Lorna Rodriguez
rodriglb@plu.edu
PLU students listen as the panelists discuss issues mentioned in the documentary. Photo by Lorna Rodriguez.
Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) students walked out of the “Pornography and You: Got an Opinion?” panel shocked.
“I would say the documentary was much more graphic than I expected,” student Andraya LaFredo said.
During the film, many students covered their eyes as graphic images filled the screen and/or felt nauseous.
Visual images are much more powerful than reading about the issue in a book because you can’t compromise or forget the image, student Daynelle Thomas said.
The packed room kicked off one of Gender and Exploration Week’s first events Monday night in Ingram 100.
The event featured the film, “The Price of Pleasure; Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships,” a documentary about violent and graphic porn becoming a normal part of American Culture. After the film, a conversation with PLU faculty members Jennifer Smith of English, Greg Johnson of philosophy and Christina Graham of psychology commenced.
The occasion was co-sponsored by PLU’s Feminist Student Union and Men As Partners Promoting Equality (MAPPE) student organizations.
“We want to talk about how porn has become mainstream and what the consequences are and how it affects us positively” Feminist Student Union faculty advisor Smith said.
In the documentary, the filmmakers claim the American pornography industry makes $10 billion annually, more than the top three or four American professional sports teams combined.
To support this argument, the filmmakers showed clips from child pornography videos, extremely provocative advertisements and scenes of Americans consuming porn.
But more disturbingly, the documentary demonstrated the extent to which women are objectified and sexually and violently abused while filming porn videos.
The pornography panel is part of a week that asks students to question and explore various issues surrounding gender.
“My main focus as Social Justice Director for Residence Hall Association (RHA) is to break down stereotypes and tear down walls,” Thomas Siburg said. “I know for a lot of people… sexuality and gender go hand in hand. People have a preconceived image, which limits opportunities for men and women to express themselves.”
In addition to the pornography panel, some of the events during Gender and Exploration Week include a Brownbag lunch discussion on Gender Identity, a discussion on what the ELCA churchwide assembly vote concerning homosexual clergy means for PLU and a CisGender panel discussing what it means to be “male” and “female.”
Siburg said he is trying to utilize lots of clubs, organizations, and resources that PLU offers. As a result, the Harmony club, Diversity Center, Health Center, Women’s Center, Wang Center, Campus Ministry and Harstad’s Resident Hall Congress (RHC) have all become involved in hosting events.
After showing the 54-minute film that caused outrage and laughter from audience members, Smith led a discussion that focused on the importance of being able to separate fiction from reality and whether individuals’ desires to purchase porn is inherent or constructed by society.
Smith began the conversation by asking about how porn fit into the panelists’ respective disciplines.
Graham answered first, saying from a psychology perspective, it is interesting to examine how individuals respond to porn and how porn shapes a person’s attitudes, behaviors and belief systems.
Many audience members nodded their heads in agreement with this statement.
Next, Johnson said he wanted to know how porn emerges and becomes a possibility in society. Johnson also asked how what society says about men who purchase porn, and what effect does this have on society?
The second question, how the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred as viewers watch porn on a repeated basis, sparked a lengthy discussion.
Through a psychologist’s lens Graham said that although viewers understand porn is recreational to some degree, repeated exposure breaks down this distinction. Eventually, Graham said, at an emotional level the line becomes blurred.
Johnson responded by asking students to reflect on how American society lives out some of the values the media and porn industry expressed in the documentary.
Once the event concluded, both Grove and Smith were pleased with the outcome.
“Anytime you have to bring in extra chairs that’s good,” MAPPE advisor Jonathon Grove said. “This was a good example of talking about topics that don’t get the attention they deserve.”
Meanwhile, at Tuesday’s Brownbag lunch discussion on “Gender Identity” students continued to discuss taboo topics in the Diversity Center with Director of Health Services Susana Doll, Michelle Ceynar of psychology and Diversity Center Director Angie Hambrick.
