Something I have noticed at NIU is there are these displays in almost every building that claim to contain free information about sex and health, and yet I have never seen one containing these phantom pamphlets. Where did these pamphlets go?

The optimist in me thinks they are instantly taken by concerned and curious students who wish to prepare themselves to make good, adult decisions about sex. Unfortunately, my pessimist side believes there haven’t been pamphlets about sex in a long time. This is why I believe sex ed should be a required course in every college.

According to teenpregnancystatistics.org, “About four in 10 pregnancies are unplanned in the United States alone.” There is an unfortunate increase in unplanned pregnancies in women aged 15 to 44. Teenpregnancystatistics.org reports that 48 percent of women with unexpected pregnancies used contraceptives during the month they became pregnant, but some were not as diligent about taking their birth control while others were not using condoms consistently.

Pregnancy is not the only risk that comes with sex. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2011 there were a reported 321,849 cases of gonorrhea, as well as 1,412,791 cases of chlamydia. These are statistics that should be known by college students throughout the U.S.

I believe sex ed should be re-taught in college because of the fact that some high schools don’t teach sex ed, and even those that do aren’t being as effective as one would desire.

“I agree that sex ed should be taught in college a hundred percent,” said Rebecca Siebens, junior political science major. “It seems like the high schools that do offer sex ed don’t reach out to students well enough.”

Another unfortunate but real reason why sex ed should be taught in college is due to the fact that many students find themselves able to experiment with drugs and alcohol.

“I definitely think that sex ed should be taught in college,” said sophomore English major Jason Reynen. “Students seem to forget the things that they are taught in high school about sex, and this results in them participating in more risky acts. It doesn’t help that this is usually the first time that students are away from home and experiment with drinking and drugs, they need to be reminded of the consequences of their actions.”

We need to be certain that we have informed students about sex well enough that they are prepared to make the right decisions. Unfortunately when drugs or alcohol are involved this may not be the case, but we should do everything we can to ensure that they are as informed as possible.

Sex is a great thing; I’m not going to lie. However, sex also comes with a certain amount of responsibility.

I believe if we are taught sex ed in college, as well as high school, we can be as prepared as possible to make the most safe, responsible sexual choices and avoid becoming a part of a statistic.