By: Caitlin Donahue On Wednesday, I attended a deliberation that focused primarily on the politics of the multi-dimensional and complex issue of women’s reproductive rights. I chose to attend this deliberation not only because the topic interested me and seemed very relevant for society today, but also because I wanted to participate in an open and honest discussion about this particular issue with people who may have varying or different perspectives from mine. I consider this issue to be a very pressing and important concern in our society today and something that affects many people, and as something that needs to be addressed and talked about in an effective way rather than focusing on the polarizing pro-life or pro-choice sides of the argument. I was excited to meet with other people to consider the different ways in which this issue could potentially be addressed. Attending this deliberation turned out to be a good decision, as the conversation was very open, productive, thought-provoking, and allowed me to think about women’s reproductive rights from many different sides of the issue, rather than viewing it simply from my own perspective and set of personal beliefs.
The deliberation opened with a shocking and personal story about an eleven-year-old girl who was on birth control who was the sister of one of the deliberation’s moderators. The moderator asked the audience what we initially thought of when we were told of such a young girl who was already on the pill. Some people expressed that they felt the girl was far too young to already be engaging in sexual intercourse and that she did not actually need to be on the pill, whereas others recognized the possibility that the girl may have been on the pill for other particular medical purposes. After the varying responses from the audience, one of the moderators informed us that the eleven-year-old girl in the story was actually her sister. She had to be placed on birth control after doctors discovered that she had a cyst on her ovary that could potentially affect her fertility in the future. The pill helps to keep the cyst under control so she does not have to live in pain, and is therefore is a necessary and vital aspect of her health and well-being. This was a very powerful and effective way to open the deliberation not only because it was a personal story, but also because it showed that there are many different situations that birth control pills are needed for, and that they are not just for used as a contraceptive in all cases. I believe that opening the deliberation in this manner allowed the deliberation attendees to have a more opened-mind during the remainder of the discussion rather than continuing to view this issue from a pro-choice or pro-life perspective. The deliberation next moved to their approaches for possible solutions to the ongoing issue of women’s reproductive rights. One of the main questions that was posed during the deliberation was whether women’s reproductive rights, including the procedure of abortion, birth control pills, and other forms of contraceptives should be decided by the federal government or by the individual states. While discussing this, my group decided that this is a very hard question to answer, and a definite solution is difficult to imagine, which is part of the reason why this issue still remains a significant societal concern. We found that it was important and seemingly necessary that the federal government had some form of involvement in this issue in order to ensure that the various options regarding reproductive rights that are currently in place remain in place. However, if this were in fact primarily a states’ issue, our group felt that more people in a particular state might be pleased with the decision that their individual state makes rather than the issue being regulated by the federal government or forced upon them. If this was a states’ issue, then each state’s decision may be more reflective of that state’s population which could potentially allow the topic of women’s reproductive rights to not be as significant of an issue in our society. Our group also discussed the different religious and moral implications that a person may have against the concept of abortion or even various forms of contraception. Some people who hold such religious beliefs may be uncomfortable with the fact that their tax dollars could potentially be going towards programs and other things regarding women’s reproductive rights that go against their moral convictions or beliefs. However, although it is important to respect differing religious and moral beliefs, our group discussed this and agreed that these services, especially the basic forms of birth control, are medically necessary and should be readily available to the women who need them. Our group felt that since there are so many different circumstances for why a woman may make the decision to have an abortion or why she chooses to be on birth control, so therefore it is extremely important for people to realize that it is a personal decision and cannot be made by others. This means that even if someone is personally against taking birth control or abortion, they should understand that they do not have to personally take birth control or have an abortion, but that the option should be available to those who need them. Overall, our group agreed on many of the topics that were raised throughout this deliberation. Every member of the group seemed to be very pro-choice from the beginning of the deliberation, so it was interesting to see as we all opened up and tried to view and critically think about this issue from a different perspective.
