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Gift-bearing pixie brings sexual safety to campus

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy – such mythical characters are holiday and celebration fixtures. But perhaps the most elusive and rare of the gift-bearing individuals is Georgia College’s own Condom Fairy.

Mia McMahon, senior geography major and president of GC Pride Alliance, adopted the Condom Fairy persona two years ago. She is sponsored by the Great American Condom Campaign. It is a youth-led movement that aims to reduce unintended pregnancies and the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections by normalizing condom use on college campuses.

According to McMahon, the GACC provides her with 500 Trojan condoms every semester in hopes that she distributes them and

educates students about safer sex and reproductive health. In the past, McMahon has garnished fairy wings and roller skates and distributed the condoms to students on campus. This year, McMahon collaborated with Student Health Services in organizing events for Sexual Awareness Week on Feb 13-15.

The week-long sexual responsibility events bore the slogan “before you surrender the booty, know your duties,” with the four emphasized duties being to know your own sexual heath status, knows your partner’s sexual heath status, know your expectations and know your boundaries.

The events kicked off Monday with “Sex and Chocolate,” a Q-and-A hosted by the Pride Alliance where students could anonymously ask University Health Educator Rachel Sullivan questions and dispel common myths and misconceptions about sex and sexuality. Those in attendance received free condoms, dental dams and other sex-related products.

“It’s nice to speak to someone who can talk about things both clinically and eloquently,” senior creative writing major George Hulbert said. “It’s an important barrier to break, and it’s good to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions and sharing experiences.”

Sullivan addressed both light-hearted and serious issues, ranging from myths about penis size to HIV on campus.

“I think students on our campus know what they should be doing, but they don’t do it, i.e. getting tested and using protection every time,” Sullivan said. “They have the knowledge, but not the mindset to use that knowledge. To have access to things that improve your health and not use them is why we have so many problems in our society.”

According to Sullivan, the “I’m invincible” mindset is prevalent on college campuses.  She is adamant, however, that the statement is not true.

A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that even though young people aged 15-24 years represent only 25 percent of the sexually active population, they acquire nearly half of all new sexually transmitted infections.

“The decisions you make in college decide what you do for the rest of your life,” Sullivan said.

Other Sexual Responsibility Week events included a Valentine’s Day dance and a screening of “Let’s Talk About Sex,” an award-winning documentary that highlights issues related to sex education and explores what the future could hold for more open discussions about sexuality in teens and young adults, according to McMahon. In addition, McMahon and health services partnered with the Women’s Resource Center in promoting the weekend-long run of the Vagina Monologues.

“(Sexual Responsibility Week) is a really fun way for students to come out and get free condoms,” Sullivan said. “Even if it’s not for yourself, your friend will always need one.”

A XXX-rated phenomenon on campuses

Addiction is not an uncommon term in today’s society. 

It is the number-one public health threat in the United States, according to Townsend addiction treatment centers. Approximately 23 million Americans exhibit substance abuse, but abuse is not limited to drugs and alcohol. Behind closed doors, another addiction exists: sexual addiction.

Sexual addiction is, in its simplest form, a normal sex drive that has become compulsive to the point where the behavior is out of control, according to National Geographic statistics featured on the show “Taboo.” It is referred to as a process addiction rather than a substance addiction, since the high comes from chemicals released in the brain rather than from an external source.

Sexual addiction can range from the use of pornography and masturbation to repeated sexual affairs and, in extreme cases, molestation, rape or murder.

With the continual growth of the Internet, paired with cultural shifts in what is considered the norm, college students could be at high risk to be one of the nine million Americans who have some form of sexually compulsive behavior, according to National Geographic.

According to Stephen Wilson, counselor for Georgia College’s Counseling Services, the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States, has yet to categorize sexual addiction as an actual diagnosis.

“There is no diagnosis that has that label,” Wilson said, “but it is certainly a recognized problem that can interfere with relationships.”

According to Wilson, most people have a feedback mechanism that tells when they’ve “had enough.” Similarly, there should be such a mechanism with sexual behavior. The issue arises when one does not have this particular valve and instead exhibits compulsive behavior.

