THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 4
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4. 2015
The Lawrence Public Library is seriously the nicest library I've ever been to! Can I just live there?
My professor's socks were showing and they were plain black with little bananas printed all over them. Not what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised.
Book report due on Thursday - still don't have the book.
After being in a class that shows movies from the '70s I have decided that the majority of movies from this time are absolutely terrible...
Text your FFA submissions to (785)289-8351 or at kansan.com
FFA OF THE DAY
Every day is legs day when your
backpack weighs more than a
small child
Good luck to everyone on their midterms next week!
To go bowling... or go to class?
Choke-lahoma. Thanks for 11 straight.
My geography textbook is the best cure for insomnia...
Hey, I can speed paint too! Not really sure it'll turn out that well though.
2 midterms and 2 essays due this week. I should have a Harry Potter marathon instead.
When your professor asks questions from the reading and no one answers and then they start to avoid eye contact with him. #awk
The weather is gradually getting warmer/sunnier,let's keep it up, Kansas!
Did that tornado siren on Tuesday scare the crap out of anyone else?? Was not expecting that
Good thing I have three papers due this week and no time to study for my mid-term exams... #not
Spelling coffee all over your shirt?
The start of a rough morning!
When Rick shaved his beard, women and men around the world rejoiced. #TWD
One of the worst things to witness is people that just bite into string cheese instead of peeling it... It's called string cheese for a reason!!!
How on earth can I be cold when my apartment is set at 71 degrees? Halp.
March Madness I'm ready for you
THE BIRDS & THE BEES
Sex education for children should come at a young age
Madeline Umali
@madelineumali
Parents need to be educating their children about sex. According to a study by the University of Southampton, it is often argued that this is too inappropriate for their age and destroys a child's innocence, but teaching children about sex at an early age will be beneficial for that child as he or she gets older.
"FOR PARENTS, THE EASIEST SIGN THAT IT IS TIME TO TALK ABOUT SEX IS WHEN THEIR CHILD ASKS."
It seems that our society is very passive when it comes to sex education. If parents don't teach their children about sex, children will learn about it through their peers at school or the media, simply by default. For the best understanding of sexual development, children should be learning about this subject in stages, throughout the course of their adolescent and teenage life.
Children should feel comfortable enough to discuss this topic in their household. According to a 2014 study, children are encouraged to learn about sex from their parents
to avoid misinformation, confusion and sex myths. For children to have a healthy understanding of sex, they need time to digest what they learn. Parenting.com advises that children should start by learning the correct anatomical names for their private parts by the age of two or three and continue to learn other sexual topics such as how babies are made, intercourse and their values regarding sex as they get older.
For parents, the easiest sign that it is time to talk about sex is when their child asks. If parents answer every question in an honest age-appropriate way, then children will start to develop a healthy understanding of their sexuality They will not feel ashamed for their curiosity and may be comfortable enough to talk about their own concerns or experiences.
When providing information about sex to children, parents must be aware of the appropriateness of the facts they're teaching. I am not suggesting that they teach their 4-year-old about advanced sexual topics, but I am suggesting that the best way for parents to have an open communication about sex with their children is by introducing it at an early age. It is important that children have a clear understanding of their own sexuality and that we have parents who are willing to discuss it.
Madeline Umali is a sophomore from St. Louis studying journalism
Children's sex education should be saved until puberty
Monica Saha
@sahahahaha
One of the most difficult talks parents will have with their children is about sex. It's
children is about sex. It's easy to think this topic is solely about sex, but covers: oral sex, birth control, sexually transmitted disease, sexual assault, and much more. Discussing these issues in our generation happens earlier and becomes harder when children are exposed to sex from the media and start asking questions. However, there is no reason for parents to formally educate their children about sex before they hit puberty.
Puberty occurs differently for males and females. According to Kids Health, on average women start puberty at age 10, while males start later, at age 11. This is started by hormonal signals that stimulate sexual libido and growth. By 4th and 5th grade, children will experience sexual arousal. This is the time to sit down with them and listen to their sexual feelings/changes they are experiencing and inform them the precautions of sex, such as using condoms, birth control and STDs. The child, who will soon become a teenager, is more mature around the time of puberty and can fully comprehend these topics.
