Evidence needed that teen girls are ‘seeking pregnancy’

As a teenage mother and doctoral student researching myths about teenage pregnancy and parenthood, I would like to invite Alexandria Kassman and the students she cites in her editorial to a talk on campus that will complicate the troubling assumptions underlying Kassman’s argument. (“”Sex ed could curb teen pregnancy phenomenon,”” April 3, 2009)

Hamilton College Women’s Studies professor Dr. Vivyan Adair will be on campus Thursday in the Rincon room of the Student Union at 11 a.m. specifically to address negative mis/representations of young mothers. Her talk is a constructive response to what some are calling “”the Sarah Tatum tragedy”” on campus.

Dr. Adair uses stories from contemporary political/public rhetoric to show how unwed teen mothers are interpreted as pathological “”others”” in need of public and material control. The stories she has gathered are insider perspectives that work not only to engage the complexities of these issues but also to challenge stereotypes and dispel myths. Indeed, I hope that Dr. Adair’s talk will make people skeptical of arguments which suggest teenage women are inherently wild, misinformed and in need of control.

Although I agree with Kassman that comprehensive sex education should be taught in schools, I am concerned by the claim that “”Many teenage girls in America are actively seeking pregnancy”” and I wonder why no teenage mothers were interviewed. In fact, Kassman’s sources include quotes from a scholarly article (which actually brings attention to the complex socio-economic problems that fuel negative stories of teenage pregnancy), a student at Tucson High who has not met any girls who desire to be pregnant and a witness of teenagers who are “”interested in getting pregnant now.””

Let us question claims that “”teen girls are in danger”” of themselves and instead examine the perhaps incomplete and often misinformed stories we tell about teenage women and young motherhood that have serious repercussions for them and for our community.

Jenna Vinson, philosophy doctoral student

Student falls victim to first Facebook prank

I just want to say I love college! Just when I was hitting the peak of post-break blues, just when the pressure of classes, a few relationship struggles and the fear of the real world had set in … a not-so-original (yet funny just the same) stranger gave me a good chuckle.

Yesterday, after nearly four years of college, I, for the first time, fell victim to a Facebook punking. Having neglected to actually log out of my Facebook app window in the ILC, some stranger changed my profile status to read: “”I am gay.”” It took me a few hours to decipher the abstract text messages I was receiving but you managed to get the attention of some old friends that I’d almost forgotten about and reminded me not to take life so seriously. (And confirmed my hatred of Macs.)

Your lack of creativity was, in itself, beautifully iconic of college student humor and I thank you for the laugh! By the way, my sexuality: College Senior. You take that to mean whatever you want.

Brian Mori, journalism senior