Wilson says that Counseling Services offers a wide array of services for many types of addiction, and that if a student were to come in seeking treatment for sexual compulsion, GC counselors would try to understand what is contributing to it.

“Any number of behaviors can spin out of control,” Wilson said. “If someone is exhibiting sexually addictive behavior, they may be doing so because of insecurities. They then exhibit exclusively solitary behaviors, which may interfere with what could be more rewarding relationships.”

Wilson says treatment may include changing one’s value system or recognizing what is occurring in his or her immediate environment. In more extreme cases, medication can be prescribed to change the person’s behavior physiologically. This type of treatment is based on the idea that people who exhibit addictive behaviors have problems with the reward pathways in their brains.

Today’s college students have grown up with the Internet and have seen its effects, both good and bad, on everyday life. A poll conducted by Focus on the Family, an evangelical-Christian organization, concluded that pornography is a problem in 46 percent of homes.  Another poll conduced by the London School of Economics concluded that nine out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet.

While Wilson says many people with a sexual addiction exhibit their behavior solitarily, this cannot be said for all. In fact, GC’s Library and Instructional Technology Center has reported multiple policy violations where offenders have been caught viewing explicitly obscene material on school computers.

“I think our generation is definitely more susceptible to sexually perverse behavior because of the development of the Internet and the availability of pornography,” said sophomore accounting major Stephen Scates. “If people can go in our own library and look at pornography, that’s a testament to how easily accessible it is.”

Whether or not these violators are sex addicts is unknown, but the fact remains: pornography exists, and it exists in abundance.

According to the United Families International, a conservative advocacy group, 28,258 users are viewing porn every second. In the same second, the group notes, more than $3,000 is being spent on pornography.

Porn is a multi-billion-dollar industry with a net value greater than that of the NFL, NBA and MLB combined, according to ABC News.

For some, this raises the question of whether, in a culture of increasing sexual addiction, the amount of pornography readily available can be dangerous.

Wilson said that people with sexual compulsions are at a higher risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections as they are likely to exhibit more sexual behavior than those without such compulsions. This could be the reason why, after an HIV scare in the porn industry, a law has been proposed that requires all porn actors to wear condoms while filming, according to NBC. This proposal has qualified for the June ballot in Los Angeles and may set the stage for other cities to follow suit.

GC students who think they might need help for a sex-addiction problem are encouraged to visit Counseling Services in the Wellness Center on West Campus.

The truth about hell week

Can someone please tell me at what point in the year all the teachers congregate and decide the week they want to make everything due? It seems like a yearly tradition – two or so weeks left in the semester and all of a sudden it’s here: hell week.

We’ve all been there; it’s an inevitable part of college.

It’s that one week of the semester that is monumentally more stressful and difficult than all of the other weeks combined, and the only way to survive is to complain about it.

Guaranteed to accompany hell week is a massive influx of whiny Facebook statuses and tweets. “Someone pleaseeee save me from the lib. I’ve been here FOREVER.” “Ugggggh worst week ever. #needcaffeine.”

And the best part? Everyone insists with every fiber of his being that he is busier than everyone else. Another hell week tradition: try to one-up your peers on the stress scale.

But the venting is quite fine with me. I have my own mountain of to-do lists to shovel my way through, so hearing I’m not alone is reassuring. Misery loves company, right?

So please, keep those sniveling statues coming. Let me know that for every paper I have, you have two. For every all-nighter I’ve pulled, you’ve pulled three; however, unless you have a death wish, do not brag about how you have time to watch a movie, go downtown or take a nap.

The light at the end of the tunnel? Hell week is just that – a week. An insignificant seven or so days in the grand scheme of your life.

I bet when you think back to past hell weeks, you can’t remember the topics of the assignments that you swore were going to be the death of you.

So that research paper due tomorrow? That huge test you’ve made 500 flashcards for? It too will soon fade from your memory.

Let me give you the pep talk my mom always gives me when I’m a blubbering ball of stress: “Relax. Things could be a lot worse. There are people who are getting their houses foreclosed. You could have meningitis. Or… you could be pregnant.”

