Harvard's True Love Revolution takes aim at 'mindless sex'

Sex ed.

We have been learning the male and female anatomy since middle school. We had tests on the "boy parts" and "girl parts." Movies have repeatedly made a mockery of this sex education while classrooms full of students have giggled and blushed trying to put a condom on a banana.

Now, Harvard University has formed an abstinence group to fight against what they call "mindless sex."

Two students at the Ivy League school discovered a student health center's advertisement for FREE LUBE, a promotion of the mindless sex they are fighting against, so they opted to offer an alternative. Interestingly enough, the two who have created this group are dating. They have called their group True Love Revolution and have over 90 participants on their Facebook.com page.

According to the homepage for the group, "TLR is a new, non-sectarian student group at Harvard College dedicated to the promotion of premarital sexual abstinence...[the group's] efforts focus on community outreach, publicity, and support for those who wish to remain strong in or have recommitted themselves to this cause."

It was evident my freshman year that sex-talk was normal conversation at Wilkes. I remember it being thrown in my face the moment I walked into the dormitory. Baskets of individually lubricated condoms filled the common room, along with flavorful dental dams. Some wiseguy always found it amusing to display these sexual protection mechanisms as artwork around the dorm. And stickers were randomly placed around the halls with the black bold words JUST DO IT printed on a white condom. In short, sex is everywhere.

As freshmen we were encouraged to attend group discussions about practices of safe sex and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, we have moved from STDs to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In a recent conversation with my mother, she was unaware of the switch from STDs to STIs. I will once and for all separate the two. STDs have symptoms. However, organizations have begun using the term STIs because these infections can be passed from one individual to another even when there are no apparent symptoms.

So, has sex on college campuses become mindless? Are universities promoting sexual behavior when they provide their students with the means to conduct such activity?

When too much alcohol is consumed everything and/or anything will become mindless. So, yes, when alcohol is mixed into the equation sexual intercourse will be mindless. On the other hand, having condoms around the dorm is not an advertisement to have sex, but a safe option for those who choose to do so.

Freshmen year students are breaking away from the strict reins their parents had on them all through grade school and struggling with their newly claimed freedom. It is my hope that as Evans Hall is revamped into an all freshmen dorm we see a lot more of these prized baskets in that dormitory. And it is very convenient that health services is in the same building--it shouldn't be moved.

Maybe Wilkes will not see a True Love Revolution group on campus anytime soon as we do not have that sort of prestigious reputation to uphold. But the basis on which Harvard formed its abstinence group is still applicable to Wilkes and any college campus.

Will abstinence ultimately become the dominant social practice on campuses across the nation? Perhaps not. But education is key. Awareness of risks is essential. And easy access to means of protection should people not choose abstinence is very important to maintaining a healthy climate.