Install Condom Dispensers in All

¶ … install condom dispensers in all of the rest rooms.

In favor of condom vending machines at Camden County College

Recently, objections have been raised to Camden County College's decision to install condom dispensers in all of the university's restrooms. Opponents argue that this sends a bad message to the student body, regarding sexual practices. They say that young people should not feel as if premarital sex is encouraged by the administration. If they wish to engage in sexual practices, then they can purchase condoms at a drug store. Some have also "raised questions as to how the parents of prospective students would react if they saw or knew of condom dispensers on campus" (Cooper 2006, p.2). According to one college that declined to install such vending machines, health was not cited as the main issue, rather: "The university's number-one concern is recruitment and retention…There is a proportion of people out there who will view these machines negatively, and the administration has taken that into account" (Wexler 2008)

However, it could be argued in response that far from sending the wrong message to students, installing these dispensers sends the right message -- that the administration expects students to behave like adults, and that it promotes safe sex. Additionally, some students may feel embarrassment about purchasing condoms in drugstores. While it could be argued that this is a juvenile sensation, surely it is better to install the dispensers where condoms can be purchased in private, than it is for students to engage in unsafe sex. "Dispensers would also allow students to obtain condoms anonymously, therefore eliminating the embarrassment of asking another person" (Cooper 2006, p.2). Regarding parent disapproval -- surely the health of the students should come before any desire to craft a particular 'image' for visitors. Additionally, as a community college, many students pay for their own tuition and work to fund their studies. This makes them even more mature as adults in terms of their autonomous decision-making power. A college that wants students to behave like responsible adults should treat the students like adults, especially if they are working and paying their tuition like adults.

Another argument against the vending machines is that students will not use the condoms in the machines, making it an unnecessary waste of money. However, convenience does promote positive as well as negative health behaviors. Just as the availability of healthy foods can encourage better eating habits, so can the ease of obtaining birth control. One survey at a college also contemplating condom dispensers arrived at this surprising finding: 41% of students "said that they would have sex without a condom if one was not immediately available" (Cooper 2006, p.2). When condoms were left out for free at the health center, noted one nurse, the students took them by the handful. "Condom dispensers are a good, consistent source," of condoms for students, in other words, students do not need to do a great deal of pre-planning to use them, which lessens the chance they will accidentally find themselves unprepared. "They ensure that condoms are both affordable and available to students" (Cooper 2006, p.2).