Tongue Tied

This would be me if i were to ever become a news reporter...

Day 7: A Mostly Catholic University

During her second week on campus her freshman year, a hopeful 20-year-old Caroline Christ scheduled an appointment at St. Mary’s Medical Center less than a block away from USF. “I’m sorry, but we don’t hand out prescriptions for birth control here,” was the response she received from her physician when she requested information about contraceptives. The following year, she was forced to opt out of USF’s healthcare plan because it could not provide her with a central health need, she said.

While many students understand why USF upholds a conservative position on contraception, some students and faculty reject this policy. As a Jesuit institution, USF does not promote nor provide contraception of any kind to its students, in accordance with Catholic beliefs. However, as a result of student efforts, USF has created a webpage offering a brief overview about different forms of contraception, including abstinence, Christ said.

Raymond Dennehy, 80, a professor in the philosophy department at USF, is among the few members of the USF community that supports the ban on contraception. More specifically, he is against the use of birth control because of its harmful affects on the individual. In his opinion, providing contraception to students would be pointless. “People must be drunk or stoned because they are not using contraception even when it is accessible.” Increasing STD and abortion rates prove that people are choosing not to practice safe sex even when contraceptive methods are obtainable, he says.

Despite his liberal standpoint, Kamal Harb, Director of Health Promotion Services (HPS), respects USF for upholding their Jesuit values. Before becoming a member of the USF community, Harb understood that he was going to have to balance his viewpoint with that of the university’s traditional principles. As director, his main responsibility is to provide students with the facts and information they need to make informed decisions about their health.

Throughout his eight years as a director of HPS, he says he has witnessed progression. In cooperation with University Ministry, he worked to create a webpage that offers information about contraceptive methods while still adhering to USF’s traditional values. “There is an assumption by many students that because USF is a Catholic Jesuit institution, we cannot talk about sexual health, which is not true,” he says. The university is more than willing to talk about sexual health. In fact, Harb coordinates workshops all around USF’s campus to address student concerns and provide them with answers to questions they may have in regards to their personal health.

While faculty members that were willing to speak on the issue were in support of USF’s position, there were students who resent it.

Erin McNabb, 22-year-old Psychology major at USF, believes the university’s policy has evolved to a certain degree, but is still limited. USF follows a traditional notion that does not work well in our modern society, she says. Considering that USF’s student body is approximately 65% female, by refusing to offer contraception, USF is choosing to ignore the needs of a large part of the community. Luckily, USF is located at the heart of a liberal city. “I feel fortunate for myself and for other female students who are looking for contraceptives that we live in a progressive city like San Francisco where there are resources for us,” she says.  

Samantha Lam, 21, Communication Studies major at USF, expressed that her main concern with this policy is that it enforces certain religious views on people who are non-catholic or of no faith. “I understand that USF is a Jesuit institution, however, not everyone who attends the university is Catholic,” she says.

Found on USF’s main website, it is stated that one of the university’s core values is, “a belief in and a commitment to advancing the Jesuit Catholic tradition that views faith and reason as complementary resources in the search for truth and authentic human development, and that welcomes persons of all faiths or no religious beliefs as fully contributing partners to the University.” Therefore, it does not make sense for USF to allow people from a multitude of denominations to enroll and still impose the beliefs of a single religion on the entire student body.

As a woman who just recently gained access to oral contraceptives, she says “Not having access to birth control at USF was inconvenient because I needed to consult my own medical provider for this, however, these resources are readily available in San Francisco.” Aside from our local Planned Parenthood, the closest resource for students is the Women’s Community Clinic on Fillmore. Lam says she spent three months trying to find, not only a place that offered contraception but also somewhere she felt comfortable being in and sharing personal information.

            For Caroline Christ, 24, USF alum and intern for the Gender and Sexuality Center, the university’s decision to not provide access to contraception places more responsibility on its students. “It is a misconception that by providing these safe resources the university is promoting sex.” This is not the case, she says. Students should be given the opportunity to choose whether or not to use contraception and it is part of USF’s job to support that choice. In addition, she says, “Talking to someone about contraception can be a scary thing and it would be helpful for the university to at the very least provide its students with adequate information about it, if they cannot provide the actual tools for safe sex.” Having these methods available on-campus would provide women with a safe place to access basic reproductive health needs.

            From a male student’s perspective, ASUSF Junior Class Representative, Damian Guerra, strongly believes that USF should provide contraception. “As a school that promotes and teaches students about cultivating safe relationships, we should have these resources readily available to us.” If USF were to change its policy in the future and provide contraception to its students, it would positively demonstrate that the university practices what they preach, he says.

            In the sea of opposition, there are still some students who defend USF.

According to senior Politics major, Julia Morreale, 21, “it is within USF’s right to follow the church’s position. As a Catholic University, they are required to.” Our school is very different from other Catholic identified schools, she says. For example, by providing information about contraception on its website, approving gender-inclusive housing, and even organizing a Lavender Graduation to recognize LGBTQ and Ally members proves that USF is making an effort to accommodate its students. “Just because the university hold a certain perspective does not mean that it has to define yours,” she says. It is expected for students to abide by this policy but ultimately, the students have the right to choose what they want to believe. “I support USF because their policy is justified.”

