Student Health Services Condom Fairy Program Offers Expanded Offerings
Student-driven improvements make system easier, more efficient to use
Since it launched in 2013, Condom Fairy has become the most popular Student Health Services prevention program. It now fills between 5,000 and 6,000 orders for free safer sex supplies a year. Photo courtesy of Student Health Services
Student Health Services Condom Fairy Program Offers Expanded Offerings
Student-driven improvements make system easier, more efficient to use
Condom Fairy, the Boston University program providing free safer sex supplies to students, is back for another school year, but with more supplies, customization options, and a revamped ordering system that makes safer sex more accessible for BU students.
The program, run by Student Health Services (SHS), reopened for orders earlier this month. This year’s relaunch features several student-driven improvements, according to Katharine Mooney (SPH’12), director of Health Promotion & Prevention at SHS.
“We’re really pleased about being able to have this new flexible system,” Mooney says. “It means that we’re able to ensure that students can access the safer sex supplies they want and need.”
Students can now personalize their orders by selecting specific flavors for external condoms and oral dams, including vanilla, mint, and strawberry. A new “Flavor Variety” pack is also available for students who are curious about exploring different options. They can also order condoms in different sizes and receive more supplies with their Condom Fairy orders. Individuals can also select up to four packs and mix and match supplies based on their needs.
Sarah Voorhees (SPH’13), SHS assistant director of substance use, recovery, and sexual well-being, leads the Condom Fairy program. She says the new offerings came directly from what students requested in previous end-of-semester surveys.
“Our goal is for Condom Fairy to be able to be utilized by any BU student,” Voorhees says. “Different students have different needs, and that means we need to offer as wide a range of supplies as possible.”
Our goal is for Condom Fairy to be able to be utilized by any BU student. Different students have different needs, and that means we need to offer as wide a range of supplies as possible.
Mooney says SHS surveys students periodically to find out what is and isn’t working with the Condom Fairy program. But not all student requests could be met in the past because of technical limitations with the program’s previous ordering system, which had been in use since it first launched in 2013.
In order to expand and improve students’ experiences with the program, SHS partnered with BU’s Information Services & Technology (IS&T) team to develop a new ordering system. The new system “means that we can be much more flexible and responsive to the feedback that students provide,” Mooney says.
Boston University’s IS&T Application and Web Services drew on previous Condom Fairy student feedback to develop a new system, streamlining the process for orders.
Aayesha Siddiqui, IS&T platform administrator, says the goal was not only to make the system more efficient for receiving orders, but make the ordering experience feel familiar to students.
Similar to online shopping, students can now track their Condom Fairy orders, receive automated email updates, see their order history, and cancel their orders. Another feature the IS&T team prioritized was efficiency. Students can now use their BU credentials to log into the Condom Fairy ordering system without having to fill out their BU information (e.g. name, BU ID, etc.).
In the future, the team plans to launch additional functionality that will pull saved addresses from a student’s MyBU Portal into the Condom Fairy app, allowing them to choose which address they want to use for their order.
And in the interest of providing a little Condom Fairy magic, orders now include stickers of the red and green fairy mascots and a Pillow Talk game to encourage conversations about sexual health with partners or friends. Previously, the Pillow Talk game was available only with a promotional code and couldn’t be included with Condom Fairy orders.
Voorhees also emphasizes that the Condom Fairy program is available for everyone, even if a student is not currently sexually active. She suggests placing an order so students will be more familiar with safe sex supplies. “For folks who maybe never have encountered a sex supply item or are curious about it, it’s okay to order something without the intention of using it,” Voorhees says, “just to see what it’s like in the privacy of your own space.”
Mooney says that the Condom Fairy program, which launched in 2013, now receives between 5,000 and 6,000 orders each year and is the most popular Student Health Services prevention program.
“It has proven itself to be reliable, trustworthy, and tuned in to students’ needs,” she says. “We want to be here for students as they’re navigating their relationships and their health as young adults.”