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Janelle Vreeland

Single-sex dorms reinstated at Catholic University

Co-ed dorms blamed for prevalence of sex and drinking

Catholic University is reverting to single-sex dorms and is not reserving it only for freshmen.

As the AP reports, John Garvey — president of Catholic University — announced the decision in an opinion piece printed by the Wall Street Journal on Monday. In it, Garvey argues that two of the serious ethical challenges students are facing on campus are “binge drinking” and “the culture of hooking up.”

In order to battle these challenges, or (as Garvey no doubt hopes) to eliminate them, Garvey announced that the campus will be reinstating single-sex dorms. Next year, all freshmen will be required to live in the single-sex dorms and the change will effect all classes in the coming years. Garvey said that students will be “better off” with the reversion to single-sex dorms, but, it seems to me, that the activities Garvey describes will take place regardless of whether dorms are single-sex or co-ed.

As anyone who has ever gone to college knows, sex and drinking are and have always been a huge part of campus life, for better or for worse. It takes place, to some degree, on every campus, regardless of the values or ethics preached by the school. And it is naive to believe that it takes place because of one sex’s accessibility to the other, or because one sex is having a bad influence on the other.

Apparently Garvey doesn’t think that binge drinking or hooking up occurs between members of the same sex.

Sorry, President Garvey, but students are going to hook up and drink. They are adults who are exercising their ability to behave with the freedom of an adult. Sure, some are going to engage in both drinking and sex to excess and they may regret it later, but that is a lesson they must learn themselves. Dorms may be the most common place for drinking and sex to occur, but it’s not the only one. Off-campus housing and local bars and clubs will simply take over where dorms left off.

Memories are made of this: The Essential Dean Martin

The King of Cool has returned thanks to a new collection “Dino: The Essential Dean Martin”

Admittedly, I jumped at the chance to review this new collection because my love and adoration for Dean goes way back. I grew up listening to him and watching his variety show and celebrity roasts with my grandparents. And the fact that I share a birthday with this fellow Midwesterner endeared him to me even more. So, when I learned that Capitol was releasing a brand new collection of Dean’s work — conveniently coinciding with our birthday — I knew I had to have it.

I was not disappointed.

The collection, “Dino: The Essential Dean Martin,” is comprised of two discs, each containing 18 classics, spanning nearly two decades. The classic singles are present, including “That’s Amore” and “Mambo Italiano” as is his signature tune “Everybody Loves Somebody” which became the theme song for his variety show.

The collection is nostalgic and blissful while making use of the technology available today. The songs have been remastered and sound as crisp and clear as they did in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Dean’s baritone hasn’t lost its beauty and old favorites, like “Sway,” seem to have had new life breathed into them. In addition, a tune previously though to have been lost to history, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody,” has been unearthed and restored. What a find!

If you were lucky enough to have enjoyed Dean in his heyday, then you will definitely not be disappointed in this collection. And, if you’re a newcomer to the Rat Pack and are looking for a great introductory album for Dean, then look no further. “The Essential Dean Martin” gives you a taste of 20 years’ worth of coolly crooned tunes. In short, Dean has never sounded better.

Happy belated birthday, Dino. To get your copy of this fantastic collection, visit Dean’s official site.

Teens cautious of contraception info found online, study says

Study finds that teens are mindful of the sources they find online regarding sex

Teenagers may be gullible, but they’re not that gullible when it comes to information about contraception that they find online.

The National Post reports that a recent study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute in New York suggests that teens are aware of what sources are the most reliable when it comes to contraception.

Of the 58 teens surveyed, — aged 16 to 19 — most answered that they were “wary” of the accuracy of the information given to them by both friends and online sources. If they trusted any sites on the matter, the teens reported, it wouldd be from those sites with .edu, .gov or .org domains. And most recognized Wikipedia as an unreliable source of information in general.

In addition, almost all of the teens surveyed said that they had been exposed to safe sex education in school and that they believed that information to be reliable. Also reported to be reliable sources were parents and other family members.

