The Campus Women’s Coalition had expressed that they were surprised that they didn’t get any complaints about the advertisements for the event, so there was no surprise when they found out that protesters had showed up outside the doors of the symposium. The CWC deals with this unnecessary controversy several times every year. Living in the second most conservative state in the U.S., the CWC knows that their events and fundraisers will always receive unwanted attention from those who disagree with them.

The symposium about female pleasure was an educational event that answered questions that, many times, people are afraid to ask. When I personally found out that the event was being protested I had to ask myself, “Why would anyone protest something that teaches people to be safe?” The answer lies in one three-letter word that has been under constant fire from religious groups for thousands of years: sex. Why is such a natural function so wrong or dirty to people in a country that holds freedom as its most important aspect?

I can turn on any cable channel and see people getting shot, tortured, stabbed, and murdered in every way imaginable, but as soon as a female nipple appears, people start screaming, “HIDE YOUR CHILDREN! WHAT KIND OF COUNTRY DO WE LIVE IN?!” As my mother told me when I saw nudity in a movie for the first time at the age of 7, “Get over it. It’s just a boob.”

Sex is not dirty and it is not wrong. After all, we are all products of it. As long as all parties involved agree upon it and nobody gets hurt in the process, it is perfectly healthy. We shouldn’t be ashamed of educating ourselves about our bodies or our natural functions. Even I fall victim to this, having censored myself throughout this entire column.

Organizations like the CWC strive to spread this message, but are constantly met with resistance. It turns out the group who was protesting the symposium that night had been incredibly misinformed about what the event would include. Even so, I am appalled at the behavior of my fellow Americans and how they are constantly shaming people out of being who they really are. Stop praying for people who chose to have sex, stop trying to “save their souls”, and let them be who they really are. Spend your energy on more noble causes like helping the homeless, raising money for cancer victims or donating your time or money to your local animal shelter, not on praying for those who have healthy sex lives.

For anyone who would like to know more about sex education or sexual safety, check out Scarleteen.com.

Hannah is a senior journalism major. Reach her at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu

They say there is always two sides to a story. Well, in the United States, there seems to be only two sides to every issue. I’m talking about the constant bickering and childish fighting between the two major political parties. It seems like you cannot turn on a television or read a newspaper without running into another stupid quarrel between the two groups.
The Democrats and Republicans representing us in Washington do not listen to the will of the people they represent, but instead seem to follow strict party lines and vote accordingly. They put hidden measures in bills to stop them from being passed, and they make it nearly impossible for anything to get done.
Politicians vote for whatever will give their party more power over the other. This love of power is funded by money given to politicians by groups, corporations and the rich who only make up 10 percent of the population. These groups and corporations are the ones that are being represented in Congress. Forget about the everyday, middle-class majority.
People focus too much on a candidate’s political party and not enough on what will be best for the state or the country. This trend can be seen even here in South Dakota. During the last election, there were three candidates running for the only seat South Dakota holds in the House of Representatives. One Democrat, one Republican and one Independent campaigned across the state, all with different views about the important issues being faced at the time. Not to anyone’s surprise, Republican Kristi Noem beat out the other two candidates.
I could not believe the amount of squabbling Noem took part in while she was on her campaign trail. She and Democratic candidate Stephanie Herseth Sandlin took cheep shots at one another throughout their campaigns fighting against each other’s voting and police records. The fighting was petty and immature. Instead of focusing on the issues, the two candidates made the race into a complete bitch-fest. Independent candidate B. Thomas Marking did not take part in any of this childish bickering. Instead, Marking told the people of South Dakota that he would base his voting on Internet polls taken by the citizens of the state. He would remain completely unbiased, and would vote according to the polls instead of his own personal views or the views of his political party.
Why would the people of South Dakota not want an unbiased independent representing them in the House? The answer is funding. It’s not hard to believe that Marking had the least amount of funding for his campaign. Noem, on the other hand, raised double the amount of what Sandlin raised. Corporations and political groups funded Noem’s campaign knowing that she would vote in their favor if she was elected and the sad thing is: it worked.
The two-party political system puts these groups and corporations in power, not the people. I’m so tired of these political parties forcing the people of our state and country to chose sides. The system is dividing our country. We are either seen as Democrat or Republican. Why can’t we all just be Americans? We need to stop focusing on political parties, and start focusing on what would be best for our society. The country is self-destructing under this system and I refuse to take part in any of it.

