South Carolina Gamecocks Beat the Field, Rank No. 1 in 2009 Sexual Health Report Card
Fourth Annual Trojan Sexual Health Report Card Ranks Access to Sexual Health Resources and Information at Major NCAA Colleges and Universities
Princeton, NJ - October 27, 2009 — The state of sexual health information and resources at major American colleges and universities was revealed today with the release of the 2009 Trojan® Sexual Health Report Card. The yearly ranking, which measures access and availability of sexual health information and resources across 141 colleges and universities, rates the University of South Carolina number one in making such information available, besting last year’s number one seed Stanford University (2), followed by the University of Connecticut (3), Columbia University (4) and Florida Atlantic University (5).
According to independent research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, which fielded the study, positive feedback from students, and resources offered by the University of South Carolina health center helped the school rise to the top. Since the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card’s inception four years ago, the Gamecocks have finished no worse than 11th in the country.
“What really impressed us about the University of South Carolina, and what helped the school’s ranking was the high levels of trust students put in the campus health center,” said Bert Sperling, President of Sperling’s Best Places. “In fact, trust played a pivotal role in this year’s findings with centers that had higher levels of trust in student polls, like South Carolina’s, tending to score much higher.”
On the other end of the spectrum, DePaul University (141) ranks last in this year’s rankings. Brigham Young University (137), Baylor University (138), Providence College (139) and St. John’s University (140) round out the bottom five.
“Our goal with this study is to increase awareness, spark conversation and get people talking about and advocating positively for sexual health on college campuses,” said Bruce Tetreault, Group Product Manager for Trojan Brand Condoms. “Access to information and resources is critical in allowing students to make informed decisions about their sexual health. We applaud those schools that make this information available to students.”
Schools that improved their rankings include the University of Louisiana-Monroe, which jumped 80 spots to finish at number 29, following a surge of positive student opinion poll responses.
Other big movers in this year’s survey include Dartmouth College (2008: 68; 2009: 19), East Carolina University (2008: 78; 2009: 34), San Diego State University (2008: 105; 2009: 33), and the University of Maryland (2008: 63; 2009: 12).
Report Card Rivalries
The Trojan Sexual Health Report Card analyzes the 141 colleges and universities in the major NCAA conferences, and adds new context to some of the more heated collegiate rivalries.
From a conference wide standpoint, Ivy League schools continued their dominance in the Report Card rankings this year, as the conference most known for its academic prowess saw Columbia, Brown and Cornell University all land in the top ten. This is the first time three Ivy’s have landed in the top ten since the Report Card was created, and helped contribute to the conferences 2.98 overall GPA (out of a possible 4.0).
The Big Ten ranked second overall (2.88 GPA) followed by the SEC (2.75), Pac-10 (2.75), ACC (2.73), MAC (2.63), Big 12 (2.58), C-USA (2.51), Mountain West (2.45), Sun Belt (2.38), WAC (2.31) and the Big East (2.17).
Some key findings include:
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The University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma may have played a close BCS title game on the football field, but for sexual health resources, Florida ran up the score, coming in at 24th overall, compared to Oklahoma’s 81st place ranking.
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The UConn Huskies, who had a banner year for their men’s and women’s basketball teams, staked their place in the top ten for the second year in a row, as the school achieved a 3.38 G.P.A., springing them to number 3 in this year’s rankings.
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The University of Texas-Austin continued their conference dominance, as the Longhorns rank as the highest member from the Big 12, coming in at number 11. The Longhorns have cracked the top 20 of the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card two years in a row.
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Sunny forecast for the Sunshine State: Five Florida Schools rank in the top 50 of the Sexual Health Report Card this year: Florida Atlantic University, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida International University and the University of South Florida.
Methodology
To develop this year’s rankings, researchers at Sperling’s BestPlaces analyzed data from campus health centers and student opinion polls across 13 separate categories. Based on this analysis, each category was assigned a letter grade and a cumulative GPA was calculated, based on a four point scale.