The study also found that, primarily, teen girls are ambivalent about hormonal forms of contraception because of the side-effects they hear described in commercials.

Read more about this study here.

Japanese camp established for young adults to lose their virginity

Camp’s 12 step process to walk students through the basics of sex

Often, when one leaves for college it’s assumed that the dorms play host to endless sexual activity and that, upon graduating, one is definitely no longer a virgin. But, for many young adults, this is simply not the case. And an “adult training camp” in Japan is aiming to help those college students who have not yet lost their virginity.

As Rocketnews reports, the White Hands organization established the camp to help virgin college students learn about, and experience, an adult sex life. The students enrolled in the two-day, three-night camp will be randomly paired up to go through the experience of losing their virginity together.

The camp will include lectures and workshops during the day with topics like sexual health and birth control. At night, the students will be left with their partners to practice the act of intercourse. The camp has even constructed a 12 step process to aid students during the act, and workshops the following day allow students to share their feelings and experiences from the night before.

Camp attendance is limited to ten 18 to 24-year-olds who are currently in college and have never had a sexual experience. The camp will take place in August and participants who are interested will be asked to pay a fee of 155,500 yen (U.S. $1,916).

What do you think? Is this camp a good idea? Does it make sex seem cold and clinical? Or would it be better to just lose your virginity to some random co-ed for free? Share your thoughts with us!

Lesbian until graduation? Not so, says study

A new study busts myth that college educated women are more likely to experiment with sexuality

As college students and grads, we’ve all no doubt heard the term L.U.G. before — Lesbian Until Graduation. It had long been assumed that women who go off to college — especially a liberal school — are more likely to experiment in same-sex relationships without actually identifying themselves as lesbian or bisexual. Well, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women with bachelor’s degrees are actually less likely to have a same-sex experience than their counterparts who don’t have a high school diploma. According to the study, women who have some college experience or have just a high school diploma fall somewhere in the middle.

The study was conducted to measure sexual behavior, attraction and identity among males and females aged 15 to 44. Ten percent of women aged 22 to 44 with a bachelor’s degree reported that they had had a same-sex experience, while 15 percent of women without a high school diploma reported they had had one. Thirteen percent of all women surveyed reported having a same-sex experience but the majority did not identify themselves as lesbian or bisexual.

These findings have led experts to believe that women, as opposed to men, are more flexible sexually. As Lisa Diamond, associate professor of gender studies at the University of Utah, says, “In the old days, any instance of same-sex attraction was automatically put in the category of bisexual or lesbian, and now we realize women are more complicated than that.”

GLAAD spokeswoman Sharda Sekaran said it best, “We span education levels, identities and races and come from a wide array of backgrounds and communities.”

Read more about the study here.

My College Secret encourages students to divulge all

Tell the world your deepest secrets anonymously

Ever have a secret so outrageous and embarrassing that you can’t bear to divulge it to your best friend, and, yet, you find yourself just aching to let someone know?

Never fear, My College Secret has created just the outlet for you.

The site works on a concept not unlike that of PostSecret. Basically, an individual can post their deepest and darkest secrets safe in the knowledge that no one will know it’s them.

Submitting a secret is easy enough — the user simply selects his or her age and sex from a drop-down menu before typing in the juicy secret. There is also a drop-down menu that lists colleges and universities that allows the user to identify their alma mater if they wish to do so. But, if the user’s school is so small that he fears his secret will be find out, the user can also choose not to disclose his school.

Apparently, not all submissions are posted to the site, but those that make it are pretty interesting. So far, most of them have to deal with love and sex. Go figure.

How about you? What would you dish as your college secret?

College without a Campus

The benefits, risks and future of online learning

When you were in high school, you probably had a very defined idea of what college would be like. More than likely, it involved a sprawling campus, large lecture halls with an elderly professor directing the discussion and dormitories filled with co-eds. However, the recent surge of online classes over bricks and mortar institutions, as well as entire universities existing solely online, seems to suggest a move towards an entire world of online education, a world that may compete or even replace the traditional view of place-based education.