The event focused on probing deeper into issues surrounding gender, and the affects that can have on society.
Doll opened the event by asking students and staff to list “girl careers” and “boy careers.” Architect, nurse, secretary, counselor and doctor were some of the professions mentioned.
After participants listed careers, Doll had students place themselves on a spectrum, with one extreme being “female” and the other being “male.”
During the discussion, students disagreed on whether various occupations such as doctor and counselor are considered more male or female. Others such as nurse and secretary quickly were categorized as female, while architect was considered a male vocation.
Next, Ceynar and Doll did a similar stimulation on colors. This time students stood on the continuum based on whether the color they were wearing was feminine or masculine.
All of the stimulations gave students a new perspective on gender and something to think about, Ceynar said.
“I think it went really well, everybody did his or her part,” Doll said. “I’m always interested in what other people think.”
Both the Brownbag lunch discussion and the pornography panel raise awareness and allow students to break down gender stereotypes, according to Siburg.
“A general goal [of Gender and Exploration Week] is to get most people involved and to raise awareness about gender,” Smith said. “We need to have a conversation about what it means to be a gendered person, there’s a lot more going on with it than just being born one way or the other.”
Posted in ENTERTAINMENT | Tagged Gender, Pacific lutheran university, PLU, pornography | Leave a Comment »
It’s not your granddaddy’s “biker babe” stash.
Colin Alexander sat quietly in the last row as he stared directly ahead.
“I view porn, I won’t lie,” said Alexander, a Pacific Lutheran University student.
Alexander accompanied his friends to see the documentary presentation of “Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships.”
The student audience at Pacific Lutheran University waits to see "Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships."
“I don’t like viewing porn stars; I think they represent something that is wrong with our society,” said Alexander
With explicit and vulgar examples of popular pornography today, the film showed more than just famous porn stars.
“I think Jenna Jameson is hideous,” said Alexander. “It’s all fake, forced, and unnatural.”
The event took place Monday night in Ingram with a panel discussion proceeding. Professors Jennifer Smith, Greg Johnson, Christina Graham and Jonathan Grove led the discussion.
Students observed the documentary’s clarity of patriarchal privilege: male domination, female submission.
Many women in the film explain that they felt empowered and strong when men desired them.
“It does not empower woman to show their breasts while we’re still living in a male dominated culture,” said Smith.
The idea that a person is wanted and desired by others does not make that person powerful, but recognizes them as a “thing” or object.
General consensus among men in the film seemed to be that “women want it and like it.” They said pornography with a little violence and male aggressiveness is perfectly fine, because people enjoy it.
“I don’t think we should be surprised at what the men say, but shocked at what the women say,” said Johnson. “Not to let the men off the hook.”
The largest audience and top consumer of pornography are heterosexual males.
“I don’t think we should be surprised at what the girls say,” said Graham. “Porn is creating these insecurities.”
Our culture today influences men just as much as it does women. One way women live and survive is by using their bodies; because this is the message younger generations of women have received.
“Violence has become normalized in porn and film,” said Grove. “The more you see it, the more normal it becomes.”
Every type of popular porn that recently hit top choice lists included some sort of physical violence, specifically towards females. This usually involved spanking, slapping, choking and forcing one into a certain position.
“Male produced porn and female produced porn is very similar,” said Graham.
They both have the same characteristics and each being extremely violent. However, the female produced porn engaged in more female to female violence, instead of male to female violence.
During the panel discussion, the question arose of whether these violent sexual acts were innate desires or constructed desires.
“I think they are constructed desires,” said Johnson.
If these are innate desires, then porn would have always been violent, whereas violent porn has only recently become a large topic of concern.
“People with real violent or pathological propensities are drawn to violent porn,” said Graham.
Porn works the same way as all media. Not everyone who watches violent porn is going to become violent. But, the constant viewing of violent messages breaks down our barrier between real and imaginary.
Although the topic of porn and violence is serious, the professors kept it light hearted.