Sexual Health Report Card Categories:
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Student opinion of health center
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Health center hours of operation
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Availability of patient drop-in vs. appointment only
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Availability of separate sexual awareness program
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Contraceptive availability and cost
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Condom availability and cost
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HIV testing, cost and locality (on- vs. off-campus)
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Other STI testing, cost and locality (on- vs. off-campus)
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Availability of anonymous advice via email / newspaper column
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Existence of lecture / outreach programs
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Existence of student peer groups
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Availability of sexual assault programs
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Website usability and functionality
Schools that did well in this year’s report card tended to score uniformly high across all categories, while those ranked towards the bottom were less consistent in category grades.
“The Trojan Sexual Health Report Card is an important tool in understanding the availability of sexual health resources and information on campuses across the country,” added Tetreault. “The fact is, only one in three sex acts among singles involves a condom1. It is our hope that these findings will empower students to advocate for change to ensure sexual health resources and information, including condoms, are consistently and universally available.”
Complete Trojan Sexual Health Report Card Rankings
Overall Rankings
2009 Overall GPA |
2009 rank |
2008 rank |
School |
Conference |
3.43 |
1 |
8 |
University of South Carolina |
SEC |
3.40 |
2 |
1 |
Stanford University |
PAC 10 |
3.38 |
3 |
6 |
University of Connecticut |
Big East |
3.24 |
4 |
2 |
Columbia University |
Ivy League |
3.23 |
5 |
18 |
Florida Atlantic University |
Sun Belt |
3.21 |
6 |
9 |
University of Georgia |
SEC |
3.17 |
7 |
36 |
Michigan State University |
Big 10 |
3.17 |
8 |
3 |
Cornell University |
Ivy League |
3.15 |
9 |
17 |
Brown University |
Ivy League |
3.15 |
10 |
20 |
Duke University |
ACC |
3.15 |
11 |
16 |
The University of Texas At Austin |
Big 12 |
3.14 |
12 |
63 |
University of Maryland |
ACC |
3.13 |
13 |
13 |
University of Michigan |
Big 10 |
3.12 |
14 |
26 |
University of Illinois |
Big 10 |
3.11 |
15 |
41 |
Yale University |
Ivy League |
3.08 |
16 |
15 |
Oregon State University |
PAC 10 |
3.01 |
17 |
30 |
North Carolina State University |
ACC |
3.01 |
18 |
14 |
Pennsylvania State University |
Big 10 |
3.01 |
19 |
68 |
Dartmouth College |
Ivy League |
3.00 |
20 |
7 |
West Virginia University |
Big East |
2.98 |
21 |
42 |
University of Colorado |
Big 12 |
2.98 |
22 |
11 |
University of Oregon |
PAC 10 |
2.97 |
23 |
28 |
Ohio State University |
Big 10 |
2.95 |
24 |
47 |
University of Florida |
SEC |
2.95 |
25 |
56 |
University of Central Florida |
C-USA |
2.95 |
26 |
12 |
Louisiana State University |
