UW-Madison is no longer one of the top 15 sexually healthy schools, according to a Trojan Sexual Health Report Card released Monday.
The university dropped to 35th this year after placing 14th on 2007's report card. The 2008 list ranked 139 U.S. colleges.
Sperling's BestPlaces, the independent research firm that conducted the survey from which the ranking is based, evaluated the availability of sexual health information, STD and HIV testing services and the accessibility of condoms and contraception in determining the list.
This year, students were also able to grade their schools in an electronic opinion poll to calculate a grade point average for each university.
Trojan spokesperson Michael Bruno said this new method might have affected Wisconsin's ranking.
By incorporating student responses directly, the rankings did get shaken up a bit,"" Bruno said.
Sarah Van Orman, director of clinical service for University Health Services, said she does not know why UW-Madison's ranking dropped, adding the university has many sexual health services available.
Stanford University received the top ranking, followed by Columbia University, Cornell University, the University of Iowa and the University of Denver. Stanford replaced the University of Minnesota, which dropped to 23rd after placing first last year.
Ranked as the bottom five were Louisiana Tech University, the University of Notre Dame, Providence College, St. John's University and DePaul University.
In response to the university's drop in rank, UW-Madison junior Peter Zook of the student organization Sex Out Loud said one problem may be UW-Madison students are hesitant to openly discuss the subject.
""We're still not readily able to talk about sex,"" Zook said.
This is the third year Trojan has conducted the survey as part of its Evolve campaign, which aims to promote sexual responsibility.
