To the average C of C student, the prospect of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or encountering a pregnancy seems improbable in the alcohol-induced haze some call the weekend.

However, students walk a thin line when engaging in unprotected sexual activities.

Jane Reno-Munro, director of Student Health Services, said that Student Health Services does not keep records of STD cases but chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed disease.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study says in 2008, out of the 21,032,396 tested for chlamydia among multi-race, college-aged students (ages 20-24), there were 437,163 reported cases. To bring this closer to home, this works out to 207.85 people per 10,000.

On a campus with roughly a 10,000-student population this appears to be a low number. However, the nature of an STD often results in rampant dissemination, especially amongst circles of friends, where there may be shared sexual partners.

Pregnancy is another scary word for unprepared college-aged students. A popular solution for many females has been the widespread use of birth control, which if taken properly is an effective contraceptive.

Despite its statistical success, however, it is not 100 percent preventive, and can still prove to be a risk without the use of condoms. According to Student Health Service records, there were 19 confirmed pregnancies last year among the student population.

These dangers would be significantly less likely to occur without alcohol, which plays a prominent role in this process by reducing our inhibitions in sexual situations. Given its pervasive nature, alcohol often contributes to unexpected sexual results.

When asked what recommendations Reno-Munro had for C of C students regarding sexual activity she said, “Be smart. When you’re sleeping with someone, you’re sleeping with everyone they’ve slept with…their entire sexual history.”

My proposal is not to stop having fun and drinking, nor is it to ignore our primal instinct to be sexually active. Rather, it is to promote a keener awareness of the negative possibilities that are very real.

This message is for males and females alike: instead of waking up on Saturday morning and venturing over to CVS to buy Plan B, wake up on Friday morning and venture over to CVS to buy a pack of condoms.

Or perhaps to make it easier on yourself, go to Student Health Services and pick up condoms for free. Please, don’t be shy; that is what they are there for.

In the prophetic words of pop icon Lil’ Wayne, “Safe sex is great sex, better wear a latex, ‘cause you don’t want that late text, that ‘I think I’m late’ text.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.