Campus remains devoid of condom dispensers

Once upon a time, condoms were everywhere.\nBack in the late '80s and early '90s, IU students could purchase latex protection for 50 cents from vending machines in many residence halls. IU Health Center Director Hugh Jessup recalls the issue well.\n"The whole campus was involved in the discussion (to install the machines)," he said. "There was some concern about how the general public would perceive the University putting condom machines in dorms."\nThe issue of condom vending machines recently re-entered the public debate when the Northwestern University student government successfully petitioned to have several dispensers installed on its campus. In a Jan. 20 staff editorial, the Indiana Daily Student advocated for a similar proposal at IU. \nBut the concept of residence hall rubbers is nothing new at IU. The notion first came to light nearly 18 years ago years ago during a meeting of the Collins Center Community Council, according to an Oct. 18, 1988 IDS article.\nA frightening new virus called AIDS had made its way into the public spotlight, and this group of IU student leaders took notice. In a Feb. 20, 1988 article, the IDS reported eight out of 10 college students were sexually active, yet only four out of 10 used protection. \nThe Collins Board of Governors recommended the installation of condom vending machines after it was contacted by Indianapolis-based Valentine Vending. After 13 months of administrative red tape, 41 machines arrived at the Indiana Memorial Union. Within a few weeks, Planned Parenthood had installed them in residence hall bathrooms and laundry rooms across campus. \n"At that time, this was way in front of the curve as far as what other universities had," Jessup said. "If you go back in that era, you wouldn't find (condoms) in a grocery store. Now you've got a whole aisle. There's been a tremendous change in culture."\nHowever, Valentine Vending removed the machines after vandals damaged or stole several of them. \n"I think a lot of our students got a little overzealous and thought it would be fun to have one of those things in their room," Jessup said.\nToday, only one machine remains -- in a bathroom in Collins.\nWhether the development at Northwestern will spark a resurgence of condom vending machines remains to be seen. The IU Student Association occasionally dispenses information and free condoms on campus through its Health and Safety department, IUSA President Alex Shortle said. \nShortle said his administration has no official stance on condom availability. \n"We support (condom distribution) in as many areas as possible without taking away from the primary role of this institution to educate students," he said.\nCondom vending machines might be gone for good, but condoms are hardly scarce on campus.\nVisitors to the IU Health Center can pick up free Lifestyles latex condoms at several locations. Students are asked to limit the number of packages to three or four per visit.\n"The idea is more educational," Jessup said. "It just raises their consciousness of having safe sex. Sometimes our students like to experiment to see if they're willing to even try this, and we let them do so for free."\nNowadays, the presence of condoms on campus ranges from the weekend antics of the Pizza Express Man to the rape awareness efforts of local student activists. Despite the lack of machines currently on campus, the public acceptance of these latex contraceptives seems to have come a long way. \n"The stigma that was attached to purchasing condoms before seems to be less today," Jessup said. "There isn't the same mystique as before"