Not what you'd expect at the Condom Olympics

Like 128 of your fellow classmates and 500 members of the Class of 2009, I ended my summer a little early to come to Boston and serve the city. After sitting in a classroom for six hours getting educated on the issues that need attention in this city, this country and in the world, we went to the BU Beach for the Condom Olympics.

Now, stop your dirty little mind right there. We remained fully clothed the whole time. We were just out there for a little fun and games with some jimmy hats. After an hour or so of filling these latex sperm-savers with air, stretching them 'til they fiercely recoiled and tossing them 'til they popped, the initial awkwardness that each of us had felt about the Trojan man had subsided - a lot.

We couldn't get enough of them. We continued to play until our fingers glistened with lube in the afternoon sun. I realized then that condoms would be a lot more popular - and more widely used - if they weren't so awkward. When you are in the heat of the moment, dealing with the wrapper, the proper rolling technique and removal is the last thing on your list.

But that's where the risk comes in. Whenever you are engaging in unprotected sex of any kind, you are 100 percent at risk. Unprotected sex means potential exposure to a host of sexually transmitted diseases, among them, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which renders your body defenseless against diseases known as opportunistic infections. While AIDS itself does not kill the victim, the infections will, so HIV is essentially a terminal affliction.

I'm sure you have heard all of this before in some form, whether in your first sex-ed class in middle school or in your senior-year health requirement, but the odds are it hasn't sunk in yet. So I feel compelled to remind you.

Since the discovery of the virus in the 1970s, over 21 million people have died as a result of the infection. Currently, over 34 million people live with AIDS worldwide, and nearly a half-million of those cases are here in America. While the largest percentages of affected Americans are men who have sex with men, the disease does not discriminate.

HIV is an equal-opportunity infector. It is also a very fragile virus. It can only be transmitted through direct contact with blood, semen or vaginal secretions. So the only actions through which it may be transmitted are intravenous injections and sexual intercourse. Intravenous injections only take place with blood transfusions or intravenous drug use. Blood in America is screened of HIV and other diseases, so there is no risk from receiving a transfusion. Users of intravenous drugs can easily transmit the virus if they share contaminated needles. I can safely say heroin use is not common among BU students, so this community's risk from that behavior is less pronounced.

We are, for the most part, young adults with extremely powerful sex drives, thus the opportunities we have to put ourselves at risk are much greater than the average adult. So we must be extra vigilant. HIV is one of the most preventable viruses; all it takes is a thin piece of latex to prevent the sexual transmission of the virus. Aside from potentially saving your life, a $5 box of condoms can save you the cost of medication that can reach up to $15,000 a year.

So it is with these somber facts that I urge you, for your safety and the safety of those with whom you share sexual experiences, to buy a box of condoms. Spend a few awkward moments with some good friends and see just how many cups of water a condom will hold, or how far you can throw one before it breaks, or see just how far that slippery piece of rubber will stretch. Spend a little time getting used to the proper methods of application and removal so that, when the time comes, planned or unplanned, you are ready to take that extra step in fighting the worst epidemic in human history.