[Article] Colleges give too much advice on sex, say parents

Victor

I wonder do collegees give too much because4 parents and schools give too little?

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/1992946?view=Eircomnet

Colleges give too much advice on sex, say parents
From:The Irish Independent
Thursday, 20th November, 2003
John Walshe Education Editor

UNIVERSITIES are more interested in telling first year students about safe sex, morning after pills, cheap pregnancy tests and illegal drugs than about courses and hard work, it was claimed yesterday.

The president of the National Parents' Council (NPC), Eleanor Petrie, said that with so much emphasis on socialising, it was not surprising that many students found that by Christmas they were unable to keep up with their studies. As a result many students dropped out of college, she claimed.

She told academics at a conference organised by the National University of Ireland (NUI) that the drop-out rate could be turned around dramatically if the colleges put in better supports for first year students.

Ms Petrie said these students came from second-level schools where they were helped all along the way.

But they were surprised when they arrived at university not to have the same level of support and guidance.

She said that although counsellors were available, there was often only one tutor available for every 100 students to deal with serious problems. She suggested that greater efforts should be made over the first few months to prevent students dropping out.

Compulsory appointments should be made for students to meet their tutors said Ms Petrie, who also suggested that a 'buddy' system should be put in place whereby second and third year students assisted first years. These and other measures would help make university a more welcoming place.

Ms Petrie also told the NUI conference that many students arrived at college not knowing what their courses were about. The variety of CAO choices was "mind-blowing".

Too often, choices were made in order to fulfill parents' expectations rather than the students', she said. She offered the example of the parents who tell their children they should study medicine just because they get the points necessary to do the course.

The NPC president made a strong plea for students to be able to choose what they wanted to do themselves. In describing the variety of careers available, she cited the example of a student who took a number of tests offered by a guidance counsellor, who concluded that the most suitable job was a "lighthouse attendant".

Ms Petrie said that some of the calls to the National Parents' Council/Irish Independent helpline every autumn when the CAO results came out were "frightening".

Students who had spent years in school phoned to ask for their points to be added up. Others rang to enquire about the courses on which they had been offered places as they could not remember what they were about.

Ken Kinsella from the Union of Students in Ireland said that job prospects and earning potential were factors in choosing a course. These considerations must not be allowed to supercede a genuine interest in the course that students choose, he said.

Moonbeam

I didnt think it was possible to give students or young people too much advice on sex,
and I dont think theres a diect relationship to their getting that advice and dropping out though if they didn't get it and dropped out due to pregnancy or stds then the lack of advice could be blamed

embraer170

While I disagree with the main headline "Colleges give too much advice on sex".... I think the rest makes some good points. A tutor/buddy system is working quite well in a number of Universities on the Continent.

simu

Another example of adolescence being extended into a person's 20s. By the time you're at uni, you should be able to look after yourself without parents, even if you do depend on them financially. If you can't handle filling in a CAO form, registering at uni and getting your timetable etc, maybe the academic life is not for you!

I'm being harsh but it's so pathetic seeing 18- 20 year olds who are still mollycoddled by their parents as if they were only starting primary school!

As for the sex advice, they're obviously not giving enough info, judging by the rates of STD infections and unwanted pregnancies in this country. Most parents deny their adult kids could possibly have a sex life even though it's quite obvious that they do - maybe seeing sex advice in uni handbooks upsets their delicate sensibilities but why pander to the delusions of idiots?

Stephen

Ms. Petrie talks an awful lot of bollocks if you ask me.

Annasopra

Simu, I disagree, for those who have just entered thrid level coming from a structured educational background, the freedom and lack of understanding of what thrid level is aboiut can in some senses be overwhelming. I agree with everything in the article apart from the too much sex education bit. It is clear from anecdotal evidence that youbg people are engaging in non-safe sex on a regular basis, that STIs are constantly rising as well as crisis pregnancies. In fact I think that a lot of Irish Students do not take their sexual seriously at all and more campaigning needs to be done by the government, by colleges, by SUs, by USI

Red Alert

I don't see why the college's shouldn't be giving the advice they are - they should be giving a lot more sex advice in my opinion and to be honest any parent who thinks that their kid will remain celibate throughout their college life is living in cuckoo land.

The lack of structure in college compared to second level school does require a good bit of growing up and plain cop-on, but for parents to go around saying that colleges give too much advice on sex is just daft. All that will lead to is the sort of NIMBY sexual repression which Ireland seems to be famous for.

People are going to experiment sexually when they come to college, and they'll do it whether they get advice or not. Isn't it much better that they have the advice and are know how to use adequete protection and have a lot of fun along the way

Seraphina

i totally agree on the mollycoddled thing. fact is people drop out because they haven't grown up. they go out every night, miss all their lectures, and still expect college to be a doss.
i'm in first year and i'm seeing it all around me
in irish marks are given FOR TURNING UP! ffs!
and still some people aren't doing it
i dont think most people realise their courses are continuous assesment.
i think if i wasn't so interested in my course i'd be having alot of trouble as there is already alot more work than i expected.
there's nothing wrong with having fun, but people need to grow up and balance things properly.

sceptre

Hmmm, too much sex advice eh?

This is back to the Nora Bennis style "condoms cause sex and umbrellas cause rain" argument yeah?

beardedchicken

Well, so much for this crackpot's argument that the emphasis on the social side of college (as if establishing yourself in your social surroundings could be construed as detrimental, but ho hum...) is the cause of students dropping out of college- i read in the Irish Times today about a study by UCD into the causes of the relatively high drop out rates, which found that the main reasons for this were in fact wrong choice of course, and social isolation, so, far from being the cause of dropping out of college, establishing a healthy social life in college is shown by this study to be good for your academic success. (but then again, we knew that already, didn't we!!!)

gobby

ok so lets see what happens if this sort of talk stopped.

sure students wouldnt drop out cos they r drunk all the time etc.
instead they would be dropping out cos they r preggers or got some girl preggers.

Syth

It'd crazy that the people who are giving out are the parents and they aren't going to college, so they hardly have a very good idea of what's going on.

People are going to complain either way. Either there's too much sex ed, or too little. So the colleges should just ignore them.

Agent Smith

Originally posted by sceptre
Hmmm, too much sex advice eh?

This is back to the Nora Bennis style "condoms cause sex and umbrellas cause rain" argument yeah?

how many people say to there partner,

"i was given a condom today by the student union!"
"let's screw!"

sparkite

its amazing what sh*t papers are willing to print these days.im disgusted!