What are colleges doing about HIV other than "get tested/use condoms"?
June 19, 2013 8:06 AM Subscribe
What are examples of colleges that are doing new or innovative things in addressing HIV? I am most interested in approaches directed at men who have sex with men, but any general approaches about HIV that are directed at everyone or at other high risk populations would also be helpful.
Most colleges seem to have adopted a message of "get tested" as their response to HIV, with "use condoms" often thrown in as well. I am looking for any other approaches to responding to HIV, especially being directed at men who have sex with men. I am primarily interested in approaches that come from official university bodies (i.e. a student health center or Office of LGBT Life), although anything that comes out of student led efforts, such as campus student groups or LGBTQ clubs would also be helpful.
Some specific approaches that I'm hoping to learn more about include:
1) Any messaging that acknowledges that men who have sex with men might not be using condoms 100% of the time.
2) Any discussion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
3) Any discussion of hook-up apps or online sex sites (i.e. grindr or craigslist).
4) Any innovative or interesting approaches to outreach, such as maintaining a presence on social media.
Beyond the specific numbered list above, I am interested in any schools that are doing something about HIV beyond telling everyone to get tested and use condoms. Thanks.
Most colleges seem to have adopted a message of "get tested" as their response to HIV, with "use condoms" often thrown in as well. I am looking for any other approaches to responding to HIV, especially being directed at men who have sex with men. I am primarily interested in approaches that come from official university bodies (i.e. a student health center or Office of LGBT Life), although anything that comes out of student led efforts, such as campus student groups or LGBTQ clubs would also be helpful.
Some specific approaches that I'm hoping to learn more about include:
1) Any messaging that acknowledges that men who have sex with men might not be using condoms 100% of the time.
2) Any discussion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
3) Any discussion of hook-up apps or online sex sites (i.e. grindr or craigslist).
4) Any innovative or interesting approaches to outreach, such as maintaining a presence on social media.
Beyond the specific numbered list above, I am interested in any schools that are doing something about HIV beyond telling everyone to get tested and use condoms. Thanks.
I love what my friends at Berkeley Builds Capacity are doing (their Facebook page gives a good sense of their mission and message). It's a comprehensive sexual health program but primarily aimed at preventing HIV and substance among men who have sex with men, with a particular emphasis on MSMs of color. The program is rooted in a philosophy of harm reduction, includes real stories from real people, and promotes an overall healthy self-image and healthy relationships in addition to testing and condom use. And they're not shy about talking about hookups and Grinder etc.
They're a partnership between UC Berkeley's University Health Services and the (non-university-affiliated) Berkeley Free Clinic, and they don't just focus their efforts on campus, though they do have a strong presence there.
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:39 AM on June 19, 2013
They're a partnership between UC Berkeley's University Health Services and the (non-university-affiliated) Berkeley Free Clinic, and they don't just focus their efforts on campus, though they do have a strong presence there.
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:39 AM on June 19, 2013
Our university in Australia (memail me if you want the name - I don't want it permanently associated with my username) distributed little booklets a couple of years ago to undergrads in the first week of semester about how to have pleasurable anal sex. They weren't specifically aimed at gay men. They had little line drawings, and tips like using lots of lube and taking it slow, and trying fingers and tongues first. They were actually pretty hot. And the bag they came in included condoms and little one-use packs of lube. There was a brief mention in the booklet that making sure it is slow and fun for beginners means you are less likely to tear, which means it is safer, so I think it was an STD-related outreach thing, although that was very low-key.
I don't think it was actually the university itself that directly paid for or designed the stuff - it was probably one of the student organisations, but given their distribution approach I'm sure they did it with the university's full buy-in.
posted by lollusc at 10:56 PM on June 19, 2013
I don't think it was actually the university itself that directly paid for or designed the stuff - it was probably one of the student organisations, but given their distribution approach I'm sure they did it with the university's full buy-in.
posted by lollusc at 10:56 PM on June 19, 2013
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On the page linked above it notes that they are among the top universities in terms of health services for students. You might want to figure out what the other top-ranked universities do by looking at their websites. You probably should figure out which academic journals publish articles about innovative programs.
posted by mareli at 8:19 AM on June 19, 2013