According the Harb, what many students, including myself prior to the interview, are not aware of is the abundance of information and resources that are made available to us by the university. Recently, the university’s healthcare plan shifted from St. Mary’s Medical Center to Dignity Health. Those who are covered under the university’s healthcare plan can now be prescribed oral contraceptives by their physicians, according to Harb. Even before Dignity Health, St. Mary’s Medical Center was allowed to prescribe oral contraceptives for women who demonstrated a need for it due to serious health concerns. “I would love for students to know that HPS is here for them to support and provide them with education about their health and well-being.”

Student adversaries that were questioned on this issue believe that USF’s policy has to change in the near future. A few of these students even provided possible strategies that would move USF “in the right direction.”

Madeleine Warner, 22, an Art History major at USF says, “Well I can’t rewrite Catholic doctrine, but USF can push safe-sex campaigns at least,” similar to the sexual assault awareness campaigns the school organizes every April.

According to Christ, she acknowledges that USF is essentially a business that acquires a generous amount of funding from donors who are strongly Catholic. She speculates that the reason USF refuses to distribute contraception is systematic rather than religious. Therefore, to improve the situation, she suggests designing a “counter-program” that would teach those who are opposed to contraception why it is an essential part of a woman’s reproductive health.

Still, expert sources on this issue do not expect USF’s conservative policy to change.

Harb believes that providing information about contraception is as far as USF will go. Before we can even begin to think about providing contraception on-campus, he says, a health center would need to be established first, which would occupy space and require an estimated four million dollars, both of which USF does not have.  

According to Professor Dennehy, maintaining an abstinence-only ideology is the university’s attempt to remain Catholic, at least on record. The Catholic Church teaches that contraception is intrinsically immoral, he says. “Everyone knows students are screwing in the dorms like mink- excuse my French- and the Jesuits aren’t doing anything about it,” he says. Other than being consistent with church doctrine, he does not believe USF is really a Catholic institution anymore.

While it appears that USF has been one of the more flexible and accommodating Catholic institutions, most students are unaware of the university’s efforts. As part of USF’s attempt to meet the needs of its students, changes to the policy have been made. Information about sexual health is provided on USF’s website and it is the student’s responsibility to search for it if they are interested in learning more.

Under the school’s new healthcare plan, students can now obtain prescriptions for contraceptives—an adjustment that I admit I had not heard about, and one that would have made Caroline Christ’s life a lot easier as a student four years ago.  

Day 6: Arrest Report

Ted Jackson, 51, was arrested yesterday after firing shots at two officers and injuring one, in an attempt to rob Harvey’s Bingo Palace in Sacramento.

Officers Samuels and Roberts responded to a silent alarm triggered by palace owner Harvey Smith. According to police report, Jackson, who may have been on narcotics, fired two shots at the officers, injuring Roberts in the left leg.

Roberts returned fire and shot Jackson in the right shoulder before being tackled and arrested by officer Samuels, according to police.

Both Roberts and Jackson were taken to county hospital where they remain in stable condition.

Day 5: 'Drunk in love'

Is a local Bridezilla headed down the road to divorce less than 24-hours after her wedding?

Adrienne Samen, 19, was arrested yesterday on Ellington Road after throwing food and plates during her wedding reception at the nearby Mill on the River Restaurant and allegedly shouting profanities at and generally defying two South Windsor officers called to the scene, according to police report.

When approached by officers Robert Dobler and Caleb Lopez, Samen ran across the street into incoming traffic while calling the officers “cock suckers,” according to police report.

According to her supposed mother-in-law, intoxicated Samen had been thrown out of her own wedding reception at Mill on the River restaurant for allegedly throwing food and dishes around and yelling at her guests and restaurant employees after an employee told guests to quit going behind the closed bar, a staff member told police.

Still in her white wedding gown, Samen was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police cruiser at which point she began to kick the window of the vehicle’s rear left door.

According to police report, after being taken to the police station, Samen yanked off her wedding ring, spit on it, and threaten to hurt her husband, asking officers “how long she would get for killing a Marine.

According to police report, her husband is a Marine.

Samen was released from custody after her $1,000 bond was posted.  She was advised to stay away from her husband until she came to her senses. 

Day 4: 'Playboy' to be added to school’s reading list?

Board members from Rockville School voted 3-2 in favor of scheduling a public hearing on Friday April 18^th, during their weekly meeting, to determine the censorship of reading materials available to students in the school’s library.

A request from the school’s head librarian of $543 to update the library’s encyclopedias, magazine subscriptions and books, was met with uncertainty from the board’s president, Alfred Robertson, and secretary, Peter Bodine.

Some of the books on the list discuss topics of sex, homosexuality, and racial stereotypes, which have the potential to influence a child’s behavior in a negative way.

“A student who is violent or depressed may be pushed over the edge,” Bodine argued.  

In opposition, board member William Harold believes censoring reading materials limits a student’s learning development.

He said, “The important thing is that [students] are learning how words work and how to communicate.”

Likewise, member Denise Davis believes books can be utilized as examples of what is good and bad.

She suggests stocking the library with a variety of reading materials and allowing students to decide what they want to read. The board does not have the power to dictate what a student can and cannot read, she said.

Bodine proposed to set a public hearing to gain parents’ reactions. Board member, Maria Santana, second the motion.

Robertson, Bodine, and Santana voted ‘yes’ to scheduling a public hearing. Harold and Davis voted ‘no.’

With a majority vote of 3-2, the board second and approved the motion and the meeting was adjourned.

In other business, board members unanimously approved a bid of $12,000 for a used bus from Springfield Valley Unified School District; and the appropriation of $125 per night to house the school’s basketball team in Phoenix, AZ during playoffs.