Dartmouth's sexual health programs were ranked 68 out of 139 colleges surveyed for Trojan Condoms' third annual Sexual Health Report Card, a significant drop from the College's 25th place ranking in 2007.
The survey, conducted by the data analysis company Sperling's BestPlaces, used data from 9,000 student responses solicited through advertisements on Facebook. Bert Sperling, founder of BestPlaces, acknowledged that students who respond to a online advertisements offer a biased sample. He added that biases are a natural and regular component in any survey.
The comparison between schools legitimizes the study, Sperling said, adding that the company used the same methodology to grade all of the colleges surveyed.
The study also used information found on the colleges' web sites, as well as responses to a survey sent to student health centers at the school's included in the survey.
Many centers did not respond to the survey, however, and as a result those schools were graded only on data from the online student survey results and information available online, Sterling said.
Kari Jo Grant, Dartmouth's coordinator of health education programs and advisor to the Sexperts, said that she was unaware of anyone at Dick's House who provided data for the survey.
"I have never spoken to anyone related to this survey, so [Dartmouth's lower ranking] is hard for me to believe," Grant said. "We have a lot of services they are probably not aware of."
She added that study may not reflect the true nature of sexual education and support offered by the College. According to Grant, those who conducted the survey were likely not aware of the extent of Dartmouth's sexual health programs, which in turn could have contributed to the College's low scores.
The College was given an overall grade point average of 2.86, down from 3.18 in 2007. The majority of colleges featured in the survey saw an overall drop in their sexual health GPA. The decline was partly due to stricter standards used this year, Sperling said.
"The overall drop in GPAs doesn't mean that colleges are getting worse, some of the criteria changed," Sperling said.
"It is more important to look at the colleges compared to each other. The drop in GPAs is not indicative of decline in sexual health programs at particular schools."
The 28 Dartmouth students who responded to the survey gave the College's sexual health services an average score of 4.3, on a 10-point scale.
Dartmouth had one of the smaller student samples, Sperling said, because Dartmouth was one of the smaller schools surveyed. Colleges with less than 20 student responses were not included in the survey.
Forty-six percent of Dartmouth students surveyed said they would feel comfortable contacting a sexual health program at the College and 72.3 percent said they thought the provided complete services necessary.
The survey is based upon 13 categories. Dartmouth was given a C for accessibility of sexual health issues on the College's web site, outreach programs involving sexual issues and the health office's availability for sexually related issues.
Dartmouth received a B in availability of contraceptives on campus, accessibility of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases testing and student peer advisory groups.
The College was not awarded any A grades.
The Ivy League had the best overall sexual health grades out of the major athletic conferences. Dartmouth received the lowest ranking in the Ivy League.
The study is part of a national campaign to promote sexual health awareness.
