To determine cost, Foy said, Planned Parenthood uses a sliding scale to adjust a person’s charge based on their income. The organization also accepts a broad range of insurance carriers.

Another alternative for patients at Planned Parenthood is called the Family Planning Benefit program; with proof of residency, current income and social security number, anyone can qualify for free STI testing and safe sex supplies for one year.

One particular issue that arises with some males is the misconception that Planned Parenthood is only for women.

According to Foy, only about 14 percent of all Planned Parenthood visitors are men.

Fortunately, there is a larger percentage of students coming in to take advantage of the resources at Planned Parenthood.

“About 30 percent of our visitors are students coming to us from Cornell, I.C., Wells and TC3,” Foy said.

“The top reasons students are coming to see us are STI screenings, birth control and emergency contraceptives.,” Foy said. “Those are their main concerns.”

One heterosexual sophomore couple, who also chose to remain anonymous, decided it was important to visit Planned Parenthood before engaging in any sexual activity.

“It was really important to me that my boyfriend and I get tested,” the female partner said. “I don’t see why people don’t today. It’s too scary not to know. We went to Planned Parenthood because it’s free, and it seemed more anonymous than Gannett.”

Another concern for students is birth control — hormonal, barrier and intrauterine (those implanted in the uterus) — which is promoted across the Cornell campus.

One junior girl who chose to remain anonymous, applauded the accessibility of birth control at Gannett.

“They’re really nice about it there, not awkward at all. You can bursar anything and it doesn’t show up as birth control on your bursar bill,” she said. “I bursared Plan B and my parents didn’t have to know. Gannett was really helpful answering my questions.”

Emergency contraceptives, like Plan B, can be used when a condom is not used or fails. Planned Parenthood offers the over-the-counter medication for a cost of somewhere between $6 and $25, determined by the sliding scale; at Gannett emergency contraception costs $30.

At both Gannett and Planned Parenthood, women who are inconsistent about birth control are encouraged to take a dose of Plan B home, just in case they need it in the future.

Max, a sophomore, was surprised that women would be encouraged to purchase additional Plan B in the event of an emergency.

“If a girl had Plan B in her room, I would think that she is not responsible. She’s obviously keeping it there because she doesn’t know what she’s doing [with other forms of birth control]. I guess it’s good for me; I’d rather not get her pregnant,” Max said.

Phoebe Levine ’10 is a member of SHAG, the Sexual Health Awareness Group. As a presenter in the group, Levine goes around to new sorority and fraternity pledge classes and other interested groups on campus in the spring to educate students about sexual health.

In the hour-long SHAG presentation, Levine and the other presenters go over STIs, STI testing and contraception.

“I think [what I am doing] is important because, especially in our age group, we are vulnerable to STIs, particularly during the college years, when being promiscuous isn’t looked upon as being bad. I think every college student and teenager should be aware of STIs, where to get tested and how to prevent them and pregnancy,” Levine said.

“I would hope everyone is willing to get tested and be safe because you should all be enjoying your sex life,” Levine said.

During the presentation, students are given samples of contraceptives so people can see what they look like. Students are also given condoms, lubricant and a card about sexual health to keep after the presentation.

SHAG is not the only student group on campus handing out these packets. Zone, which refers to the Safety Zone, is a group on campus that works with Gannett to promote healthy sexual activity.

Marisa Breall ’10 is a member of Zone. She often hands out condoms on campus to promote safe sex.

“I usually approach people and say that I am working with Gannett, here’s a free condom and I try to give them a packet,” Breall said.

“Most of my responses have not been positive. I feel that people are very embarrassed when they are by themselves and approached about condoms. Some people just take them without saying anything, some people say ‘I have enough condoms already’ and some people just say, ‘I’m not having sex right now.’ Fortunately, there are a lot of people who do take them — it’s not hard to get rid of condoms when you’re handing them out for free.”

Cummings explained that a 2002 survey at Cornell found that only 30 percent of Cornell’s sexually active students use condoms regularly. Unhappy with this statistic, Cummings and Zone hope that this percentage will increase by making condoms more accessible.

Aaron, who was shocked about the unavailability of testing at Cornell, initially found this statistic alarming.

“I guess those are a lot of people in relationships, though, so given that, it’s not surprising,” he said.

Cummings explained that when students are not fully educated on safe sexual practices, they neglect to use condoms.

“One of the obstacles [to increasing the low percentage of condom usage] is that for women having sex with men, they tend to think about birth control and hormonal methods. Most of our women seeking birth control seek the pill. The problem is, the pill doesn’t protect against STIs. A lot of women don’t think about using a condom in additional to a hormonal method of birth control. A lot of men don’t think about it either — they might think about asking someone about the pill, but not necessarily a condom,” Cummings said.

Breall said that, during group meetings, members discuss why students might not buy condoms, why they might be embarrassed, or might not know enough about them.

At Cornell, only 60 percent of students are sexually active when they initially arrive on campus, so education is essential to those who are new to a sexually active lifestyle. As Cummings explained, the longer students are in college, the more sexually active they may become.