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By: Caitlin Donahue During the series of deliberations in Deliberation Nation, I attended a deliberation that aimed to discuss race in an open, honest, and productive manner, titled “We Are Talking About Race.” This seemed like it would be an interesting discussion about the complex issue of race relations and the problems that still exist in the world today. I chose to attend this deliberation because race is often a topic that is considered taboo to talk about openly and critically with different groups of people, however it should not be and I wanted to help break this stigma. I feel like it is extremely essential to be honest about the real problems with race relations that are present in our society today. In order to see actual change in the world, we first need to have a productive and entirely honest discussion about the real issues we are facing, and this deliberation was very effective in doing exactly that.
At the start of the small groups portion of this deliberation, the people in my group seemed slightly hesitant and uncomfortable to share their honest opinions or personal experiences and ideas regarding the issue of race. However, everyone soon became comfortable as the group leaders helped to spark conversation, which resulted in some really honest and effective communication. The first approach that was addressed by the moderators was that of education on the topic of race. My group had multiple interesting ideas about how to create a better understanding of race in our society from a young age, including making history classes focus on different cultures and races rather than using the perspective of only one racial group. If children are taught this way early on, they will be more likely to be accepting and understanding of different races, because it will be seen as a normal aspect of society. History classes now mainly focus only on the white or Western side of history, often leaving out and overlooking many important and monumental achievements or historical events completed by other racial or ethnic groups. By doing so, our history books and teachers growing up have perhaps unconsciously and accidentally caused children while growing up to perceive only one race as important and superior, which only further perpetuates the racial divides that exist in the world today. If schools started to teach a more well-rounded and accurate approach to the past, children would grow up knowing that there is more to the world than just white history, which would most likely be beneficial in decreasing the racial divides and tensions that exist today. Overall, improving history classes seemed to me to be the most effective method of increasing racial education among children because it would show that all history is human history and is equally relevant and important. The second approach we discussed was building a sense of community among different racial groups. We talked about the various ways to increase community support in order to make members of all races feel comfortable and safe in their environment, whether that be in their hometown, college campus, or workplace. Focusing primarily on college campuses, this was very relevant to us as Penn State students considering the fact that our school has a decently diverse population and could greatly benefit from strengthening our sense of community as a school. We talked about different cultural events or clubs that would help to get many people from different races involved in order to show that we all belong to the same community. However, some people had differing views on these clubs or events. Some people in our group believed that including people not of an ethnic or racial group that they do not technically belong to into a particular club could be considered offensive or as a form of cultural appropriation. I however disagree with this assertion, and think that being exposed to another culture’s traditions or customs can only help to strengthen one’s appreciate and understanding for that particular culture, which helps people judge other cultures less. Despite the differing of opinions in the gorup, this discussion was also productive and intriguing. The third approach we discussed was designated safe zones or spaces and whether or not they should be incorporated on college campuses. Some people in our discussion group disagreed on exactly how safe zones should be implanted on college campuses, the work place, or in different communities, however everyone agreed that people should be able to have an area that they feel completely safe to be themselves and confident that they will not be ridiculed or judged by others. I feel that safe spaces can be a positive thing for colleges to have on their campus, however I believe that they should not strictly infringe upon freedom of speech and open communication. Being able to effectively communicate and express one’s thoughts in the face of opposition is a vital part of the college experience. A part of growing up and maturing should be to be able to accept differing opinions and have an honest and intellectual conversation on those matters. An interesting perspective someone in our group brought up on safe spaces was that she believed safe spaces are extremely beneficial to racial minorities because they give people the strength and confidence to face the real world. I thought this was interesting because most people who disagree with safe spaces believe that they give people a place to hide from reality, but using them as a source of strength rather than feeding into weakness is a more positive outlook on safe spaces and is how all colleges could successfully implement them onto their campus. Overall, this deliberation produced a very effective conversation on a subject that many consider to be too taboo to openly discuss. I was very impressed by some of the ideas mentioned by my peers, and believe that this deliberation was successful in producing a conversation on race that continued even after the deliberation itself had ended. By: Caitlin Donahue The years spent at college can be some of the best and happiest years of people’s lives, yet they may also be the most stressful and trying years that students will experience. This juxtaposition between the happy times and the exhausting times seems to be a normal aspect of the typical college experience. However, for some students the wide array of emotions that college can bring may become too much to bare.