Bill Gates weighed in on the discussion earlier this year at the Technonomy Conference in Lake Tahoe, California. He asserted, “College, except for the parties, needs to be less place-based.” Is Gates the voice for a new movement in education or is he placing too much stock in technology? Is the concept of the campus-less college the next logical step in technology-based education, or would such an approach to education be cheating students out of the college experience?

Online learning actually offers several advantages for undergraduate students, according to Terrence Thomas, executive vice president of marketing at Earnmydegree.com, a web portal that connects students with online degree programs.

“It’s flexibility, it’s convenience, it’s structured for individuals who have to work,” he said.

Students who work part-time, or those who cannot register for a regular class because of a schedule conflict, can take a class online. Even students studying abroad can often take courses at their university from their host country, Thomas added.

Yet, there are also challenges, according to Michael Frank, PhD, vice-provost and dean of the University of Maryland of University College’s Graduate School of Management and Technology.

“Online study demands significant self-discipline, focus, and the ability to self-motivate and manage one’s time. There’s no teacher looking over your shoulder,” he said.

On average, online courses require more reading and writing than face-to-face courses because lectures, assignments, and guidance from teachers and classmates alike is usually presented in written form, he added.

According to Grand Valley State University student, Stephen Iveson, web-based and campus-less university programs significantly restrain the networking aspect of post-secondary education.

“Sure, you can meet a small fraction of peers at a party for students of a campus-less school, but you don’t meet the diversity of people you would in various classrooms; people who don’t attend parties, or would simply work and complete course work were it web-based,” Iveson said.

Iveson’s thoughts echo those of Dr. Andrew Hacker, who criticized online universities in general and for-profit institutions specifically on the The Colbert Report in August. For Hacker, online universities don’t encourage students to learn.

Thomas has a different take on the idea. In an online environment, students have to interact and have to post, whereas in a large auditorium it is much harder for students to participate, especially for introverts.

Moreover, “There are now many visual and audio mediums that are commonly used in an online classroom so that the experience a student receives is very deep and rich,” Frank said.

At the University of Maryland, according to Frank, online students can chat online in real-time, communicate by e-mail and post comments and questions to discussion boards and blogs. Online classes usually allow students time to collect their thoughts, read and research before posting to a discussion or sending an e-mail, unlike when asked to participate in a real classroom on the spot.

Kate Siegel, a graduate and faculty member of California State Northridge, has an open-minded outlook.

“Will it be right for everyone? Appropriate for all disciplines? Probably not. But being willing to entertain alternative delivery methods is great, and in some cases may be vital to keeping an institution relevant, or even financially viable,” she said.

The University of Phoenix’s site also offers some valuable information regarding the school’s online courses. It states that students are required to attend classes five days a week and must participate at least four days a week. Just as students are required to be responsible and accountable, so are professors. They, too, are required to be in class five days a week to offer help to any student who needs it.

Now, for those concerned about not forming relationships with professors or becoming a faceless username, the University of Phoenix assures its potential students that online class sizes are kept small – between 14 to 20 students – to ensure that students get the attention they need and deserve.

In addition, the University of Phoenix states that it assesses its online students to determine cognitive and affective achievement.

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Education and a recent study, “Use of Education Data at the Local Level: From Accountability to Instructional Improvement,” on average, students who took all or part of their class online performed better than their traditionally educated counterparts.

Also according to the survey, students who take a hybrid course combining online instruction with traditional instruction, actually perform best.

As Siegel said, while it may not make sense to change the entire education industry, it would be a mistake to write off online learning as a whole. “I think that it, like anything that facilitates learning, is a fantastic idea.”

Not all of future learning is likely to be online, Thomas said. But “it will continue to grow,” he added.

