University improves in Trojan sexual health rankings

On the recently released 2008 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card, the University was ranked 29th out of 139 colleges evaluated nationwide.

The survey, conducted by independent research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, rated universities on a scale of zero to 10 in 13 separate categories, including students’ opinions of their school’s health resources, availability of sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and contraceptives, quality of awareness programs and website usability. The ratings were then translated to a 4.0 scale to give each college a “grade point average.”

To formulate scores, BestPlaces searched school websites, polled student health centers and surveyed students about their health centers. Princeton students gave University Health Services (UHS) a 3.21 on the 4.0 scale, but 90 percent of polled students thought UHS needs improvement, BestPlaces founder Bert Sperling noted.

Princeton’s rank of 29th is an improvement from its ranking of 34th in 2007, though still far behind its sixth-place ranking in the 2006 survey.

Stanford placed first this year, with Columbia second and Cornell third. The Ivy League was the highest-rated division of schools on average for the second-consecutive year. The lowest-ranked schools included Providence College, St. John’s University in New York and DePaul University.

Among the 13 categories, UHS received its lowest ratings in hours of operation, drop-ins versus appointments and advice forums, Sperling said.

UHS Interim Executive Director Janet Finnie ’84 defended the availability of services at UHS.

Students with urgent needs “can be seen 24/7,” and routine appointments are available on weekdays from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Finnie explained in an e-mail.

Finnie declined to comment on the rankings themselves, citing “the belief that no formulaic ranking can reflect the distinctiveness of any program.” Neither the UHS nor the Sexual Health and Wellness unit within UHS was contacted for information about the study, she added.

Finnie did note, however, that all sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening tests are covered for students on the Student Health Plan and that HIV screenings are free for all students through the state lab. A “significant number” of students take advantage of screenings at UHS, she added.

Information regarding sexual health is available on the University website, in the UHS Guide and at various campus events, Finnie said, adding that RCAs are educated about STIs and how to access Sexual Health and Wellness services at UHS.

The Sexual Health Advisors (SHA) were not contacted by BestPlaces for information, SHA president Jiwon Kim ’09 said in an e-mail.

She noted, “It IS one of the top priorities of the University Health Services to best cater their resources to the needs of the student body.”

Suraiya Baluch, director of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education Office (SHARE), declined to comment on the results of the survey. She said in  an e-mail that SHARE does well in “direct services” such as advocacy and education, adding that the organization’s peer advisers make it more accessible to students.

BestPlaces selected its sample by focusing on large universities with high percentages of four-year-degree students. The organization then included the other colleges in those schools’ athletic conferences.

A total of 9,000 students were surveyed. Aside from polling students themselves, BestPlaces also placed ads on facebook.com that targeted students from the 139 surveyed schools. The number of people questioned from each school was not equal, though smaller schools had “proportionally fewer” students interviewed, Sperling said.