college campus with students

Beyond the Sheets

Supporting HBCU Student Success Through Sexual and Reproductive Well-Being

Power to Decide is proud to house Beyond the Sheets (BTS), a student-led initiative addressing the sexual health and wellness needs of students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Built on the framework of reproductive well-being, BTS operates from the belief that every person deserves equitable access to the information, services, systems, and support needed to make informed decisions about their bodies and reproductive lives. After a successful pilot across 5 HBCUs — generating 6.2M+ impressions, 282,000 verified interactions, and 28,000+ resources distributed. BTS is now expanding its model through registered student organizations (RSOs), meeting students where they are and deepening campus ownership of reproductive health.

This shift places students at the center, as leaders driving cultural change from within their own communities. BTS is poised to grow into a lasting, student-powered movement for reproductive well-being across HBCU campuses nationwide.

Four Focus Areas

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Social Media & Storytelling

Student-led content that amplifies voices, combats misinformation, and keeps students connected.

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Campus Activation Events

Interactive campus experiences that make support visible, trusted, and engaging, while developing leaders.

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Resource Distribution & Private Access

Discreet, student-centered pathways connecting students to practical resources, support, and trusted care.

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Advocacy & Movement Building

Empowering students to organize, educate, advocate, and influence systems-level change on their campuses and beyond.

Map of the US with pins where the Beyond the Sheets program campuses are

Why HBCUs 

  • Nearly ¾ of HBCUs recognized by the Department of Education are in states that have banned or mostly banned abortions. Those 72 schools enroll more than 166,000 students.
  • HBCUs cultivate leadership and purpose while serving communities impacted by systemic inequities, with 82% located in broadband deserts and 50% in food deserts.
  • Although HBCUs represent only 3% of US colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of all Black students, 64% of whom are women. HBCUs produce almost 20% of all Black graduates.
  • The vast majority of HBCUs are in southern states where many contraceptive deserts exist.

Current Impact

  • 72.2% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they feel
    safe discussing sexual and reproductive health and well-being with Beyond the
    Sheets student ambassadors.
  • 28,000+ resources distributed, including condoms, emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, birth control pills, and menstrual products.
  • 95% of students found BTS programming easy to understand, 93% said topics presented were important to them, 92% found the content personally relevant.
  • 40+ campus activations held across 5 campuses and 6.2M+ impressions and views across social media.
     

Colleges and universities have a vested interest in helping their students stay in school, graduate, and build a lifetime of opportunity. Ensuring that all students have the power to decide if and when to get pregnant and have a child—as well as supporting them with other issues such as sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections—is an investment in their success. To help colleges address students’ sexual health needs, Power to Decide created the Campus Sexual Health Program. Colleges across the country use our planning framework to advance strategies that are sustainable, scalable, systemic, customizable, relevant, adaptable, and measurable.

Colleges use our tools to define the services, programs, policies, and practices they will use to better support their students’ sexual health needs and, in turn, help those students stay in school and earn their diploma. The Campus Sexual Health Program addresses specific system-level strategies in four areas: overall policy and systems change, sexual health services, information and education, and equity. The goal is to create an institutionalized initiative that will persist even if funding or a key champion goes away, ensuring that students never lose the power to decide.

Contact us to learn more. 

A shot of a college campus entry gate at twilight.
August 24, 2021

Advocating for Better Campus Care

Learn how Clark and Tufts students worked with their administrations and peers to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care on campus.