It’s a fact — college students have sex.

Put religion, morality and any other beliefs aside for a minute and just accept that it happens. Probably more than most of us acknowledge. Having sex, whether you wait until marriage or hop right into bed, is a personal decision for everyone.

But it definitely happens and UK should do everything in its power to keep those who choose to have sex protected. That’s why a recent survey by Trojan should be reviewed carefully and applied to University Health Services.

In this year’s study, UK jumped 39 spots to rank as the 55th best school for sexual health. The study, which ranks 130 U.S. colleges, measures a school’s effort to keep students educated about sexual health. This doesn’t necessarily mean the respective schools promote students having sex or get involved in student’s sexual life. It just means it provides options and education for those who want it . Argue on any religious or moral basis you want — but if someone wants advice or help, they should receive it.

The study gave every university a sexual health GPA — top-ranked Stanford received a 3.5 — based on 13 different categories. UK received a 2.95, not that far off from some of the top-ranked sexual health schools. This means UK could easily make another large jump into protecting its students from a sexual health standpoint.

That GPA also means UK isn’t in the dark ages when it comes to sexual health. Free condoms – that aren’t necessarily Trojans – and contraceptives are available from University Health Services and STD testing isn’t expensive. But more can be done. Out-of-wedlock sex is still taboo in this state, and the lack of dialogue isn’t helping inform anyone.

If someone makes a mistake, contracting an STD or getting pregnant, a strong support system should be in place. If someone believes they might have an STD, but isn’t brave enough to withstand the judgmental stares they’ll get from their peers in the clinic, they should be able to have an anonymous hotline at their disposal. There’s little reason to cast these people out of society, because STD’s aren’t like chickenpox.

The University Health Services should continue facilitating a huge jump and creating a decent support system when it comes to sexual health, but never be satisfied. There’s no reason why UK can’t jump another 30 plus spots to become a top-20 school for sexual health, and not just research.

What should be researched is how to keep informing students about the reality of STDs and how to avoid them, no matter how taboo they may be.