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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1997)
A Physical Education teve Kowalski wanted to meet girls. He \ tried parties, went to bars, even considered 900 numbers, but he wound up in a human sexuality course. Students are getting schooled between the sheets. “I thought there would be tons of girls in the class, and I thought it would be cool to talk about sex with them,” the Bowling Green State U. sophomore says. “I didn't think I’d actually learn as much as I did.” Feedback like Kowalskis isn’t uncommon. As hundreds of sexuality and gender classes are making their way into curricula across the nation, college students urge arc rinding out thercs more to the dirt)' deed than G-strings and G-spots. Howard J. Ruppel, an adjunct professor of human sexuality at the U. of Iowa, says dozens of students have told him his classes have helped w 1 them look at sex its some thing that can he studied and researched, not just performed. Like many professors teach ing sexuality, Ruppel pushes his stu dents to explore sexual issues as they pertain to life outside the bedroom. Ruppel on parenting: “Children need to be taught about sex gradually rather than dur ing ‘the big talk’ from a parent Parents shouldn’t make up funny words for body parts. Don’t call it a ‘thingy’ — call it a penis.” Ruppel on teaching: “In the occupation al world, what does Mrs. Thompson do when little Johnny won’t stop playing with his penis when he’s been told repeatedly not to? Those are the types of questions I try to answer for my students.” Apparently, the answers are the right ones. Sexually enlightened stu dents everywhere are reporting satisfac tion — and it isn’t coming from the post orgasm cigarette. “I came away more knowl edgeable about sex than I thought possible,” says Derrick Schlageter, a 97 grad of the U. of Dayton. “I didn’t only learn what to do, but what not to do. You can ask my girlfriend.” And that, folks, is what they mean by learning the hard way. By Jack Buehrer, Ohio State U. / Photo by Lisa Welty, U. of Minnesota The spare change in the couch might be soda money for most students, but for others, counting every penny Independent's Day may be the only way they can afford to pay for college. And for students whose parents aren’t helping them foot the bill, the pennies often don’t add up — unless they can convince the •financial aid office that they’re legally independent. It used to be a piece of cake to get grants and financial aid based solely on a student’s income, but in 1992, Congress reinstated the Higher Education Act, mak ing independent status a sort of unattain able Holy Grail. Now, to attain indie sta tus, students must meet one of the follow ing criteria: be born before Jan. 1, 1974; be a veteran of the armed forces; be a student in a graduate or professional program; be married; be a ward of the court; or have legal dependents. Do you meet those requirements? Greg Peterson, like a lot of you, doesn’t. Peterson, a junior in architectural engi neering at Kansas State U., says his student loan debt after college will be between $80,000 and $90,000. With no financial support from his par ents, Peterson — like millions of students — says he would like to be considered inde pendent but isn’t eligible under the criteria. “If I were [considered] independent of my parents, I’d be eligible for more loans or grants,” Peterson says. Tiffany Neuhard, who began college at Saddleback Community College, Calif., says she was forced to drop out because her parents refused to help her out financially. Although she’s on her own, Neuhard doesn’t fit any of the government’s definitions of independent. Now, Neuhard is plug dollars ging away as a cocktail waitress at a Las Vegas hotel and casino to save enough cash to head back to school. The good news is she’s already been accepted at the U. of Nevada, Las Vegas; the bad news is she still can’t afford the tuition. While Neuhard struggles to pay her own way, other students with “special circumstances” gain indie status through a dependent override. “A financial adviser has the option of It used to be a piece of cake to get grants and financial aid based on a student’s income. doing an override,” says Lisa Yi, associate director of student financial assistance at Kansas State U. “But dependent over rides arc rare — given to people with very sad home situations.” Without that aid, students like Neuhard and Peterson will continue to face the decision of heavy-duty borrowing or dropping out. If it gets any worse, who knows? Maybe we’ll have shotgun weddings simply for the sake of financial aid. Imagine that. “With this ring, I do affirm my independent status.” By Portia Sisco, Kansas State U. Illustration by Chris Selbold, U. of Tennessee • Bill Bradley — Duke U. — He’s a Democrat, a former senator and, oh yeah, a legendary center for the New York Knicks. • Jerry Lewis — George Washington U. — Apparently, the audi ence was full of French foreign-exchange students. • Queen Noor of Jordan— Harvard U. — Kind of like Queen Latifah, but from Jordan. • Spike Lee — U. of California, Irvine — Fans from all around get on the bus to hear his speeches. • Dick Vitale — U. of Arizona — He’s a real PTPer, bay-BEL • The Dalai Lama — U. of California, Berkeley — Who’s his biggest fan — Richard Gere or Beastie Boy Adam Yauch? Want Tibet on it?