Texas Tech University

Sexual Health & Consent

Understanding Consent

Texas Tech University defines consent as mutually understandable words or actions, actively communicated both knowingly and voluntarily, that clearly convey permission for a specific activity.

Consent can be revoked at any time verbally or nonverbally by clearly communicating to the other partner. A person is not required to actively resist the other for consent to be revoked; think fight, flight, or freeze.

If a person is incapacitated, even if consent is verbalized, it is not consent.

Consent is not valid if it results from:

  • Physical force
  • Threat of physical force or emotional manipulation
  • Intimidation
  • Coercion (power imbalance or intentionally putting someone at a disadvantage)
  • Incapacitation/unconsciousness due to alcohol and/or drugs or is asleep
  • If someone does not fully understand circumstances or risk (e.g., nature or risk associated with the act, protective methods, etc.)
  • Any other factor that would eliminate an individual's ability to exercise their own free will to choose whether to engage in sexual activity.

It is the initiator's responsibility to obtain their partner's consent, either verbally or non-verbally, for each activity. Silence cannot be assumed to express consent and saying, "No" is not the only way a sexual partner may communicate lack of consent.

Implied consent does not exist. Getting consent throughout all forms of sexual intimacy each and every time is necessary.

Without consent, all forms of sexual activity are assault. 

Read the Code of Conduct or visit Title IX for information. 

Contraceptives

The following graphic shows contraceptives by effectiveness in pregnancy prevention when used 100% correctly.

contraceptives

Condoms are the only form contraceptives that also protect against STI transmission.

External Condom Use

external condom use

Referenced from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Internal Condom Use

Condom use

Referenced from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Condom Use Tips

Store condoms in a cool (external only), dry place, like a dresser or cabinet. Use the condom before it expires, assure there is enough lubrication during intercourse, and properly apply condoms, to best ensure their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy and the transmission of infections. 

Some common reasons condoms break include:

  • It is past the condom's expiration date.
  • There is not enough lubrication.
  • The condom was stored improperly.
  • The condom was not applied properly.
Condom Map

TTU offers free condoms, lube, and menstrual products to TTU students at various locations around campus. RISE disseminates these products, so Drane Hall, room 247 always has the most options. 

Sexual Health Stigmas

Nearly 2/3 of TTU Students are sexually active (TTU RISE, ACHA Report, 2022). Have sex on your own terms and remember that not everyone is having sex. 

1/5 people in the US have an STI (CDC, 2020). STIs are more common than you may think, but most are easily treatable and curable. 

STI Types

Bacterial infections

  • Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea
  • Can be treated with antibiotics and are easier to treat the sooner you're tested and diagnosed.

Viral infections

  • HIV, Herpes, HPV
  • Cannot be treated, but you can manage symptoms over the course of your lifetime with medication.
  • HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses. HPV infection is highly linked to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, and throat. 80% of sexually active people have HPV and may be asymptomatic (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 2022). Vaccination is the best preventable measure.

Parasitic infections

  • Pubic lice (crabs), Scabies, Trichomoniasis
  • Can be treated and sometimes cured with antifungal or antiparasitic medications.
STI Transmission

STIs can be transmitted through all forms of unprotected sexual activity. Abstinence and barrier methods like condoms are the only way to prevent STIs.

It is generally not possible to contract a sexually transmitted infection from contact with surfaces, such as toilet seats, because the pathogens causing STIs cannot survive long outside the human body. Although the risk is low, STIs like herpes, CMV, HPV, and syphilis can be transmitted through kissing via active lesions or saliva.

To protect everyone's safety, it is necessary to disclose your STI status to your partner(s) and medical provider. 

When and Where Should I Get Tested?

Many people with STI(s) are asymptomatic. The best practice is to test regularly and in between new partners. Need to get tested? View our list of campus and local STI testing centers.

Resources
Texas Tech Resources
Healthy Relationships Education RISE's information on consent, dating, interpersonal violence, and support to foster healthy relationships.
TTU Title IX Provides supportive measures and resources, academic support, housing assistance, medical and counseling services, parking assistance, and a safety plan after an incident occurs.
Student Counseling Center Licensed mental health care providers offer individual, couple, and group counseling, or students can independently care for themselves at the MindSpa.
Family Therapy Clinic Provides affordable therapy to individuals, couples, and families. Offers caring and confidential therapeutic services to address a wide range of issues.
STI Testing Locations List of STI testing centers on campus and in Lubbock with all the information you need to know before you go.
Condom Map On-campus information for where you can get free condoms (and menstrual products!)
Office of LGBTQIA Education & Engagement This office serves the Texas Tech University community through facilitation and leadership of programming and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) community. 
Community Resources
Voice of Hope Rape Crisis Center Offers a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling services, and assistance for sexual assault victims and non-offending family members and friends affected by the trauma of sexual assault/sex trafficking. Crisis Hotline: 806-763-RAPE.
Women's Protective Services Offers a 24-hour crisis hotline, shelter, individual and group therapy, support groups, and assistance and advocacy for women, men, and children who have experienced domestic violence.
Good Day Psychiatry Good Day Psychiatry provides compassionate psychiatric care wherein individuals can feel safe, heard, understood, and respected with services like psychiatric assistance, substance use, disordered eating, life transitions, mood disorders, and trauma and PTSD.
National Resources
The Trevor Project The Trevor Project offers free counseling services, education and information, and tools for yourself and others like The Coming Out Handbook.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The CDC offers education, information, and data on health topics like sexual health, women's health, LGBT health, reproductive health, STIs, and more.
National Sexual Assault Hotline 24/7/365 hotline that serves people affected by sexual violence. Call 800-656-4673 to be connected to a trained staff from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
Stalking Resource Center Provides crisis intervention, information, and support to individuals who experience stalking.