SHS 'Get it on' posters draw some attention

Student Health unveils line of blunt posters encouraging students to use protection

By: Lisa Riordan

Posted: 5/20/08

Powerful posters recently released as part of new sexual health campaign urge students to "Get dressed before they get down" and "Get it on - Use a dental dam!" in order to help thwart the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

Initially conceived by the health promotion department of Student Health Services and created in conjunction with OSU graphic design students, the contemporary twist on traditional sex-ed conveys factual information about barrier technology and STD/STI prevention.

Pat Ketcham, assistant director of the health promotion department, hopes the campaign will increase student awareness and use of the barrier method technology.

"Basically we want to make sure that students who are choosing to be sexually active have adequate access to these products and know how to use them."

The eye-catching educational materials endorsing condoms and dental dams made their springtime debut after months of design development, refinement and non-stop student involvement.

"We first looked at developing this campaign in late fall of this year, then by winter term we were making the posters and running preliminary designs by randomly selected student focus groups," Ketcham said.

Dr. Kathy Greaves, senior HDFS instructor with 13 years of teaching experience, describes the visually striking posters as a "fabulous" way to encourage safer sexual health practices amongst students.

Greaves, who is referred to as to "Dr. Sex" in her column in The Daily Barometer, says the campaign will be more successful than its predecessors because students tend to listen more and respond better to unorthodox styles of sexual education.

"It's modern and so students will be more likely to pay attention to it," Greaves said. "And, really, any encouragement people have to go use condoms and the like is definitely a good thing!"

Jordan Ehrlich, health promotion assistant and junior in public health, says the point of the posters is not limited to increasing student awareness about condoms and dental dams.

Ehrlich hopes the new designs will encourage students to visit the health promotion department at SHS to learn more about the products, services and help that are available to them and funded by student fees.

"The 'Get it on' posters are a part of an overall campaign for promoting our services that are underused," Ehrlich said.

"I mean we have always provided finger cots, dental dams, condoms [male and female varieties] and lubricants - but students seem to be either unaware of this or afraid to drop in and ask for these products."

According to Ehrlich, some of the other "real hot topics" dealt with at the health promotion department include issues common to the college community like coping with depression, stress, or alcohol and drug abuse (among others).

"Students should come take advantage of these valuable services and programs; we've got something here to help pretty much everyone."

Lisa Riodan, staff writer

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231