If sex were a class, college-aged men and women would get an ‘F.’

According to the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior published Oct. 1, men ages 18 to 24 use condoms only 45 percent of the time, and women ages 18-24 used condoms only 38 percent of the time.

“The biggest problem with birth control is that people think they know more than they actually know,” said Ken Sarber, Health Educator for Student Health Services.

Chelsea Johnson, a junior from Lawrence, is a member of the Human Sexuality Education Committee at U. Kansas. Johnson said the fear of appearing promiscuous prevents people from regularly keeping condoms on hand.

“Some people just don’t keep condoms with them because they want to look ‘good’ or ‘better,’” Johnson said. “But when they inevitably have sex, they do it without protection.”

Sarber said this carelessness inevitably leads to great risk.

Nineteen million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year; half of those occur in people between the ages of 15 to 24, according to the National Prevention Information.

With perfect condom use, there is a 3 percent chance that pregnancy will occur each time a couple has sex. With imperfect use, a woman has a 15 percent chance of becoming pregnant.

The NSSHB also found that when in a committed relationship, college-aged men and women are 50 percent less likely to use a condom. If a monogamous couple decides to have unprotected sex, much thought must go into the decision-making process, according to Sarber.

“Partners need to be asking each other important questions,” Sarber said. “How many partners have you had? Did you use condoms every single time? Did you have sex under the influence of alcohol?”

Often, Sarber said, partners are too nervous to bring up these questions.

“Even beyond the health aspect, unprotected sex can have a lot of psychological consequences,” Johnson said.

The Human Sexuality Education Committee is a student organization that offers a nine-week long course on human sexuality, taught by former KU professor Dennis Dailey. DeAnna Coyle, president of the committee, said there are more than 40 students in the classes who attend regularly. The classes focus on all facets of sexuality, including body image, how sex influences personality, anatomy, sensuality and masturbation.

“People need to learn that sex doesn’t have to be random, or unprotected, or when you’re drunk,” Johnson said. “Students need to learn to be conscious of their sexual health every single time.”