SEC |
2.94 |
27 |
38 |
Western Michigan University |
MAC |
2.94 |
28 |
53 |
University of Virginia |
ACC |
2.93 |
29 |
109 |
University of Louisiana At Monroe |
Sun Belt |
2.93 |
30 |
31 |
Ball State University |
MAC |
2.92 |
31 |
4 |
University of Iowa |
Big 10 |
2.91 |
32 |
24 |
Mississippi State University |
SEC |
2.90 |
33 |
105 |
San Diego State University |
Mountain West |
2.88 |
34 |
78 |
East Carolina University |
C-USA |
2.87 |
35 |
27 |
University of North Carolina |
ACC |
2.85 |
36 |
75 |
Florida International University |
Sun Belt |
2.84 |
37 |
40 |
University of Southern California |
PAC 10 |
2.82 |
38 |
55 |
University of Kentucky |
SEC |
2.82 |
39 |
46 |
Colorado State University |
Mountain West |
2.81 |
40 |
49 |
The University of Alabama |
SEC |
2.80 |
41 |
51 |
University of California |
PAC 10 |
2.79 |
42 |
50 |
Northern Illinois University |
MAC |
2.79 |
43 |
35 |
University of Wisconsin |
Big 10 |
2.79 |
44 |
79 |
Texas A&M University |
Big 12 |
2.78 |
45 |
21 |
University of Pennsylvania |
Ivy League |
2.77 |
46 |
58 |
Washington State University |
PAC 10 |
2.76 |
47 |
84 |
Kansas State University |
Big 12 |
2.75 |
48 |
64 |
University of Missouri |
Big 12 |
2.74 |
49 |
22 |
Indiana University |
Big 10 |
2.73 |
50 |
66 |
University of South Florida |
Big East |
2.73 |
51 |
33 |
Bowling Green State University |
MAC |
2.72 |
52 |
32 |
Rutgers University |
Big East |
2.72 |
53 |
34 |
Tulane University of Louisiana |
C-USA |
2.71 |
54 |
5 |
University of Denver |
Sun Belt |
2.71 |
55 |
45 |
Western Kentucky University |
Sun Belt |
2.71 |
56 |
48 |
University of Kansas |
Big 12 |
2.70 |
57 |
76 |
University of New Mexico |
Mountain West |
2.70 |
58 |
23 |
University of Minnesota |
Big 10 |
2.69 |
59 |
95 |
Miami University-Oxford |
MAC |
2.69 |
61 |
83 |
California State University-Fresno |
WAC |
2.69 |
61 |
29 |
Princeton University |
Ivy League |
2.68 |
62 |
25 |
Harvard University |
Ivy League |
2.68 |
63 |
61 |
Ohio University |
MAC |
2.67 |
64 |
n/a |
University of Nevada-Reno |
WAC |
2.67 |
65 |
108 |
University of Mississippi |
SEC |
2.67 |
66 |
101 |
Clemson University |
ACC |
2.66 |
67 |
65 |
Rice University |
C-USA |
2.65 |
68 |
44 |
University of Miami |
ACC |
2.65 |
69 |
99 |
University of Louisville |
Big East |
2.65 |
70 |
39 |
University of Arizona |
PAC 10 |
2.64 |
71 |
52 |
Virginia Tech |
ACC |
2.64 |
72 |
70 |
Wake Forest University |
ACC |
2.62 |
73 |
126 |
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis |
Independents |
2.62 |
74 |
62 |
Eastern Michigan University |
MAC |
2.62 |
75 |
73 |
University of Pittsburgh |
Big East |
2.61 |
76 |
19 |
Syracuse University |
Big East |
2.61 |
77 |
54 |
Purdue University |
Big 10 |
2.60 |
78 |
69 |
University of Southern Mississippi |
C-USA |
2.60 |
79 |
88 |
Florida State University |
ACC |
2.60 |
80 |
57 |
University of North Texas |
Sun Belt |
2.59 |
81 |
92 |
University of Oklahoma |
Big 12 |
2.58 |
82 |
91 |
Southern Methodist University |
C-USA |
2.58 |
83 |
10 |
University of Wyoming |
Mountain West |
2.58 |
84 |
87 |
University of Memphis |
C-USA |
2.56 |
85 |
59 |
University at Buffalo |
MAC |
2.56 |
86 |
71 |
San Jose State University |
WAC |
2.53 |
87 |
43 |
Georgia Tech |
ACC |
2.53 |
88 |
90 |
Northwestern University |
Big 10 |
2.52 |
89 |
81 |
Central Michigan University |
MAC |
2.52 |
90 |
123 |
Texas Tech University |