Whew, thanks Mom. Way to put it in perspective.

My apologies if you’re currently facing any of those hardships, but I have confidence that you, along with everyone else, will find a way to conquer the current adversities that consume you.

Fundraiser decorates campus, raises awareness

Bras for a Cause colored Front Campus on Oct. 18 as it raised breast cancer awareness as well as funding for its sponsor, the Survivors in Pink

Vanessa Whited

Lurline West from the dean’s office in the College of Business, pays $1 and casts her vote for her favorite bra displayed on Front Campus. All proceeds from voting went towards the Survivors in Pink.

Front Campus glistened with sequins, glitter and feathers on Oct. 18 as Bras for a Cause not only raised breast cancer awareness, but raised a few eyebrows as well.

Bras for a Cause is both a contest and a fundraiser that supports its sponsor, Survivors in Pink, an event that benefits breast cancer survivors in Baldwin County.

Two Georgia College seniors, mass communication major Sophie Singer and management major Leslie Spamer, co-founded the Survivors in Pink event in 2010 as a way to commemorate their mothers, both of whom battled breast cancer.

“My inspiration for this event is my mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and is now a survivor,” Singer said. “I wanted to do something special not only for her, but for the survivors in the local community.”

According to Spamer, Survivors in Pink is the only event in Baldwin County that honors its survivors.

“It (Survivors in Pink) is an enjoyable event

for people to come and relate to others who have been through similar experiences,” said Kendall Brennan, senior mass communication major and a member of the fundraising and event planning team.

After founding the event, Singer and Spamer turned to Bras for a Cause as a means of raising money for Survivors in Pink. They brought the Bras for a Cause contest to campus and invited students, faculty, staff and community members to participate.

For $10, students were provided a bra to decorate in any way they desired. Nearly one week later on Oct. 18, the decorated bras were hung up on clotheslines and displayed for passers-by to see. For one dollar, everyone was encouraged to cast a vote for favorite bra.

With 35 submissions in the contest, Bras for a Cause raised $350 before votes were even cast.

“It just shows how much support there is out there for our survivors,” Singer said.

Mary Carlyn Womack, junior pre-mass communication major, heard about the fundraiser and saw it as a great way to get involved. As co-leader of a small group, Womack encouraged her nine group members to each submit a bra. For this $90 contribution to their cause, Bras for a Cause team members were grateful.

“We are hoping to continue Bras for a Cause throughout the years at Georgia College,” Spamer said.

All proceeds from Bras for a Cause will fund this year’s Survivors in Pink event, which is to take place on Oct. 27 in Magnolia Ballroom. Community breast cancer survivors will then have the opportunity to bid on the top bras that received the most votes on Front Campus.

Any leftover funding will be donated locally to The Faith, Hope and Love Cancer Support Group for Women.

According to The Breast Cancer Society, Inc. one in eight women will contract some form of breast cancer in her lifetime. The disease accounts for a little more than ten percent of all cancer diagnoses around the world and every woman has a 12 percent chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some point in her life.

Professor publishes condom study

A groundbreaking new study conducted by a Georgia College professor reveals that students’ sexual health care needs are not sufficiently met by their universities.Scott Butler, assistant professor of community health in the Department of Kinesiology, conducted the nationwide study titled “Condom and Safer Sex Product Availability among U.S. College Health Centers.”

Butler received a grant from GC, began collecting data in 2007 and published his findings the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality on July 6.

With a specialization in sexual health care availability at colleges, Butler sought to assess the availability of condoms and safer sex products, as well as condom distribution procedures among college health centers nationwide.

After surveying 358 colleges across the nation, Butler’s conclusions are astounding.        “While nearly 85 percent of all colleges distribute condoms to their students,” he said, “the average number of condoms given is only 1.15 condoms per student per year.”

According to Butler, this study is “the very first investigation to assess the number of condoms given to students per year by colleges and universities nationwide.”