Statements such as, “Oh my God, I don’t want you that big,” and “dress like a slutty Finding Nemo,” kept the student audience relaxed and rid some the awkwardness.
A conversation about vaginal mints also surprised listeners.
“They are supposed to make your vagina smell and taste good,” said Graham. “It’s an infection waiting to happen, so don’t do it ladies.”
Towards the end of the panel discussion, an audience member commented on how diverse our beliefs about porn are.
“We live in a very bizarre bipolar culture,” said Graham.
On one side we are extraordinarily prudish and on the other, we love women who look gorgeous and half naked on magazine covers. It’s strange to be living in these two worlds.
The last discussion topic brought up what we should do in this situation of violence and porn.
“Don’t buy porn where women are being sexually brutalized and killed,” said Gove. “That would be a good place to start.”
More than 1,000 women a year turn to the porn industry with dreams of becoming the next big porn star.
Posted in LUTEDOME HAPPENINGS | Tagged panel, PLU, pornography | Leave a Comment »
Gay student may get chance at love, ministry
Carrie Draeger
draegecl@plu.edu
From Left: PLU Campus Ministry Program Specialist Kyle Franklin,Senior University Congregation President Kelly Ryan, Senior University Congregation Vice President Emily Isensee and the Rev. Dennis Sepper, one PLU's campus pastors, discuss the ELCA's decision to allow gay men and women in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
Posted in POLITICS | Tagged clergy, ELCA, Homosexuality | Leave a Comment »
PLU responds to a ‘glitch’ in the system
By: Kari Plog
Residency policy for Pacific Lutheran University resident directors (RDs) has recently undergone a socially progressive transformation. To some, the policy renovations are long overdue.
“The second the question comes up as theoretical it should become an examined issue,” Beth Kraig, PLU history professor, said. “It should have been caught before somebody was harmed, that to me is the sad part.”
During the Residential Life hiring process in May of last year, university officials critically examined a long-withstanding residential policy that required RDs to have an official certified marriage license to live with significant others. Under the original policy, in order to fulfill one of the primary conditions of employment to live on campus, RDs had to either be single or legally married.
“This question had been asked,” Residential Life Director Tom Huelsbeck said, “but this was the first time the policy was truly examined.”
Implications under the old policy indirectly singled out those possible RD candidates that choose not to or are unable to obtain legal marriage licenses. This raised the issue of exclusion of homosexual individuals who are in committed relationships. Under the new policy, RDs are able to live in campus housing designated for their position based only on PLU residential policy, no state certification necessary.
“The change in policy allows access for a greater pool of qualified candidates,” Huelsbeck said.
In addition, these new guidelines apply for those students who are eligible for the 8 units in South Hall designated for student couples residing on campus.
According to a campus email that surfaced in May, a group of 35 administrators, staff and faculty members were concerned that an individual hiring scenario was compromised due to the terms of the former policy. However, the policy change was not issued in time to reinstate an offer of employment to a qualified candidate that was believed to have turned the position down due to the residential circumstances.
The e-mail surfaced after the policy was already under examination, and did not elicit the initial change, Vice President of Student Life Laura Majovski said. However, Kraig does not see this policy change as a solid victory.
“It should have happened earlier,” Kraig said. “I would be celebrating enthusiastically if it would not have harmed someone in the process.”
Kraig has taught at PLU for about 20 years. She said she has witnessed the redefining of domestic partnership in her time here.
“In the late 90s, all benefits for staff and faculty were examined,” Kraig said. “They were all redefined so the benefits were reliant on qualifications for domestic partnerships.”
Kraig said that she feels as though this issue should have raised a red flag in terms of the rest of university policy.
“This was, in my mind, a glitch,” she said.
Kraig specified that this was not simply an issue of recognizing same-sex relationships, but also recognizing that the policy singled out heterosexual couples who chose not to state-certify their commitment.
“Currently there are PLU faculty members that have been together for decades and have decided not to obtain the license,” Kraig said. “If they were offered a RD position, they would most likely have had to turn it down under the old policy.”
