“And don’t have sex, because you will get chlamydia. And die.” These words from iconic high school film, “Mean Girls,” ironically seem to summarize the sexual climate at Pepperdine. Unlike most universities, where for many students sex and alcohol are a part of daily routine, students who attend Pepperdine elect — as adults — to adhere to Pepperdine’s sometimes unclear policies. Pepperdine’s Community Policy on sexuality dictates that as a student, sexual activity outside of marriage is considered misconduct and is subject to disciplinary action. Yet, While Pepperdine does not permit sex outside of marriage, no one’s having a judicial hearing for hooking up either.
Which is exactly why five interpersonal communication students have decided to make sex communication the topic of their semester-long research project for Professor Sarah Ballard’s Communication & Conflict class. After a class discussion in which sex was voted the most difficult subject to discuss openly on campus, graduate students Lauren Ander- son, Matthew Drummond and Liz Stewart and undergraduates Kelly O’Connor and Craig Taylor decided to conduct surveys gauging the opinions of the student body.
“Our group decided to pursue this topic to continue the discussion and help bridge the gap between spirituality and sexual health,” Drummond said. “We hope to encourage both students and faculty to feel as if they have their own platform and can contribute to the continuous dialogue on Pepperdine’s campus in the future.”
Of the group’s responses, 90 percent identified as Christian or Catholic. 56 per- cent said they were not aware that STI testing is available in the Student Health Center. While 83 percent are aware of Pepperdine’s Community Policy on sexuality, 59 percent claim to abide by it. “Many students that we spoke with, publicly and privately, expressed that sexuality at Pepperdine was not talked about enough in open forums,” Drummond said. “Everybody has strong opinions on the issue of Christianity and sexuality. We respect all views and want to make sure that all perspectives are heard, es- pecially those that might be typically un- derrepresented on a Christian campus.”
How We Measure Up
Director of the Student Counseling Center Connie Horton oversees Pepper- dine’s National College Health Assessment data, which surveys students every two years concerning sexual health. The last survey was conducted in 2011.
“As I predicted, the stats of sexual activity are much like those of alcohol,” Horton said. “Pepperdine sexual activity is higher than many would predict but not as high as national averages.” Approximately 48 percent of Pepper- dine students identify at least one sexual partner in the previous year (including oral, vaginal and anal intercourse), ac- cording to the 2011 data, compared to 71 percent of college students nationally. “I think that does say we can- not have our ‘heads in the sand,’ think- ing no one is sexually active,” Horton said. “On the other hand, it would be a myth to think, ‘everybody is doing it.’” The difference between Pepperdine and the national average points to religious affiliation, but Horton notes that degree of religiosity only nominally influences decision-making when it comes to sex.
“Most every- body says they are Christian, but that doesn’t seem to really change their sexual activity,” Horton said. “As I mentioned,
people vary in what they mean by identify- ing as Christian, from mostly a demographic variable to a very personal, ‘this is the worldview through which I try to live my life.’”
For those who say their Christian faith is not important or only
somewhat important, 70 percent had at least one sexual partner in the last year, accord- ing to the 2011 NCHA. For those who say their Christian faith is very important to them, the num- ber is 35 percent.
Good Samaritan Policy
One of the concerns surrounding the difficulty talking about sex on campus is that it might make it more challenging to have honest conversations about sexual assault.
Pepperdine’s policy on sexual assault, according to the Student Counseling Center, reads, “One of [Pepperdine’s] values is the recognition that every person is created in the image of God, is of infinite value, and therefore, should be treated with dignity and respect. Sexual assault, in all forms, violates the sanctity of the human body and spirit and will not be tolerated within our community.”
However, the Counseling Center recognizes that students may be discouraged from reporting a friend’s, or their own, sexual assault for fear of facing consequences for an alcohol violation. To encourage victims to report their assaults, Pepperdine offers immunity for both victims and Good Samaritans who report sexual assault.
“Under California law, sex is considered nonconsensual, and therefore rape … if a person is incapable of giving consent because she or he is incapacitated from alcohol or other drugs, and this condition was known, or reasonably should have been known by the accused,” and, according to the Counseling Center’s resources on sexual assault, “‘Incapacitated’ means intoxicated to the point that the person is incapable for exercising the judgment required to decide whether to consent.” Further, confusion about what constitutes sexual assault may contribute to fewer reports. “Remember that be- ing ‘under the influence’ is no excuse for sexual assault. Legally, you are still responsible for your actions. A partner is unable to consent to your sexual advances if she is intoxicated,” according to the Counseling Center’s website.
Resources
The Student Health Center promotes the sexual health services offered on campus by having an annual STI test- ing day for the first 50 students as well as convocations. Senior Michael Arevalo serves on the Student Health Advisory Board, which helps advocate for students by raising awareness of the Student Health Center and its capabilities and lobbying for health policies on campus.
“Our outreach consists of tabling in the Caf, digital signage and con- vocation slides to promote STI awareness,” Arevalo said. “The one thing we can- not promote is condoms. A cou- ple of years back the administra- tion got upset with the Health Center for pro- viding condoms and since then they had to stop.” Birth control and sexually trans- mitted infection (STI) testing are available at the Student Health Center. Counseling and consultation services are free for all students at the Counseling Center. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, visit the Santa Monica Treatment Center for medical ser- vices and forensics to counseling and psy- chotherapy. Call them at (310) 319-4000 or visit their website at www.911rape.org
