According to Colgate’s Student Health Services, 5 to 10 percent of the Colgate student body is infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). This number is in line with national averages, but should still be a cause for concern among college students.

Every year, 15 million new cases of STDs occur in the United States, with young adults accounting for nearly half of these cases. Although STDs are not overwhelmingly prevalent on the Colgate campus, Student Health Services provides students with confidential testing and treatment. Information about STDs and prevention is widely-available on campus in order to educate students on the risks associated with unsafe sexual activity.

Student Health Services conducts hundreds of STD tests on campus each year, mostly for more common infections like Chlamydia, human papillomavirus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). About a dozen tests are conducted each year for less common STDs, usually after symptoms have appeared.

There is no charge for students to go to the health center on campus, but they will have to pay for lab fees. These fees run from $10 (syphilis) to $15 (Chlamydia) to $42 (herpes). Students have the option of using their health insurance to pay for the tests, or they can opt to pay directly, without a permanent record. If a student has difficulty paying for tests, payments can be made throughout the entire semester. All tests are confidential.

“What we want to stress about testing is confidentiality,” Director of Student Health Sciences Dr. Merrill Miller said.

All medical records and information are kept confidential, unless the student requests to release them.

“We also have several practitioners at the health center,” Dr. Miller said, “including a male practitioner, so that all students will feel comfortable.”

It is also important to note that for several STDs, tests will not appear positive for several weeks after exposure. Students should keep this in mind when they wish to make an appointment for testing.

At Colgate, students have tested positive for many types of STDs. In most cases, if a student tests positive for an STD, treatment is available at the Health Center.

For bacterial STDs, antibiotics are the most common method of treatment, and students can obtain them at no charge. Treatment for viral STDs, however, differs. The Colgate Health Center provides some of these treatments for no charge. A student with HIV, however, has to be treated at an HIV management center off-campus, while students with human papillomavirus are sometimes referred to specialists.

There are several prevention/support programs on campus. Student Health Services hosts a table in the O’Connor Campus Center each month to provide information about relevant health issues, including STDs. Pamphlets are available at the Health Center detailing STDs and their symptoms, potential complications and treatments.

Residential Advisors, the Counseling Center, chaplains and Deans are also equipped to provide information to students. Furthermore, the Sexual Consult and Resource Center is a group on campus active with issues relating to STDs and prevention.

“The best protection against STDs is abstinence, but we know that many students do not choose to be abstinent and will engage in sexual activity,” Dr. Miller said.

Because of this, the Student Health Center donates around 5,000 condoms a year to different student groups to encourage safe sex and prevent contraction of STDs.