Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a survey that stated U.S. teens and young adults, ages 15-24, are having less sex than previous generations.

The study indicated that the number of individuals who reported they'd never engaged in any sexual activity rose from 22 to 28 percent.

What that could mean, in a society filled with sex – from advertisments to music – is that people might be beginning to understand the consequences of being sexually active.

Associate Dean of Students Tracy Riddle, when discussing the survey, mentioned that the results might come as a surprise to many.

"At Augustana, we have a really interesting culture," Riddle said.  "If you go to an Augie dance or certain other events, you wouldn't have any reason to believe that our sexual activity is low.  It's certainly a very comfortable sexual vibe in those types of settings.  That isn't a judgment of good or bad, but I don't believe I've seen that change at Augie."

Senior Spencer Ferrell agreed.

"Our generation seems to be far more comfortable and much more knowledgable about sex in general," Ferrell said.  "It seems to be much more desensitized and casual.  It seems that we're much more understanding and welcoming of new perspectives, sex included."

While Augustana does not currently offer sex education classes to its students, counseling and information regarding sexual issues are available at Student Health Services.

"We at student health are available to students to assist them with questions related to sexual activity choices and how that affects their health," student health's Brenda Blankespoor, RN said. 

Also, Riddle pointed out that her role was to be available for people to talk with her if there is a sexual or physical assault, pregnancy or any other issues that may arise.

While no specific data was available, Riddle estimated that the numbers of incidents reported last fall were near average what they normally are.

According to Riddle, some colleges aim to minimize sexual activity through usage of an intervisitation policy, where hours of different-sex visitation are limited.

In Riddle's opinion, though, Augustana's policy is not aimed at minimizing sexual activity, but rather, at maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for students.

"While at a different school, I thought the policy was all about sex," Riddle said.  "But at Augie, that's never been the case; it's always been under the umbrella of safety.  Every time we talk about changing that policy, it's about safety issues."

Riddle also noted that sexual activity is a personal choice, and whether or not a person engages in it isn't decided by policies.

"If a person is having sex, I guess my answer to that is, ok," Riddle said.  "Whatever they need to do, whoever they want to be, that's up to them.  I would never pass any judgment on them."

The CDC study also found that 27 percent of men and 29 percent of women reported no sexual contact, and that women were more than twice as likely to have had sex with a same-gender partner as men, though the same proportion of men and women indicated that they were homosexual.

Complete results can be found at www.cdc.gov/nchs.