Free condoms and safe sex literature are once again available and have been moved from the Student Life office to the health educators’ booth located near Redsten Gymnasium at Truax.

When the condoms and safe sex literature were removed from Student Life, the President of Madison College Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Joshua Lynch, became concerned and took action.

“From Feb. 13 until about 2 weeks ago my club distributed over 5,000 free condoms to the student body, ” he said. “Each one of those condoms, while it may make some individuals uncomfortable, is potentially saving a life.”

Lynch referred to Senior Program Coordinator of Health and Fitness Center Education Anna Hoffman as a “hero.” He went on to credit her for the effort to bring the free condoms and sex literature back to the campus. Hoffman is there throughout the school week and is available to answer students’ questions.

While contraception may cause some students and staff awkwardness, Lynch believes the benefit far outweighs any embarrassment.

“What should really make people uncomfortable is the thought of people having unsafe sex because of them not having the free condoms,” said Lynch. He and his club have sponsored such events as Safe Sex Awareness Day.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has compiled data on sexually transmitted diseases. There were 15,667 syphilis cases and 334,826 gonorrhea cases as of 2012. These totals were rises, from the previous year, of 11.1 and 4.1 percent respectively. Even more staggering is the 1.4 million chlamydia cases reported.

These stats may even undersell the impact of STDs on college students. Many studies show that two out of every three individuals infected by an STD are under 25 years old.

“Latex male and female condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of some STDs,” according to the CDC.

Hoffman offered some additional advice. “I would like to emphasize delaying sexual encounters the most, and really thinking about when, who, and why you want to begin being intimate with someone,”  she said.

With the return of free condoms and safe sex literature Lynch and Hoffman are relieved and believe the school and its students are better off for it.