College students today are facing a growing epidemic that past generations of students did not experience as frequently. This epidemic is the alarming increase in the amount of young adults, aged 18-24 (college-aged), who are living with a mental illness of some type. Psychologist Gregg Henriques Ph.D explains how the level of mental health issues among college students today is unprecedented: “College students are showing greater levels of stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and poor sleep patterns than any time in our nation’s history.” It is clear that our generation is under an enormous amount of stress and that this epidemic is an issue to take seriously. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) defines a mental illness as “a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood” and as something that “may affect a person’s ability to relate to others and function each day.” In the past year alone, more than 25% of college students reported being diagnosed with or treated for a mental illness. The common types of mental illnesses that college students suffer from include: depression, anxiety, self-harm or suicidal tendencies, drug or alcohol abuse or addiction, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, ADHD, and OCD. But what factors lead to these mental illnesses among college students, and why is our generation seemingly more exposed to mental illnesses as compared to past generations? There are many different factors that can lead to mental illness, and they are different and unique to the individual who is suffering from the illness. However, there are common themes and emotions that most college students experience that can help explain why so many students suffer from a mental illness. For example, it is no secret that college can be an extremely stressful time for most if not all students. It is the first time that many students are away from home for the first time, which comes with its own set of challenges. Students may feel homesick or lonely during their time of adjustment to their new and completely different environment. Also, students have many responsibilities and struggles they may have not previously experienced. Students may feel stressed to make friends and fit in, keep their grades up, maintain an active lifestyle, and so on. There can become extremely overwhelming for many students. In fact, in the past year alone 80% of students reported feeling completely overwhelmed with their responsibilities, and even more alarming 45% reported feeling entirely hopeless. So, what are colleges doing to help students who are in need? Many colleges have taken the initiative and have already implemented programs in order to assist students who are suffering from mental illness. Despite this, there is still a lot of work that colleges must do. Nearly 73% of college students living with a mental illness have experienced some form of mental health crisis on their campus. Even more unfortunate and alarming is that of those students, 34.2% reported that their college was completely unaware of their crisis. This means that those students either felt that they were unable to or uncomfortable with seeking help from the resources on campus. This shows that there is more that colleges should be doing to help students not only after a mental health crisis occurs, but more importantly that they should be doing more in order to prevent a mental health crisis from happening in the first place. Some successful programs that colleges have implemented are the ones that are associated with or created by national organizations that deal with mental health. Some of these programs include: NAMI On Campus, JED Campus, and Active Minds – Transform Your Campus. Each of these programs offers its own unique yet effective way of raising mental health awareness on college campuses and offering help to students who are suffering from a mental illness. NAMI On Campus is a program created by the National Alliance on Mental Illness that aims to put an end to the stigma that makes it difficult for students to openly and comfortably talk about mental health issues and seek out help when it is needed. This program helps college campuses establish student-led clubs that focus primarily on raising awareness for mental health, educating the campus on mental illnesses, improving pre-existing mental health services and policies, and helping students who suffer from a mental illness. Since these clubs are set up through NAMI, they are quite effective and utilize signature NAMI programs specially designed for students with a mental illness. JED Campus, created by the JED Foundation, is a nationwide initiative that aims to empower and provide colleges with a specialized framework that is unique and individualized in order to fit a particular college campus. It provides an individualized support system in order to work to improve student mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention efforts on campus. If a college successfully completes this program, they are rewarded with the JED Campus membership seal, which is a symbol of their ongoing commitment to student mental health. Lastly, Active Minds –Transform Your Campus, created by the Active Minds organization, is a program designed to help students in creating structural and policy changes associated with mental health on their campus. This program provides schools with a “Transform Your Campus” toolkit, which includes a comprehensive set or resources and tools that are intended to assist college student leaders in making lasting and effective changes to current mental health policies. The number of students suffering from a mental illness is high, however through programs such as the ones mentioned above, colleges can be better informed and prepared to help students in need. By: Caitlin Donahue When most people think of the typical college experience, they may picture a student spending hours on end studying, completing a seemingly infinite amount of homework, and of course, going out and drinking on the weekends. It is no secret that partying and drinking is a large component of many college students’ lives throughout the duration of their years at school. In fact, it seems as though alcohol consumption is an entirely normal and expected aspect of college life. But what about the potentially negative consequences that can result from what is inside that red solo cup at parties?
