Curry to offer new safe sex kits

The Condom Corner at the Curry Health Center will have more free sex supplies for students starting next week.

The University of Montana's Curry Health Center Health Enhancement Office is launching seven new free "sexual act kits." These new kits are designed for specific romantic situations ranging from dating and making out to anal sex.

Kayla Hanna, the UM Curry Health Center CARE Coordinator, came up with the idea and is putting together the new kits.

CARE stands for Condom Access for Responsible Encounters and CARE reps provide free condoms to students and keep everything confidential.

The kits are funded by a portion of students' $207.75 Health Service fee paid every semester and from ASUM's funding of Curry's Peers Reaching Out student group. Hanna estimated that the average kit costs less than a quarter to put together.

She said there's a kit for everyone, no matter their stage in a relationship.

The seven new kits are tailored for: making out, date night, male and female oral sex, anal sex and male and female masturbation.

"By having the right supplies in the right context, you're going to increase your chances of having a better experience, being protected and having fun," Hanna said.

Different kits' contents include massage oil, Pop Rocks, special condoms, flavored lubricants, finger cots, dental dams, information, ideas and tips.

Dental dams are squares of latex used for protection during female oral sex.

Finger cots are like condoms for fingers and reduce the chances of spreading germs and possible infections in case of cuts or hangnails.

Pop Rocks are put in the make out kits to "spice things up," Hanna said.

Silicone-based lubricant and extra strength condoms are in the anal sex kit because of the anatomy of the anus, Hanna said.

The flavored lubricants and condoms are exclusively in the oral sex kits because of the extra additives that should only be used for oral sex, not necessarily other sex acts, she said.

Molly Calhoun, a member of Montana CRU — a Christian student group on campus — said while she agrees it's good to educate students, she doesn't support the sexual act kits.

"It's a little extreme to tell students how to do specific sexual acts," she said.

Calhoun said she thinks students should have to at least pay a small fee for the kits.

"Since I'm not using them I don't think it's fair that I'm paying the University to buy these things," she said.

Linda Green, director of Health Enhancement, said her office provides supplies for students to have safe sexual encounters.

"College students are more likely to use safe sex supplies if they're accessible," Green said. "It's not likely students will just not have sex."

In the last National College Health Assessment survey taken in 2008, 81 percent of UM students said they engaged in sexual activity. Of the students who said they'd been sexually active in the 30 days before the poll was taken, 28 percent said they rarely or never used a condom. Nearly half of those students had oral sex, and more than half had engaged in vaginal intercourse.

Last year, Curry gave out 30,462 condoms.

Condoms, other safe sex supplies and the new sexual act kits are free and available in the Curry Health Enhancement Office.

emily.creasia@umontana.edu