Spring Break
Why we need ridiculous, controversial sex columns
Rose Hansen
Issue date: 3/10/09 Section: Forum
I've been called everything from brave to brazen for the things I've shared in my columns. Even on a college campus, sex is a hot-button topic, and for good reason; on that note, I owe a great deal of gratitude to the professors, students, my editors and various members of the Corvallis community who have expressed overwhelming support for my writing.
Today's column is officially my last hurrah. It's with both relief and sadness that I announce my resignation.
I'm not quitting because I hate this job or because I've been asked to leave - I'm just moving on. In April, I'm finishing the last requirements for my commercial pilot's license, committing to some international travel and then heading to back to my old stomping grounds in Southeast Alaska to work as a naturalist on a whale-watching boat.
You probably never guessed the girl who writes about sex would do stuff like that, huh?
I never expected to be the girl who writes about sex. When The Daily Barometer first invited me to write a student sex column, I was terrified. What did I know about sex outside my own experiences?
However, the bigger question never seemed about my credibility, but my subject matter. Sex columns aren't new to the college newspaper scene. Think I'm raunchy? Glance around the nation at "The Wednesday Hump" at UC Santa Barbara or "Cornellingus" (guess where) and my articles almost look virginal.
Sure, anecdotes about raunchy bedroom escapades are entertaining, but are they relevant? Outside of the general discourse about protection and STI screenings, is it important to dedicate space in a public forum to the more "colorful" aspects of sex? Is it worth risking the integrity of the campus image, newspaper and even the writer's reputation?
Yes.
According to the American College Health Association, 70 percent of college students nationwide are sexually active. That's a pretty big audience for a sex column.
It's often said that we live in a hyper-sexualized culture. What's strange, though, is that addressing sex in a respectful way without sending ourselves into a clinical comatose proves difficult for many people our age.
Today's column is officially my last hurrah. It's with both relief and sadness that I announce my resignation.
I'm not quitting because I hate this job or because I've been asked to leave - I'm just moving on. In April, I'm finishing the last requirements for my commercial pilot's license, committing to some international travel and then heading to back to my old stomping grounds in Southeast Alaska to work as a naturalist on a whale-watching boat.
You probably never guessed the girl who writes about sex would do stuff like that, huh?
I never expected to be the girl who writes about sex. When The Daily Barometer first invited me to write a student sex column, I was terrified. What did I know about sex outside my own experiences?
However, the bigger question never seemed about my credibility, but my subject matter. Sex columns aren't new to the college newspaper scene. Think I'm raunchy? Glance around the nation at "The Wednesday Hump" at UC Santa Barbara or "Cornellingus" (guess where) and my articles almost look virginal.
Sure, anecdotes about raunchy bedroom escapades are entertaining, but are they relevant? Outside of the general discourse about protection and STI screenings, is it important to dedicate space in a public forum to the more "colorful" aspects of sex? Is it worth risking the integrity of the campus image, newspaper and even the writer's reputation?
Yes.
According to the American College Health Association, 70 percent of college students nationwide are sexually active. That's a pretty big audience for a sex column.
It's often said that we live in a hyper-sexualized culture. What's strange, though, is that addressing sex in a respectful way without sending ourselves into a clinical comatose proves difficult for many people our age.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
joanne beck
posted 3/10/09 @ 8:30 AM PST
Good luck with your future adventures! Loved your writing.
Pu Si Lubber
posted 3/11/09 @ 10:46 PM PST
Dear Rose Hansen,
You are a very good writer. I don't think anyone contesting that. And a sex column IS interesting and relevant. I'm not contesting that. (Continued…)
Acai
Acai
posted 3/28/09 @ 9:28 AM PST
Wow, Rose, your writing style, content & "voice" is excellent! I hope you continue writing in some way, shape or form even though you won't be writing this column anymore. (Continued…)
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