Although drinking at college parties may seem like completely normal way to cut loose and have fun, alcohol consumption can lead to many potentially dangerous situations. Despite the fact that alcohol is a common part of college, it is also closely linked to the increasing number of sexual assaults that occur on college campuses. Sexual assault has become an all too regular occurrence on college campuses, with one in five women being sexually assaulted while in college. But what role exactly does alcohol consumption play in sexual assault on college campuses? First, the consumption of alcohol can cause signs of consent in a situation to be unclear or easily misinterpreted. According to RAINN, consent is defined as “an agreement between both participants to engage in sexual activity.” Legally, if a person is under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, they cannot technically give their consent. If a person is under the influence of alcohol, they may not have the capacity to communicate their exact thoughts clearly and effectively and therefore may be unable to actually give or withhold their consent in a particular situation. Despite the fact that consent has a very precise legal definition, in reality it is not always that simple, especially when alcohol is added to the situation. However, it is not uncommon for college students to have sex while intoxicated, so how is it possible to be able to distinguish the clear signs of ‘yes’ versus ‘no’. Not surprisingly, there is no specific and exact answer to this very complicated issue. If both participants are intoxicated, the alcohol can not only affect one participant’s ability to communicate their consent but also may make it difficult for the other participant to be able to pick up on the signals given off by the other person. Even more complicated, being under the influence of alcohol can severely impair one’s judgment, sometimes causing people to do things they normally would not want to do if they were sober. This being said, what if a person thought they wanted to have sex with another person, but then realized they were not making the right decision? Furthermore, being intoxicated may make it more difficult to defend oneself in a potentially dangerous situation and make it easier for a person to take advantage of another person. What is even more shocking is that in most cases, sexual assault occurs between people who are acquaintances and knew each other and interacted before the actual assault took place. This may provide the victim with a false sense of trust in the other person, or lead the rapist to believe that it is perfectly acceptable to have sex with the other person, even without verbal consent. So, what can be done in order to prevent more sexual assaults from happening on college campuses? What realistic solutions to this complex issue can colleges start to implement on their campus? The most effective solution is only the most unrealistic and unreasonable: eliminating all alcohol consumption on college campuses and at parties that are off campus. This would help to solve the issue, however it is simply not practical and could never be fully enforced. Considering that alcohol is a significant contributing factor to sexual assault on college campuses and that it cannot just be easily taken away, what is left for colleges to do in order to prevent the continuation of sexual assaults? First, college can offer a more comprehensive education system on what exactly sexual is. This may seem like an obvious thing, however some students may be unsure of what is defined as sexual assault and may be unaware of how to detect when their sexual advances are unwanted. Furthermore, if students were taught the affects that alcohol can have their judgement and were told more directly how alcohol can make consent unclear, students may potentially be more conscious of these affects while intoxicated. Also, teaching students more openly and honestly about alcohol consumption may help some students be more inclined to make smarter choices regarding going out and drinking. Another method that colleges could implement in order to combat sexual assault is to stress the importance of bystander intervention. Bystander intervention is the idea that everyone is essentially looking out for everyone, and that if you see a person in a potentially dangerous situation you should step in and offer your assistance in some form. Simply asking a person if they are okay could help prevent a sexual assault from occurring. College campus should emphasize that as a school each student has an obligation to care for the well-being of their fellow students. Also, they should teach effective ways of intervening in a questionable situation so that students feel more comfortable and confident stepping in when they feel another student needs help. It is clear that sexual assault is a very complex and multi-dimensional issue, and when alcohol is added into the mix the situation only becomes more complicated. However, there are steps that college campuses and each student can take in order to prevent more sexual assaults from occurring. If college campuses and students start to take the initiative by becoming more educated on the topic of sexual assault and how alcohol worsens the situation, and the importance of bystander intervention in dangerous settings, then the amount of sexual assaults could greatly decrease. Sexual assault seems to be becoming a normal and exceedingly common aspect of college life, but it does not have to be. |
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