According to this article, college campuses have a big sex problem. Whatta revelation! But the article also says college adminstrators are actually recognizing it and taking steps to curb it. That is welcomed news. Link. Excerpts:
"Parents and college officials must do more to address the “sexual chaos” on college campuses, says the founder of a medical group that promotes sexual health.
“The pressure on college youth to practice unhealthy behavior is much more intense than most adults realize,” said Dr. Joe S. McIlhaney Jr., founder of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, Texas.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are common among college students, as are alcohol abuse, “date rape” and depression, he said.
Parents, university personnel and others who care about the well-being of young adults have to act, Dr. McIlhaney said. He offers a list of ideas, including a return to single-sex dorms and bathrooms, more abstinence and pro-marriage messages and parent-led “inspector committees” to track high-risk health behaviors on all U.S. campuses. . .
University officials are “very attentive” to campus behavior problems, partly out of fear they will be sued for not protecting students, Mr. Seaman said. “What they have to do is be as prophylactic as possible, in any way they can. No pun intended.”
As a result, most campuses offer ongoing anti-drinking, anti-rape, anti-STD campaigns, programs, services and peer-led presentations, as well as codes of conduct and disciplinary actions.
We still maintain that parents who unleash their daughters at most college campuses are sending them into very dangerous territory. We don't have answers (community college? expensive private schools? chastity belts?), but parents ought at least be aware of it. Hopefully, enough people will get fed up and bring pressure on the colleges to take concrete steps. STDs and drinking awareness videos won't do it. They need to return to single-sex dorms and codes of conduct that prohibit immoral behavior. The former is definitely feasible, even if the latter isn't (we're sure the ACLU would sue a public university under the penumbra of privacy if a student were disciplined for consensual sexual activity).