Big 12 |
2.52 |
91 |
74 |
University of Washington |
PAC 10 |
2.51 |
92 |
60 |
Kent State University |
MAC |
2.50 |
93 |
85 |
University of Akron |
MAC |
2.49 |
94 |
93 |
The University of Texas-Pan American |
Independents |
2.49 |
95 |
94 |
University of Houston |
C-USA |
2.48 |
96 |
37 |
University of Nebraska |
Big 12 |
2.47 |
97 |
77 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas |
Mountain West |
2.47 |
98 |
102 |
Boise State University |
WAC |
2.47 |
99 |
82 |
University of Tulsa |
C-USA |
2.45 |
100 |
86 |
The University of Tennessee |
SEC |
2.42 |
101 |
72 |
University of Arkansas Main Campus |
SEC |
2.38 |
102 |
110 |
Air Force Academy |
Mountain West |
2.38 |
103 |
96 |
Iowa State University |
Big 12 |
2.36 |
104 |
100 |
University of Arkansas At Little Rock |
Sun Belt |
2.35 |
105 |
107 |
University of South Alabama |
Sun Belt |
2.35 |
106 |
129 |
University of Cincinnati |
Big East |
2.33 |
107 |
104 |
University of Utah |
Mountain West |
2.30 |
108 |
111 |
University of Hawaii At Manoa |
WAC |
2.29 |
109 |
121 |
New Mexico State University |
WAC |
2.28 |
110 |
97 |
Utah State University |
WAC |
2.28 |
111 |
67 |
Oklahoma State University |
Big 12 |
2.28 |
112 |
80 |
Vanderbilt University |
SEC |
2.28 |
113 |
119 |
Arizona State University |
PAC 10 |
2.27 |
114 |
106 |
Texas Christian University |
Mountain West |
2.26 |
115 |
89 |
The University of Texas At El Paso |
C-USA |
2.25 |
116 |
98 |
Middle Tennessee State University |
Sun Belt |
2.19 |
117 |
131 |
Utah Valley State College |
Independents |
2.16 |
118 |
117 |
University of California-Los Angeles |
PAC 10 |
2.14 |
119 |
115 |
Auburn University |
SEC |
2.14 |
120 |
n/a |
The University of Alabama at Birmingham |
C-USA |
2.13 |
121 |
124 |
Georgetown University |
Big East |
2.08 |
122 |
112 |
Savannah State University |
Independents |
2.05 |
123 |
133 |
University of Toledo |
MAC |
2.03 |
124 |
118 |
University of New Orleans |
Sun Belt |
1.94 |
125 |
114 |
Villanova University |
Big East |
1.93 |
126 |
127 |
Boston College |
ACC |
1.93 |
127 |
120 |
Chicago State University |
Independents |
1.92 |
128 |
113 |
University of Idaho |
WAC |
1.90 |
129 |
130 |
Marquette University |
Big East |
1.75 |
130 |
136 |
University of Notre Dame |
Big East |
1.74 |
131 |
128 |
Marshall University |
C-USA |
1.71 |
132 |
116 |
Troy State University |
Sun Belt |
1.71 |
133 |
122 |
Seton Hall University |
Big East |
1.64 |
134 |
135 |
Louisiana Tech University |
WAC |
1.63 |
135 |
103 |
University of Louisiana At Lafayette |
Sun Belt |
1.58 |
136 |
125 |
Arkansas State University |
Sun Belt |
1.57 |
137 |
132 |
Brigham Young University |
Mountain West |
1.54 |
138 |
134 |
Baylor University |
Big 12 |
1.37 |
139 |
137 |
Providence College |
Big East |
1.24 |
140 |
138 |
St. John's University |
Big East |
0.62 |
141 |
139 |
DePaul University |
Big East |
ABOUT SPERLING’S BESTPLACES
Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own "Best Place" to live, work and retire for more than 20 years. His firm, Sperling's BestPlaces, puts facts in the hands of the public so they can make better decisions about best places to live, work, retire, play, or relocate. His bestselling books, Cities Ranked and Rated and Best Places to Raise Your Family, are published by John Wiley & Sons. More information about Bert and his work is available at www.bestplaces.net.