The results indicate that, while most colleges do provide male latex condoms to their students, the number of condoms provided is not adequate to fit the students’ sexual health needs. Additionally, the way in which these condoms are distributed is limited.

“How is it that we are overlooking health care services for 20 million people?” Butler asked.

In addition, Butler concluded that faith-based colleges were less likely to sponsor a condom distribution program and, on average, gave fewer condoms per year to students when compared to non-faith-based schools.

Despite the results of the study, senior community health major Will Long thinks that GC handles the topic of sexual health care adequately.

“I think GC does a great job distributing sexual health items as compared to other colleges,” he said. “I know some colleges that make students pay extra for sexual health items and some schools that do not offer any items because they promote ‘abstinence first.’”

According to University Health Educator Rachel Sullivan, Student Health Services ordered a total of 10,000 condoms in 2010. These condoms were distributed to students free of charge.

“I feel that our Student Health Services is doing a great job at trying to look out for our students and prevent the spread of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) among our community,” Long said.

Visit this link to read his study.

RSO budgets finalized, some pockets left empty

The Student Activity Budget Committee approved the allocation of $1 million for the 2012 fiscal year, with roughly $160,00 distributed to Recognized Student Organizations.

Fifty-six RSO applicants requested a total of $464,386.17, approximately 65.55 percent more than the SABC had to budget, according to SGA President Evan Karanovich.

The SABC would have needed over $304,000 more than what they had in order to give each RSO its requested funds.

“To the best of my knowledge, you can count on one hand the number of organizations that got what they requested,” said Paul Jahr, associate vice president for student affairs and financial advisor to the SABC allocation process.

All allocated funds are derived from the student activity fee paid by students at the beginning of each semester, separate from tuition. The total revenue generated from this fee is then broken down based upon formula funding.

Campus Life receives 45 percent of the fee, The GIVE Center receives 6 percent, SGA receives 8 percent, CAB receives 6 percent and 10 percent is placed in the unallocated reserves, which serves as a monetary safety net each semester. The remaining 25 percent is available for allocation to the groups and programs requesting student activity fee funding, according to the SABC.

Every spring there is an open call for RSO funding requests. Each RSO then receives an SABC hearing where it submits justifications for its requested funding.

After each hearing is completed, the SABC makes its recommendations for how the money should be allocated. The recommendations are then forwarded to the vice president for student affairs, who then approves them and forwards them to the president, who provides final authorization.

“It’s a long process,” Karanovich said. “But it’s one we know is vital to the success of our RSOs.”

According to Karanovich, the SABC sits down and sees where they can make the biggest difference with

every dollar.  “It’s not monopoly money,” he said. “These are real student dollars we’re dealing with.”

Karanovich says that when deciding the allocation of fees, the SABC looks at which organizations invite the most students and do not limit membership or participation.

This year, the Thunder Crew received $12,000 of its requested $28,500, a $1,500 increase from the $10,500 allocated in the 2011 fiscal year. According to Karanovich, the athletic department saw a 45 percent increase in participation last year as well.

“We’re seeing a direct benefit (from the funds),” Karanovich said.

Patrick Gamble, president of Thunder Crew, says the organization, like many other RSOs, relies on SABC funds. Last year Thunder Crew received a $5,000 sponsorship from Hutchinson KIA of Macon. Gamble believes that Thunder Crew would not have received this sponsorship had they not already had initial funding from the SABC; funding that showed Thunder Crew is a serious and established student organization.

“When it gets down to it,” Gamble said. “All the stuff Thunder Crew does, we cannot do without that money.”

According to Jahr, decisions on how to allocate student fees are up to students and are based upon student participation in the RSOs.

In fact, Jahr says that since student participation has increased, RSOs have requested more money than in the past. In order to counter this increase, the SABC asked for permission to dip into additional funds that were left over from last year’s unallocated reserve. Their request was granted, allowing for over $100,000 extra to be distributed to student organizations. This is in addition to the 16 percent formula-funded amount already allocated for the 2012 fiscal year.

“We are just trying to be the best stewards of your money,” Karanovich said.

*Editor’s note: The Colonnade receives $37,000 from the SABC allocated fees.