WASHINGTON — It may be getting harder to get free campus condoms at the University of Maryland in College Park.
The school fell just out of the top 20 colleges when it comes to providing sexual health resources, according to annual rankings sponsored by the Trojan condom company published Tuesday.
Last year, Maryland ranked 14 on the Trojan “Sexual Health Report Card,” which rates 140 colleges across their U.S. based in part on the availability of free condoms and testing for sexually transmitted infections on campus.
Maryland’s No. 21 ranking was the best showing among D.C.-area schools. Most other local schools included in the research also fell slightly in the rankings:
- The University of Virginia ranked 77, up a spot a from last year;
- Virginia Tech ranked 87, down from 82 last year; and
- Georgetown University fell even more toward the bottom, to 126, from 112 last year.
The rankings are based on a number of factors including the availability of free contraceptives and condoms; HIV and other STI testing; and schools’ sexual assault awareness programs.
The University of Georgia, which took the top spot, also was recognized for holding a condom fashion show featuring student-contributed designs that “encourage students to normalize the conversation around sexual health.”
Brigham Young University ranked last among the colleges surveyed.
The research was conducted by research website Sperling’s BestPlaces.
