University of Memphis freshman Nicole Clark has beliefs that mayseem out of style to many college students. Twenty-year-old Clarkhas vowed to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Like many,she bases her decision on religion.
"I am choosing to wait because that is how I was brought up, andit is my way of honoring God and my future husband," Clarksaid.
Although many college students have no qualms about pre-maritalsex, others choose to wait for marriage.
Christian Student Center intern Joseph Watson gave severalreligious reasons students abstain.
"We teach abstinence and many want to save themselves for theirspouses," Watson said. "It's a blessing. I think it isspecial."
Students with Christian beliefs who choose to abstain feel goodabout complying with the will of God, Watson said.
"There is peer pressure and emotional issues with sex. Toothers, it may even seem 'weird' to be missing out on the fun, soit is a sacrifice," Watson said.
But other students abstain from premarital sex even without thereligious beliefs.
Unlike Clark, Melian Daily, a self-proclaimed atheist, hasreasons other than religion for abstaining from sex.
"I don't feel the need to have sex right now and really don'thave the desire to," Daily said. "Just because I don't believe inGod doesn't mean I don't make good decisions or try to be a goodperson."
Clark says she believes fewer students are practicing abstinencenow in part because of the media.
"The media has a big part in influencing the sexual activity ofpeople our age," Clark said. "Magazines tell us how to have sexwithout catching STDs or getting pregnant. They say it's OK."
But Clark said she doesn't want her life to imitatetelevision.
"Sitcoms have people who don't even think twice about sleepingtogether on the first night. That helps to make me stronger in mydecision," Clark said. "I don't want to be promiscuous."
However, Clark said her decision to wait has affected her datinglife.
"Some guys, when they find out, they don't want to date mebecause I want to wait," Clark said.
But Clark said she believes she's doing the right thing andadvises other students to wait.
"I really don't have any problem with waiting until I ammarried," she said. "I look forward to God's promise of two peoplebeing made for each other and satisfied."
But keeping that pledge can be harder than some students think,according to a recently released survey.
The survey, conducted anonymously at Northern KentuckyUniversity, showed that more than half of the undergraduates whohad pledged to abstain from sexual intercourse had broken theirpromise.
Jacqueline DeFouw, U of M health educator, said there are alsoother advantages to abstinence than religious benefits.
There are no disadvantages to abstinence, DeFouw said, but theadvantages include being 100 percent free of sexually transmittedinfections and pregnancy.
And the federal government agrees with DeFouw, spending $102million on abstinence-until-marriage programs in 2002. And in hislast budget, President Bush proposed an increase of $33 million forabstinence-until-marriage programs.
"Studies show that people who abstain have more self esteem andself worth," DeFouw added.
DeFouw also discouraged students from taking what many may feelis the easy way out.
"I have heard that some girls participate in anal sex or abstainfrom sex for a month before their weddings so they can remainvirgins or reborn virgins," she said. "That is false."
A 2000 poll taken of students attending Iowa State Universityshowed that one out of five college students believe that a personwho engages in anal sex is not "having sex."
But for the many of students who are sexually activity, DeFouwadvises using latex condoms, which the Hudson Health Centerdistributes for free.
"College students can see that relationships are more long termthan they have been in the past, and they are getting more mature,"DeFouw said.