Kraig also said that all individuals should be more aware about discrimination issues, whether they are implied or not.
“Fair-minded people that aren’t experiencing hardship seem to overlook the issue,” Kraig said. “The real litmus test is asking if you can think every day about discrimination and be just as energized as those who are discriminated against to do something about it.”
The issue came up in the President’s Council at the end of last semester. Provost Patricia O’Connell Killen and Huelsbeck were appointed to open the conversation with various representatives on campus to help President Loren Anderson come to an ultimate decision regarding the change, Majovski said.
“It was a good process given how we wanted to move forward,” Majovski said.
The decision was made after Huelsbeck and Killen conferred with representatives from Human Resources and Residential Life staff, as well as faculty members of the Campus Life Committee and students from the University Review Board.
“The question we were exploring was ‘would changing the policy have a negative effect on the educational environment of the residence halls,’” Huelsbeck said.
“[This policy change] is related to being an open and welcoming place,” Huelsbeck said. “I believe it brings our practice in line with our stated values.”
In the e-mail that circulated in early May, Kraig emphasized a need to keep student involvement minimal. Huelsbeck agreed to an extent.
“I don’t feel that anyone was excluded from the process. I think the system worked,” Huelsbeck said. “We wouldn’t have been served better by protest rallies.”
Huelsbeck was pleased with the outcome of the decision, and although he felt protest rallies were not a good first step, he hoped that if the process came to a halt that students would step up to the challenge.
“I was pleased with the level of investment on how we live out our set of values,” Huelsbeck said. “If the outcome would have come out differently, I would have hoped the conversation would have continued.”
Kraig is pleased with the change, but is still hesitant to celebrate freely.
“I’m pleased with the action,” Kraig said. “The larger goal of making all couples recognized [was accomplished], but I am still sad it couldn’t have happened earlier.”
Kraig admires the ultimate goal that PLU strives for, but feels there was room for improvement in this particular situation.
“PLU tries to hit the gold standard in fairness and diversity,” Kraig said. “This was not a strike out, but it wasn’t a home run.”
Posted in LUTEDOME HAPPENINGS | Tagged domestic partner, gay marriage, Homosexuality, policy | Leave a Comment »
For Erin Jones, Oct. 26 will be a day for celebration and a call to action. The recently promoted Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Washington will be recognized with a reception at Pacific Lutheran University.
While others are praising her past accomplishments, however, Jones is looking to her future goal of bridging the achievement gap in Washington State’s public schools.
“Improving achievement for students of Color is really my focus,” Jones said. “This is the Civil Rights issue of our generation, inequities in education.”
Jones’ unique story brings context to her goals in education, revealing how she discovered her passion for underprivileged children.
Adopted by a couple of teachers in Minnesota in the early 1970s, Jones said that her family struggled in a society that did not understand why a Caucasian couple would adopt a Black girl.
“They would wonder, ‘Why would you adopt one of them when you could have someone who looks like you?’” Jones said.
When she was five years old, Jones’ family moved to the Netherlands. She attended an exclusive private school, and sports gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Europe at a young age.
Describing her education as hands-on and experiential, Jones said that “I didn’t know that education could be different from that.”
Returning to America to attend college served as Jones’ wake-up call. She quickly found that society was not accepting her, that “I was too Black for White people and too White for Black people.”
Jones found her niche in an inner-city classroom in Philadelphia, for the first time witnessing the difference between private and inner city schools.
An Advanced Placement high school English class she visited did not own a single set of class books. Jones said that not one of the students had read a book from beginning to end.
“I saw the hopelessness of these kids,” Jones said. “I realized in this
Jones refused to give up on a class that had already driven away 11 teachers at Baker Middle School in Tacoma, Wash. Photo by Tyler Scott.
classroom that all I wanted to do was to give kids hope.”
In the past two decades, Jones has taught in various schools through the United States. She always seeks out the underprivileged schools.