The Comic Pusher: Y: The Last Man

The Y Chromosome’s final ride

Spinning out of a Twilight Zone-esque premise, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man is one of the most satisfying comic book reads in quite some time. The initial hook is what the world would look like if suddenly all the men on Earth, save one, died suddenly. The lone survivor is Yorrick Brown, a twenty-two year old goof-off who is struggling through a long distance relationship with his far more successful girlfriend and a seemingly directionless life. However, a plague of Biblical proportions arrives and consequently places Yorrick on the path of humanity’s savior. He also happens to walk this path with his pet Capuchin monkey and an ensemble of hard hitting, no-nonsense ladies.

The premise is intriguing and the mystery behind the whys and wherefores instantly engage the reader. Part of this engagement stems from the incredible level of realism Vaughan and Guerra impart on the title. Each story arc of the series’ sixty issues tackles a relevant societal problem, most often with a gender centric approach. This is no after school special though. Vaughan and Guerra are exceptional storytellers. Engaging with topical issues in a very organic and meaningful way, making these encounters part of a larger story rather than the primary focus, the duo never comes off as preachy, self-indulgent or patronizing. The result is a refreshing look at gender issues and societal ills. Incorporating sociological musings into the on-going plot, Vaughan and Guerra make these examinations interesting rather than needless filler the reader is forced to sit through. They engage the audience rather than lecture.

Yet, while the plot is riveting, character work truly carries the series. Yorrick and his companions are some of the most fully realized characters in comic books. Each lead has a readily identifiable back story and motivations. Yorrick, especially, seems a perfectly believable unlikely hero to male comic readers. Never the less, while comics are often the purview of boys women, not surprisingly, factor heavily in Y: The Last Man. Many mainstream comics treat females less than favorably. While this trend has slowly changed over the past decade or so, the stigma still exists that comic books objectify women. Y: The Last Man is a title that appeals to both male and female readers. Women aren’t portrayed as half nude sexpots and the tilt of this book is far from some hyper-feminist diatribe.

To close, what really makes Y: The Last Man one of comic’s most satisfying reads is that it possesses something most comic books lacks, an ending. Most comics and their characters continue on ad infinitum. Independent projects, such as this series, are fortunate to have a beginning, middle and end. Having a satisfying conclusion nits together Vaughan’s story and allows Guerra to illustrate an inspiring final page. The journey of Yorrick is really a story about coming to age and the responsibilities young adults must assume. The trials he faces, beyond life and death perils and saving humanity, are the trials young adults face upon leaving college, maturation, accepting responsibility and finding one’s place in the world. Truly a relevant read.

Jeggings deemed a back-to-school must-have

Jeggings are a back-to-school essential, Goldman Sachs says

Jeggings are the must-have item this back-to-school season. Goldman Sachs says so!

New York Magazine reports that Goldman Sachs released an official back-to-school trend report last week and that jeggings made the list. In fact, it cited the trendy leggings as a strong seller.

Jeggings have already been a big hit with celebrities and are beginning to make the rounds on campuses nationwide. The jean leggings have become so popular that retailers like Gap and Ralph Lauren have begun making them in children sizes.

Also making the list are military styles and prints and plaids that were popular last year, Business Insider reports.

Read more about jeggings and other back-to-school trends here and here.

Study suggests link between in-dorm cafeterias and weight gain

Students who have in-dorm cafeterias eat and weigh more, study says

Those of you hoping to avoid the ‘freshman 15’ would do well to pay attention to a new study by the Journal of Adolescent Health. Bloomberg Businessweek <a href=”http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/641528.html” title=”reports “>reports </a>that the new study links in-dorm cafeterias to student weight gain. The study examined 388 students living in seven different dorms, and although all students had access to two well-equipped campus gyms, four of the dorms were also equipped with in-house cafeterias that serve three meals a day.

Of the students participating, the study found that, on average, women living in dorms with in-house cafeterias weighed more and exercised less than those who had to walk farther to a cafeteria. The study also found that men living in dorms with in-house cafeterias ate more — in terms of meals and snacks — than those who didn’t have access to in-dorm food services.

In addition, although living close to a gym increased how frequently women exercised, the study not see a link between a dorm’s distance from a gym and weight gain.

Read more about the study <a href=”http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/641528.html” title=”here”>here</a>.