Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Dec. 1, 1997, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE 2 — THE DECREE — DECEMBER 1,1997 OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROUNA WESLEYAN COUJSGE Editor*In*Chief — Rochelle Rosen Sports Editor — James BeD Staff Writers —Anne Basulto, Artie Queen, Matt Fryer, Gerard Biggs, Donald Acree Photographer —^Brian Hof&naHt Sean Ree^ ' Artists — Jamie Hunt, Jeff ]^ama'' Advisor—Linda Pootz The Decree is located In the Hardees Billing, North Carolina Wesleyan CoUege, 3400 Wesleyan Blvd^ Rocky Mount, NC 27801. Weekly staff meetings are held Mon days at 8 p.m. in Braswell Administration, Room 238. Re publication of any matter herein without the express con sent of the Editorial Board is strictly forbidden. The Decree is composed and printed by the Spring Hope Enterprise. Opinions published do not necessarily reflect those of North Carolina Wesleyan College. w Good sex also means Many Uvewm parents using good protection College grads deep in debt By MATT FRYAR With three-fourths of North Carolina Wesleyan college’s stu dent population sexually active, it’s vital for everyone to examine their habits. Among all age groups, those of college age are at most risk of contracting a sexually transmit ted disease, including Gonorrhea, genital warts and herpes. Syphi lis, and Clamydia. Unless you missed Nurse Stump’s informa tive video your freshman year, you should know the effects of these various diseases. So what measures can be taken to prevent STD’s? Let’s face it: while abstinence may be the most effective method of prevention, it isn’t practiced by most, which brings us to condoms. Condoms can significantly re duce the risk of contracting or transmitting a STD, and when used in conjunction with spermi cide, can reduce the risk of preg nancy by up to 95 percent. Condoms can be freely obtained at the Wellness Center. Before condoms were distrib uted by the Wellness Center, the college averaged 32 cases of STD’s annually. Since free dis tribution of condoms was imple mented six years ago, the aver age dropped to around 10-12 cases per year. Likewise, the school averaged 15 pregnancies per year prior to free distribution of condoms, but after implemen tation the numbers fell to between 3-5 yearly. Obviously, the condom is ef fective, but it must be used. The obsolete “It doesn’t feel the same mentality must be set aside. When you make the decision to bring a new sexual partner into your life, you are quite literally putting your life in potential dan ger. Regular STD and doctor vis its can help ensure you and your partner’s safety. If you have a question relating to sex, Nurse Stump can almost certainly an swer it, so don’t be afraid to give her a visit. If you’re going to have sex, use a condom every time. You won’t regret it. Letters to the editor policy The Decree accepts only signed letters to the edi tors. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters should not exceed 400 words. Letters need to be placed in the campus post office and marked ‘‘De cree” or placed in the Decree office in the Hardees building. Letters must be received by Friday of the week prior to the next issue in order to be printed in that issue. The Decree reserves the right to edit or reject letters for grammar, libel, or good taste. By COLLEEN DE BAISE Life after college sounds, well, a lot like life in hell. Increasingly, college graduates are deep in debt, lack basic skills, and are forced to move back home with their parents, according to a new report released by The Insti tute for Higher Policy and The Education Resources Institute. Of course, the news isn’t all bad. The report also found that more college graduates are sav ing money, choosing jobs that in terest them, and performing com munity service. But it’s tlie not-so-promising trends that stand out. Pinching pennies and dinners with Mom make for a less than smooth tran sition into the real world, accord ing to the report’s authors. “For many of these graduates, life after college has meant suc cess and achievement,” the report said. “For others it has meant chal lenges and struggles to ‘find their way’ in the world after college.” Paying bills is particularly tough for new grads. Most have to cough up $850 a month to pay off student loans, car loans, and credit c^ds. That’s likely the rea son why one in four college grads move back into their old room at their parents’ home. Some college students admit moving back in with Mom could be an accurate snapshot of their future. “I will probably be deep in debt and will be going to live at home with my parents,” says Jake Wilensky, an Indiana University senior, who is from Atlanta. His classmate, Jaime Lox from Cleveland, agrees. “I hope not to. but most likely I will be living back at home,” he says. The report also found that life on the job has its difficulties, too. Employers surveyed complained that college graduates lacked ba sic skills, such as the ability to write, communicate with others, and set goals and priorities. Employers were particularly concerned about the writing and presentation skills of technical graduates, such as computer sci entists, engineers, and accoun tants. “The areas of concern are sys tematic ones,” says Ted Freeman, president of TERI. “We must find ways to lessen accumulated debt burdens for students (and) to en hance general skills.” But students shouldn’t be scared out of their wits by the results of the report, called “Now What? Life After College for Re cent Graduates,” says Greeman. “Overall, we are seeing a more complete picture of college gradu ates emerge than we’ve had in the past, and much of it is very heartening,” he says. For instance, 71 percent of col lege graduates say they are sav ing money for education, retire ment, or a home. That’s a higher percentage than among the gen eral population, which is 55 per cent. Nearly 70 percent of col lege graduates perform commu nity service, and 90 percent are registered to vote. And making the big bucks isn’t a high priority for recent grads, either, the report found. Forty- five percent say their job must stir their intellect, and 42 percent say it must be interesting. Only 35 percent say a good starting salary is critical. Such career priorities sound about right to Matt Smith, a fresh man paleontology major at Kent State University. “I’ve been told from the start that there historically hasn’t been much of a job market for paleon tologists, but that hasn’t discour aged me yet,” he says. He adds that he plans to bal ance his career with volunteer work. “I’ll try to be active in the com munity, and if nothing else, I plan to take on some type of job at my local church,” he says. But other students are more skeptical about the report’s find ings. Aaron Morris, a zoology major at Kent State, says college grads don’t overlook salaries when choosing a job. “In today’s society, everyone is so concerned with money,” he says. “This means that everyone is trying for the highest paying jobs as a first priority, instead of doing what they feel in their hearts is a good career.” Whatever the case, the report found that job prospects for 1997 grads are up 17 percent from last year, and average starting sala ries are increasing faster than the rate of inflation, especially for engineering and computer majors. The demand for jobs requir ing bachelors degrees is expected to grow by 27 percent between 1994 and 2005, the report said. The report focused on seven million students who have gradu ated from a four-year college since 1992, using data provided by the U.S. Department of Edu cation, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor statistics.
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