Georgetown dropped nine spots to 124 out of 139 surveyed universities in Trojan’s third annual Sexual Health Report Card, released last Monday.

The university fell for the second consecutive year, earning a cumulative 1.97 GPA, down from 2.09 last year.

This year, the report card changed its grading system from letter grades to numeric scores on a scale of zero to 10 and also expanded the number of categories considered in the grading process from 11 to 13. Another notable change in the methodology of this year’s survey was the introduction of an online student poll which allowed students to provide input toward the overall grade. In addition to student polls, the survey also searched school Web sites and polled university student health centers.

Bert Sperling, founder of Sperling’s Best Places, the independent research firm that conducted the survey, said that since there was no way to get e-mail addresses for Georgetown students, the group posted a Facebook advertisement, to which 52 Georgetown students responded.

This year, Georgetown’s highest scores — sevens — were in Sexually Transmitted Infections testing, lecture and outreach programs, and sexual assault programs. Last year, Georgetown won its best grades — B’s — in these three categories. The worst grades came in the categories of condom price and availability and the accessibility of anonymous advice — Georgetown earned ones in both these categories this year.

The university also earned a failing grade in condom accessibility last year, although it earned a C in the anonymous advice category.

Other grades this year were a six in health clinic hours of
operation, fives in separate sexual awareness programs, HIV testing and health clinic Web site usability. It also earned threes in drop-in appointment availability for the health clinic and student peer groups, and a two in contraceptive price and availability.

Erica Slates (SFS ’10), a member of the H*yas for Choice board, said that Georgetown’s low scores are not surprising.

“Obviously, Georgetown is limited in terms of what it can do with regard to helping students who choose to be sexually active because of our Jesuit identity,” she said.

Catholic universities including DePaul University, St. John’s University in New York, Providence College and the University of Notre Dame were the four lowest ranking schools on the list.

“I think a main reason for Georgetown’s low ranking is that the university simply does not place much emphasis on the sexual health of students,” she added. “Given that some of the criteria are a separate sexual awareness program and the availability of contraceptives and condoms, it is easy to see how Georgetown ranked as low as it did.”

Slates said that groups such as H*yas for Choice can help compensate for the constraints placed on the university in terms of the services it can provide.

“I’m sure many students wish that Georgetown could … take a more realistic approach to the reproductive health of its students, but that’s where organizations like H*yas for Choice come in,” she said. “We strive to provide services to students like condoms and comprehensive sex-ed that the university is unable or unwilling to provide.”

Jim Daniels, vice president for marketing at Trojan condoms, stressed the role colleges play in providing students with the necessary tools to protect their students’ sexual health.

“College is the place where students pursue educational excellence and that should include comprehensive sexual education,” he said in the release. “We … challenge all educational institutions to help students live healthy, sexually evolved lifestyles.”

Correction: The original article stated that Georgetown dropped nine sports from 124 to 139.