Let's talk about sex: Trojan ranks top schools for sexual health

Oregon State University takes the title for best on-campus sexual health resources of any college in the U.S., according to a survey published on Wednesday.

Commissioned by Trojan -- yes, that Trojan -- for the 10th consecutive year, the Sexual Health Report Card ranks 140 colleges based on the quality of their student health centers. Student health centers were graded on services across 11 categories that include the quality of sexual health information and resources, contraceptive and condom availability (either free or at a cost), HIV and STI testing and sexual assault programs and resources.

Stanford University, University of Georgia, University of Michigan and Brown University round out the top five spots. Columbia University — which came in at No. 8 this year — has made the most appearances in the top 10, with eight consecutive mentions since 2008.

The school that scored the lowest? Brigham Young University. Troy State University, Providence College, University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of Notre Dame were also ranked in the bottom five.

It's important to note that researchers rank the schools exclusively on a positive scale -- which means they aren't penalized if they're currently under investigation for a Title IX violation, for example.

"We thought it would be unfair to score a case that was under investigation," Bert Sperling, lead researcher of the project, tells USA TODAY College.

But overall, Sperling says the majority of schools surveyed have made vast improvements in the types of resources they provide for students: On a 4.0 scale, average scores increased from 1.9 in 2006 to 3.00 this year.

Sperling partially attributes that to an "increased awareness in society about gender issues."

"Over the last 10 years, the amount of information made available has really increased ... (schools are) changing for the better," Sperling says.

Morgan Baskin is a student at George Washington University and is a USA TODAY intern.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.