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Condom plan undergoes changes

Students won’t be getting free condoms for the holidays – at least not for now.
The Wellness Program and Help, Empower and Teach’s resolution to give students access to free condoms is awaiting administration’s approval.
Student Senate voted last month to pass the resolution with variations from the original policy written before Fall Break.
Vice President of Student Affairs Alan Galsky and Executive Director of Student Development and Health Services Joyce Shotick then met with Wellness Program directors in mid-November to further discuss the resolution and modify it again, said Tricia Anklan, vice president of Student Senate and member of HEAT.
“Overall, [the resolution] was well-received by Dr. Galsky and Dr. Shotick,” Anklan said.
The plan has been presented to the  President’s Cabinet, but that isn’t the final step.
The next step is for Galsky to present the plan today to the student body officers, who will offer their opinions. He will then bring it back to the President’s Cabinet for a final decision to be made.
Associate Vice President for Communications Shelley Epstein said  this is the normal process for senate resolutions, and that he hopes a decision will be made by the time students return from Winter Break.
The original condom distribution policy called for students to attend a HEAT sexual health presentation, given in EHS 120 classes, before receiving condoms. Students could then register with the condom distribution program and could visit the Wellness Center with their ID cards to pick up condoms.
With some tweaks, the revised policy is a bit less strict, allowing students to receive a card verifying their attendance at a HEAT sexual health presentation instead of using their ID cards.
“This card will explain where to come get the condoms, and also will state that Bradley University will not be held responsible if the condom does not protect the way it was intended, as well as other pertinent information possibly how to use a condom correctly,” the policy states.
Students can receive up to 15 condoms per month with the program, according to the policy.
Anklan said students don’t have to attend a presentation in EHS 120 – they can visit the Wellness Center and meet with a HEAT member, who is qualified to give a short presentation explaining how to use a condom, where students can get tested for sexually transmitted infections and other information.
“Going to the Wellness Program to pick up condoms may be intimidating,” Anklan said.  “However, students should know that the people in the Wellness Office are professional, fully trained and very eager to help students practice sexual responsibility.”
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