Brand new condom machines are on their way to Luther College at the University of Regina.
Audray-Anne Montpetit, president of Luther University Student Association, said this step is “momentous” for her.
“They are going to be put in the cellar of the residence side of Luther College, into the washrooms that we have down there,” said Montpetit, who was promoting the condom machines at a Sexual Health Fair at the college Feb. 3.
The cellar in Luther College Residence is a common area. It’s at the lowest level underneath the residence floors, with game tables, a TV and a small kitchen. Montpetit said the reason the machines are going in the cellar is partially because of the budget shortage.
“We didn’t have enough condom machines to go on to every single floor of our residence,” said Montpetit. “We wanted our condom machines to be accessible to everyone, and that’s the one place that all our residents have access to.”
Another reason is people need to feel safe to get a condom without feeling awkward, Montpetit said. “Sex in general is till a taboo subject for our society,” said Montpetit. “If it’s a gender neutral area, they could just go into the washroom, close the door, do their business, grab a condom, and discreetly walk out, nobody would know.”
Montpetit believes having condoms on campus is necessary. “We realize that people in today’s generation are going to have sex,” she said. “We feel like we shouldn’t stop it from happening, and we can’t stop them from happening. Condoms (are) at least a step in the right direction for providing protection.”
Montpetit said there are already condom machines on the main campus of the University of Regina, but Luther College has been pretty “slow-going” in this process. “We’ve had a lot of difficulties trying to push forward with the idea of having condom machines specifically in our location,” she said. “It’s bit of a hot topic for us.”
“It is my hope that besides having just male condoms, we also provide female condoms as well, just so that females realize that they can also protect themselves,” said Montpetit. “We’re also planning on having a little pamphlet booth set up right beside our condom machine, just so that (people) know there are other options for them.”
Details such as condom sizes and content of the pamphlets will still be discussed in the next committee meeting, which, according to Montpetit, will be held in the next two weeks.
The Sexual Health Fair located in the link between Luther and Campion College was held by Luther College this semester to promote the new condom machines to be installed in its residence. According to Debra Schubert, a social work practicum student running the booth for the event, the sexual Health Fair was usually held by UR Pride in the past, and it’s an “education session” to raise people’s awareness of raping and consciousness of safe sex.
The booths were full of posters and brochures about sexually transmitted infections, birth control and rape culture, as well as free condoms.
