Free condoms stacked in Campus Center

Evette Linendoll
Staff Writer

“That’s fucking fantastic,” said Student Senate treasurer Josiah Dillon about discovering the free condoms in the Wellness Center.

The Wellness Center has a large basket of free condoms ranging from Lifestyles to Trojan Magnums, available to all Hudson Valley students. The basket is located in the lobby of the Wellness Center close to its entrance.

“It’s a public health measure to help students protect themselves against disease or illnesses that could be sexually transmitted,” said Claudine Potvin-Giordano, director of health services.

The condoms are given to Hudson Valley through the New York State Department of AIDs Prevention, and are recommended for students to use to help prevent them and any partners from sexually transmitted diseases. Potvin-Giordano, who frequently sees students coming in the Wellness Center to pick up condoms, think they have a positive effect on the campus.

“[Colleges] should always allow for easy contraception,” said individual studies student Tom Connolly. Although Connolly was unaware of the condoms given in the Wellness Center, he feels strongly about having them on any college campus.

“They definitely should be giving them out, especially at a college where everybody’s here to have sex with somebody,” he said.

Potvin-Giordano feels that students should be coming in to get themselves condoms as needed. “They are there to protect [students] health because it’s incredibly simple way to protect your future,” said Potvin-Giordano.

Matt Parker, programming and web design major, has a history of using the condoms provided from the Wellness Center to keep himself healthy. “Unprotected sex is dangerous and STDs are commonly passed, especially between college students,” said Parker.

“It saves me money, it saves me the problem of having kids — safe sex is the best sex,” said individual studies major Devin Jiggetts.

Potvin-Giordano also feels that students shouldn’t be afraid to collect any contraceptives from the Wellness Center. the large bucket of condoms being placed at the front make it easy for students to collect condoms and leave, no questions asked. “It’s private — people go and help themselves and we don’t ask any questions,” she said.

Individual studies major Neko Johnson has no fear of collecting his condoms from the Wellness Center. “During the beginning of football practice and stuff they’ll be like, go to the Wellness Center and get some condoms as you need them,” said Johnson.

Being a frequent visitor to collect condoms from the Wellness Center, Johnson feels he’s being safe and intelligent by collecting the free contraceptives. “They’re free and it’s better than paying $5 or $3 for one little box,” said Johnson.