OWL panel addresses campus sex ordinances  

Panelists heatedly debate points of controversial Men’s Health article, sexual environment on campus

by Sarah Miller ’03

The OWL-hosted panel discussion entitled “Controversial Sex: How the Media Influences Perceptions of Sex Codes on Campus” occurred on October 18 and was deemed a huge success.  The original aim of the panel was to engage in a discussion about the impact of the Men’s Health September article ranking universities as either male-friendly or anti-male, and a copy of the article was made available to the audience.  While the debate was extremely lively, participants reached several conclusions.

First, Mike Lafavore, founding editor of Men’s Health Magazine, indicated that the article was distorted in its wording and in the accompanying pictures.  As a result, both Lafavore and the article’s author, Laurence Stains, agreed that the article went overboard and did not lend the issue of sexual misdemeanors sufficient gravity.  Lafavore further indicated that the editor of Men’s Heath had been released due to the insufficient sensitivity and inappropriate messages that resulted from the editing process. 

Another issue raised was the broader responsibility of the media in addressing sexual behavior.  Peggy Giordano, the news manager for a New York and Philadelphia area television station, indicated that there are a variety of media forums, so that there is no one set of standards that governs how sexual issues are addressed.  She noted that a news channel would handle the issue of sex codes on college campuses far differently than a magazine with a target audience, where it would be acceptable to express opinions on the topic. 

However, there was no clear consensus among the panel members or the audience about the best way to curtail the impact of opinions such as those expressed in the Men’s Health article, other than to recognize that media censorship was not the optimal solution. 

REFLECTIONS

The Ophelia Monologues

After pouring countless hours of emotion and energy into writing and directing ten monologues, Jenny Schanbacher’s efforts definitely paid off.  She not only succeeded in capturing a large audience with her moving production of the Ophelia Monologues, but more importantly, she was able to deliver a powerful message. 

Through the confessions of ten females, Jenny revealed many of the difficulties faced by young women today.  She demonstrated how each problem, however unbearable or even insignificant it may seem to a bystander, was a major struggle for the person who endured it. 

As both a member of the cast and a viewer of the play, each of these monologues had a real impact on me, for each reminded me of either a personal incident or the experience of a good friend.  These monologues made me realize how important it is to support those who are dealing with personal problems, whether I can relate to them or not, because even the smaller issues are sometimes the most difficult to endure, and just the act of being there to listen and not judge is in itself of huge importance.