Ignorance fails to be blissful as the absence of open communication in the home leads to skyrocketing sexual issues on a national level.
With everything happening so fast and hormones racing, students may discover a single night of pleasure can easily change a life for the worse.
The United States ranks No. 1 in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among developed countries. In addition, sexual assault cases are plaguing universities throughout the country.
“Rape is one of the most underreported crimes in the nation,” said Patrick Gipson, university police lieutenant. “We only have statistics on what’s reported to us, and so much isn’t reported. There are a lot of reasons why someone might not call the police.”
According to the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a nationally representative adult survey found 37.4 percent of female rape victims were first attacked between ages 18 and 24. It is estimated that between 20 and 25 percent of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career. However, due to the uncomfortable and private nature of these incidents, many believe this percentage is much higher, since victims are reluctant to report to the police.
Rebecca Hensley, instructor of sociology, believes our country’s sexual issues are a direct result of the social taboo of sex, specifically teenage pregnancies.
“The reason for these high rates is because we tell people not to have sex. So they do it without protection,” said Hensley. “We’re not then able to have the conversations that need to happen so that we don’t have teen pregnancy and so many STDs, and we don’t have women who are servicing men and feeling degraded by the process.”
While most public schools provide sex education courses, many believe the problems begin in the home with parental guidance, or lack thereof.
“Parents should educate their children at a younger age. And maybe they would be more mature at 18 or 19 years old, going into all these crazy sexual acts in college because they’re experimenting,” said Linda Paine, owner of Linda’s Toybox. “A lot of these girls are getting hurt with these experiments because they weren’t taught. I would say to use protection first, find a comfort zone mentally and physically to enjoy. Your young days are the rest of your life.”
For students leaving home and entering a college atmosphere, the newly-found freedom provides endless opportunities for exploring the world of sexuality.
“It’s like taking a dog off of a leash,” said Austin Cradic, president of StandOUT, the LGBTQ student organization. “We’re not told how to deal with sexual situations when we’re by ourselves. You’re told to come home at a certain time, but when you have dorm rooms and apartments, these are new situations for people, and that can open the doors for all those types of issues.”
Paine is commonly asked questions about the best types or lubricants, condoms and sex toys for first time users.  She discussed the immature behaviors of students who enter her shop.  
“A lot of them come in very immature wanting to laugh and giggle and be silly. I run them off a lot,” said Paine.  “Unfortunately, parents do not present the topic to their youth at a young age, and that’s why we have so many kids in here being silly. If younger kids were being taught about sex, we wouldn’t have 19-year-olds in here being silly.”
In the absence of communication about healthy and appropriate sexual interactions, the younger generation is left to form their own conclusions.
“What parents need to be aware of is that there needs to be more openness,” said Cradic. “There’s a good bit of distance from kids. By the time my parents talked to me about it, my ideas were already deluded from the internet.”
Annette Baldwin, counselor for the University Counseling Center, recommended students visit smartersex.org for honest, useful and straight-forward information for enjoying fun and safe sexual experiences.  
Hensley discussed an ideal sexual education, using Swedish culture as an example.
“In Sweden they tell their children, ‘Sex’ is something that feels good, but it should be the natural outcome of a relationship where you are already intimate with a person.’ Sex is a natural result of the intimacy already present and is built on mutual respect, trust and an entire relationship rather than just a genital relationship,” said Hensley. “Their young people have sex less, not more than our young people. Our young people are free-falling because they have been given no information.”
When asked about sexual issues at Southeastern, Gipson explained that the university is not a special case situation, but reflective of national problems.
“Sexual assault is a problem in universities nation-wide; it is no more or less a problem at Southeastern than anywhere else,” said Gipson. “We do what we can at the police department to try to educate students, but we hope students take the opportunity to educate themselves too.”
In retaliation of the sexual assault issues plaguing college campuses, Southeastern provides a free self-defense course for women. The Rape Aggression Defense System program, a 12-hour course taught several times each year. For more information on RAD, visit the University Police Department’s webpage on the university website.
“The young people on this campus are trying very hard to figure out where they are in the world,” said Hensley. “Probably the single most important piece of advice I’d give to young people, if you’re having some kind of interaction with another human being, no matter who they are, understand what it means to show respect and do that. And, for goodness’ sake, use a condom.”