Hannah is a senior journalism major. Reach her at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu

The United States ranks 17th in education among other industrialized nations in the world. 17th. Think about it, say it out loud, tell your friends, get angry.

We live in an arrogant nation with citizens that freely and boastfully say that the United States is “the best country in the world” and they are not far from the truth. Our technological advances are some of the best in the world and virtually all of our fellow citizens have access to clean water and food. If we live in such a fine country, why are we not giving our children the education they deserve?

Even college students have a hard time putting together a grammatically correct sentence under today’s educational system. Some other students may have to take college courses up to five times in order to pass them. How did we let it get to this point?

The answer, in my opinion, is fear and laziness. We live in a society that has a fear of failing. Parents are afraid of their children failing academically and teachers are too lazy to teach the students that need extra help. Under pressure from administration members and state legislatures, teachers would much rather just send these students up to the next grade to get them out of their hair.

Under these conditions, students in elementary and middle school are allowed to continue to the next grade despite receiving unsatisfactory grades in specific courses. If these students were held back to give them more time to learn the material, they would be better off in their future academic affairs. It is sad to think that our nation’s educators are treating students this way in the most vital time of their academic careers.

Despite our poor ranking among other industrialized nations, the government continues to eliminate funding for public schools. In 2003, South Dakota spent 55 cents out of every taxpayer dollar on education. This amount has decreased to 49 cents per dollar as of December 2010. Former Gov. Rounds, as one of his last acts as governor, proposed an $11 million cut in education including a 5 percent decrease in funding for K-12 education. That means that each student will get a cut of about $240 in funding, decreasing the number from $4,804 to $4,564 for each child’s education annually.

New Gov. Dennis Daugaard has not finalized any cuts to education this year but states that he supports many of Rounds’ decisions in funding. This is unsettling considering South Dakota received a D minus in education, placing us at 49th in the nation according to an education think tank’s annual report card.

I refuse to lie down and watch while our state’s legislators, educators and board members continue to ignore the state’s most significant problem. If we do not educate our children to their full potential, how are we to expect them to run the state and the country in future years? We need to stop the fear and laziness that cripple our education system and instate an understanding of our children and the kind of education they really need 8212; an education that will help them understand material, not overwhelm them.

Do what you can. Contact your local schools or congressperson. This cycle can stop with help from our generation.

Hannah is a senior journalism major. Contact her at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu.

I just sat there, listening for what seemed like ages. I had no idea what to say. One of my best friends had just broken up with her boyfriend; the boyfriend she thought she was going to marry someday. She paused and gave me a look that said, “What do I do now?” I tried to think, but nothing I said or could have said was going to help her. I knew that if she were to continue on with her life, she would have to find the answer inside herself.

In American society, we rely on others to give us the answers to our problems. We watch Dr. Phil if we want the answers to family problems, Tyra Banks for body image issues and Oprah for everything else. Americans spend millions of dollars on self-help books and videos and schools, companies, and organizations hire hundreds of motivational speakers to encourage people to make good decisions or “find who they really are.”

Do we really need all these things to make our own decisions? No matter how much we hear or read, we are always going to have to find the answer ourselves. I could not tell my friend what to do after her break-up. I did not know what she was going through. We all experience things differently and all have different ways to cope with reality. Who am I to tell you how to deal with your problems?

The Buddha, himself, once said “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” We must trust in ourselves to find what is going to make us truly happy. After all, nobody knows me better than I do.