The brain of a child who is 4-5 is drastically different than that of a 10- or 11-year-old. A 4-year-old is learning how to ride a bicycle and use a fork or spoon. They shouldn't be aware that a penis could penetrate a women's vagina. The prefrontal cortex
the area in the brain responsible for higher thinking and decision making, is one of the last brain regions to mature. A child this young could not fully understand the complexities of sex.
Knowing about sex at too young of an age could further confuse or halt the appropriate sexual development with a child. For example, children could play more aggressively with others such as inappropriate tackling and touching. Others could start playing the game "I'll show you mine, you show me yours" at a younger age. There needs to be a level of innocence maintained with children.
It is important to sit down and talk to children about the difference between males and females, but in a child friendly fashion. This includes using cartoon pictures or dolls to show biological differences. They need to have some idea of what "private" parts are, as children are vulnerable and need to know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
Parents and kids need to have a mutual trust between each other regarding conversations about sex. Trustworthy communication will help when the child is ready to have a formal discussion on sex education, but only when they are mature enough to process this information.
Monica Saha is a graduate student in the School of Pharmacy
Opinion writers Madeline Umali and Monica Saha discuss the pros and cons of talking to your children about sex early. Birth control methods, such as condoms, are an important part of that conversation.
Stereotyping women by their sorority is wrong
Anissa Fritz
@anissafritz
Sorority girls wear Uggs and buy Starbucks like it's an addiction. They monogram everything and travel in packs. These assumptions appear to be harmless, but the true injustice begins when harmful stereotypes (ex. "sluts," "stuck up") are tacked onto a woman because of the Greek letters she wears.
Twelve sorority houses are on the University's campus, and twelve stereotypes go with each one. Even if you aren't involved in the Greek community, odds are you still have a pretty good idea of what I am referring to. "That chapter doesn't party," "all the girls in that chapter are fat" and "those girls sleep around" may be common phrases that you hear when you
The women in these organizations are aware that their peers are thrusting these stereotypes upon them. It's hard to ignore the several comments you come across everyday on social media making fun of sorority women. These problems become even harder to ignore when you find one of your sorority sisters crying in the bathroom because a male at a party assumed he could have sex with her due to her chapter's stereotype. Sorority women are mocked publicly, yet they bite their tongues because they don't know who will defend them. Even sororities judge other sorority
ask what a certain sorority chapter is like. Answers such as: "They do a lot of community service" or "They are well known for their philanthropy" are as rare as a snow day at the University.
chapters, addressing them in accord to what chapter they are in. The constant mockery and humiliation of a student's character based off which chapter she is a part of needs to stop.
Posting negative and derogatory comments on Twitter, Yik Yak and other social media accounts poking fun at women in Greek organizations should not be tolerated. This doesn't apply to only women in Greek life either — negative jokes about any group of people are tasteless and uneducated. These comments and attitudes harm the image of targeted individuals, while also hurting those who partake in the creation and tolerance of these stereotypes
There may be one girl who sleeps around more than what society deems appropriate, a girl who goes
out to the bars too often, or that one sorority girl who literally "can't even," but
mentality of high school students. We should instead look at these women as
Being a Greek Life member doesn't mean you lack emotion. A college campus where students judge one another based on which sorority or fraternity they are in means that our 1,100-acre campus is comprised of college students with the
"POSTING NEGATIVE AND DEROGATORY COMMENTS ON TWITTER, YIK YAK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS POKING FUN AT WOMEN IN GREEK ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED."
the characteristics that one girl may hold should not be placed on all other women who wear the same letters.
people who are more than their chapter stereotypes. Treat them as an individual and treat them with respect, just as you would with any other student.
Anissa Fritz is a sophomore from Dallas studying journalism and sociology
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THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
7
Members of the Kansan
Editorial Board are Brian
Hillix, Paige Lytle, Cecilia
Che, Stephan Bicket and
Sharfe Xu;