“The schools broke my heart and the kids’ lives just broke my heart,” Jones said. “I was always drawn to the kid that, really, nobody else wanted to deal with.”
After serving as a full-time substitute at Tacoma’s Baker Middle School, Jones received one of four scholarships to participate in Pacific Lutheran’s new Alternative Routes to Certification program. She completed all the course work in one summer and took about three months to finish the student teaching.
Working at Baker and nearby Stewart Middle School, Jones worked in a class with students that had chased away 11 teachers before she arrived. Although she admittedly cried every night during her first month, she never left.
After earning her teaching certificate at PLU, Jones taught at nearby Stewart Middle School. Photo by Tyler Scott.
“I just don’t give up,” Jones said. “The kids were in shock because I didn’t give up. By the end of the five months, we were just family.
“I realized that’s really the kind of kid I want to work with.”
Now working in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Jones’ goals rest in reducing an achievement gap that she has witnessed firsthand.
As Assistant Superintendent, Jones will serve as one of 13 members on a committee that will evaluate various reports from around the state to determine the best ways to reduce the achievement gap. The committee will file a report with the Washington State Legislature in January 2010
While Jones tries to maintain the focus on education when she speaks about herself, others point to her personality and nature in saying that they believe she will succeed in her goals.
“Erin is really a go-getter,” OSPI Communications Manager Nathan Olson said. “I think that once the committee really has a chance to dig into these reports and disseminate the information, Erin is really going to do great things.”
PLU Professor and acting Dean of the School of Education Mike Hillis shared a similar perspective, pointing out the importance of finding people who have a passion and ability to promote growth and change.
“I believe it is critical that we have people like Erin involved at OSPI who are bringing attention to issues related to the various communities of our state,” Hillis said.
“While these are complex issues that are not easily solved with single remedies, I am hopeful that Erin will be able to help us all to consider what are the most appropriate strategies and positions for helping all children succeed.”
Jones’ argues that the achievement gap is a greater issue than many people realize because of its effects on the future. She believes that society can pay for better education now or pay a greater price in the future when students drop out and fall into criminal lifestyles that lead to incarceration.
“We have the ability to not see it as a problem,” Jones said. “We have to have our best teachers with our kids who need the most support.”
The Oct. 26 reception, sponsored by the PLU School of Education and Movement Studies, the Office of Admission and Kids at Hope, will be in the Chris Knutson Hall at PLU’s University Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Randy Dorn, Superintendent of Public Instruction and a PLU alum, will be a special guest.
The event is free and is open to anyone who has a passion for education and bridging the achievement gap. While the ceremony will honor Jones, she will hope to use it as a call to action for the entire community. She can only do so much by herself.
“If we don’t all come together as a community, we’re not going to see a change in achievement, and we’re going to pay for it on the back end,” Jones said. “Let’s invest in the future of our nation and make sure that every child gets a great education.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged achievement gap, Education, erin jones, plu alum, public instruction, reception, superintendent | 1 Comment »
courtesy of google images
Pictures of the beautiful Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn adorn her bedroom wall. On the same wall, a pair of old, worn-down ballet slippers hopelessly hang. That is where this story begins. *Jane Smith a student here at PLU does not mind sharing her story of a battle many girls fight.
The summer after eighth grade Jane developed a disorder that put her life in danger. It started with her dance instructor encouraging her to lose some weight.
“She would say things to us like; be light on your feet you sound like elephants, and I wasn’t the only girl she drove to lose weight, there were others” Jane said. Continue Reading »
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged anorexia, Ballet, beauty, Dancing, eating disorder, food, PLU, struggles | Leave a Comment »
By Amber Schlenker
Homelessness can happen to anyone. After doing everything right Mike Vega found himself without a home. “I went from a good job, home and car to living out of my car,” he said.
Vega, a former client, is now the emergency housing coordinator for Helping Hand House.
Helping Hand House is one of 30 agencies and nearly 800 volunteers present at the Tacoma Dome Wednesday, Oct. 14. Continue Reading »
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