Shhh. Word on the street is some students may be having sex in the residence halls this Valentine’s Day.

Don’t tell Residence Life or the administration because, according to Creighton University’s student handbook, this behavior is strictly prohibited.

The handbook reads, “any sexual activity which is not in accordance with the Judeo-Christian values of Creighton University and the specific doctrinal teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are prohibited.”

Unfortunately, this may not leave many options for couples wanting a little sultry romance – don’t even begin to ask questions about what this clause means for the individual wanting solitary titillation.

If you think this borders on the paternalistic, just imagine the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., wagging a finger and saying, “Not while you’re under my roof.”

I interviewed six resident advisors about this prohibition, and they all agreed that writing up residents and shipping them off to Creighton Student Integrity seems a little too harsh.

When asked a hypothetical what would you do situation, the responses varied from “just shut the door and walk away” to “ask politely for them to put their clothes on.”

Everyone agreed that the embarrassment and awkwardness would suffice as a just punishment.

Some things are better left to one’s private life.

So can the student handbook go without this abstinence clause if a CSI case seems too severe of a punishment or does the prohibition actually tame what the Washington Times calls the “sexual chaos” of college?

Well for anecdotal evidence, Creighton does not have a version of the H-Bomb, Harvard’s sex magazine, and the Creightonian has not printed a sex column entitiled “‘Who’s Nailin Palin’ falls short” like the Sagebrush from the University of Nevada.

However, the claims of a sex crisis may be unwarranted even on the most promiscuous campuses.

Sexual activity among teens has decreased over the last decade and a half according to Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

In a fairly recent book “Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus,” Kathleen Bogle, professor of sociology at La Salle University, finds that college students are having less sex and the ones that do have sex are having less partners.

Sociologists attribute this trend to increased exposure to sex education and the complications associated with STDs and teenage pregnancies.

So if the Creighton administration does want to tame the supposed sexual chaos in the residence halls, maybe they should try a more proactive result.

Getting rid of the rule and focusing the efforts of Residence Life and CSI on sex education should be the first step.

A lot of topics are not included into new member orientation. Alcohol gets a lot of coverage, but drugs and sex are all pushed off to the side and lumped together under “not smart choices.”

Why not have a seminar just for sex education? The seminar could let students know what can happen if someone does engage in intercourse.

Though, I must step back and admit that I do not believe our Jesuit university will revise the handbook any time soon.

Even though the rule may mean some awkward conferences with the staff of the Integrity Center, many here would label the change a little too “West Coast” for Creighton.

Regardless, if any students or prospective students believe the sex-ban is a make-or-break deal for them at Creighton, they should probably just save themselves the effort and move off campus.

After all, Creighton students don’t have sex.