Posts by Elizabeth Lai
Sociology class hosts sexual health forum
By Elizabeth Lai, written on Dec. 4, 2007
The Sexual Health Forum convened at East Hall’s North Atrium today at 7 p.m. About 50 students browsed tables manned by various student groups like the Pre-Med Club, PULSE, and the Michigan Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. At the Stonewall Democrats table, students could play games like sexual health Jeopardy and plastic phallic ring-toss for small prizes.
The forum was the final project for a Sociology 389 class which consists of six students. The class is one of many peer-facilitated service learning courses offered by the University Sociology Department’s Project Community.
Though the scheduled speaker, State Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor), failed to make an appearance, two representatives from Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan briefly addressed the Deficit Reduction Act and its repercussions on student access to birth control and contraceptives. (See the Daily’s coverage of the bill here and here.)
“Our biggest issue on college campuses right now is the DRA,” said LSA junior Allyson Hoerauf. Hoerauf is the facilitator of the sociology class that planned the forum.
The act will remedy a legislative oversight that inadvertently discouraged pharmaceutical companies from selling birth contraceptives to college health centers at a discounted price.
University students may be unaware of the issue so far “simply because we lucked out with UHS stockpiling,” Hoerauf said.
The University stocked up on its contraceptive supply in anticipation of the price hike.
Public Policy junior Kim Leung was grateful that the forum brought the issue to her attention.
“We don’t even know that birth control is being hiked,” she said. “Birth control is a right that is constantly under attack.”
Nicole Adelman, Vice President of Education for Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan also led students in an educational activity. Adelman asked students to stand next to the fact sheets, taped on walls throughout the atrium, that struck them the most surprising.
Statistics on HIV, the prevalence of unplanned pregnancy and the frequency of abortion seemed to surprise students most.
“I think this (the forum) is a very valuable thing to do,” said Craig Van Kempen, who is considering attending the University masters program for either public health or social work programs.
“I think that (to get) as much information we can get out there is great,” he said.