“My boyfriend and I have recently become more sexually active, but it’s a little embarrassing to go into the Hamar house when we need protection. We’ve been buying them from the store, but neither of us leaves campus very often. Where on campus can we go to get condoms and is there a way to get them without the embarrassment?”

I think it’s always a little awkward when you’re getting protection, no matter where you’re getting it from, especially if you’re just starting to have to do it. I’ve been buying condoms for a long time, but I still examine the lines at Walmart to find a checkout person that I feel most comfortable buying the product from.

Maybe even more than being afraid of the checkout person, I hate running into people I know in the store. Once in high school, I had to bolt away from the condom aisle because I heard the voice of my reverend and his wife. That was so horrifying I may have given up buying condoms that day.

Fortunately, in the years that have passed three things have happened: I’ve gotten old enough that many people don’t think twice about me being sexually active (or it’s at least not as upsetting as if I were a teenager); I’ve realized that I’m not ashamed of buying condoms because I’m pursuing safer sex, which is something I’m proud of; and the newness of the experience has worn off and what used to be intensely embarrassing is just a little awkward now.  Over time, your embarrassment will ease, too.

In the meantime, if your goal is to get condoms on campus, the KISS Club in the Wellness Center of the Hamar House is probably your best option. The people who work there are not going to judge you for having sex or they wouldn’t work to provide the service. As long as you bring a backpack to conceal your condoms or dental dams, the rest of campus doesn’t have to know what you did in the Hamar House. You can buy up to 5 condoms a day from the KISS Club, which means you could stockpile some so you wouldn’t have to visit very frequently. This should also minimize your embarrassment, or at least the number of times you have to live through it.

Two other close options would be the pharmacy at the Portage Health Office in the SDC or Jim’s Foodmart. If you think you’re going to use them before they expire, invest in a sizable stash so you don’t run out when you need them. Condoms have a fairly long shelf life and preserve well in room-temperature and low friction conditions (think dresser drawers, not wallets). If you buy a reasonable amount and keep them in a sensible place, you shouldn’t have many problems. I hope this helps. Best of luck!