So what makes it so hard to trust in ourselves? In times of need, we often feel helpless and alone. By bringing others into the picture, we can find a temporary release from these emotions. Friends can help us by comforting us and making us feel like we are not alone. We have all been in that situation where a friend wants us to tell them what to do. We try our best to tell them what we would do in that situation, but we never really know what the best solution for them is going to be.

When we’re in need, we also look to experts on shows and in books to block the feeling of helplessness. My friend actually bought the books The Single Girl’s Survival Guide and I Kissed Dating Good Bye to help her learn as much as possible about the single life so it didn’t seem so overwhelming.

While reaching out to others may help us temporarily, it will not resolve the problem as a whole. By figuring out how to solve our problems on our own, we gain more self-confidence and move one step closer to independence. While my friend struggled with single life for over a year and sought help from outside sources, she eventually achieved freedom on her own. “I knew the only way it would get better was if I found peace within myself,” she said, “I had to rely on myself completely and that’s what made me stronger.”

Hannah McDermet is a senior journalism major at SDSU. Contact Hannah at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu.

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“Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities; forget about your worries and your strife.”

The words of the lovable bear, Baloo, from Disney’s The Jungle Book have echoed in the ears of millions of people since the movie’s release in 1967. However, how many of them actually listen to what Baloo is really saying? I’m afraid his valuable advice falls on deaf ears.

Living with only the possessions one needs is an incredibly foreign concept in capitalist America. From a young age, Americans are taught about capitalism and the good it does for consumers. After all, greater competition makes for lower prices of goods and it also promotes a free market, which makes it easy for people to enter or exit the market at any time.

Despite the great things it has to offer, capitalism also creates an unrelenting sense of greed. The amount of products and services available make people want more and more stuff. And that’s all it is &- stuff.

The truth is, material things really don’t mean anything at all, at least not on an emotional level. They will never fill a void or make you a better person. Sure, shopping will scratch the occasional emotional itch you have to go out and blow money, but it will never solve long term problems and will only lead to larger problems like debt.

An increasing obsession with material goods is plaguing the nation. We are constantly bombarded with advertising telling us that we “need” that designer bag and “can’t live without” a new pair of Nike shoes. No wonder the average American household has more than $16,000 in credit card debt. It’s like Americans never know when to stop spending.

I know what you are thinking. It may be hypocritical for me to preach against the owning of “stuff.” I, myself, own plenty of luxuries including a computer, flat screen television and a cell phone. I am not completely against owning luxuries as long as the owner puts those luxuries to good use.

I know plenty of people who buy random things, use those things once and then forget about them or throw them away (remember that crock pot you bought last winter?). They continue to spend their money on these items while they complain about rising taxes, increasing tuition rates and inflation. Enough is enough!

Americans need to pay more attention to the amount of goods they buy. Try to buy more necessities and fewer luxuries. Keep the money you save for a college fund, a vacation or you may even choose to donate it to someone who really needs it.

So it turns out, our good friend Baloo knew something after all. The reality is, when you budget yourself you get a lot in return. So the next time you really want that new video game or a designer handbag, just remember the words of that big, lovable bear.

“I mean the bear necessities; that’s why a bear can rest at ease; the simple bare necessities of life!”

Hannah McDermet is a senior journalism major at SDSU. Contact Hannah at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu.

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“Thank God!”

This phrase has infused itself into our everyday language. “Thank God you’re here.” “Thank God he wasn’t hurt.” “Thank God she found her saucepan.” It seems like you cannot go a single day without hearing about all the amazing things God, or any other deity, accomplished that day.

It seems like this God fellow really has a lot on his plate. Either that or people give him way too much credit. Did God really help you read those incredibly confusing directions to your aunt’s house or make your favorite stuffed animal magically appear? I think not.

Now, before I get too ahead of myself, I need to explain something. I have nothing against God or any other deity and I believe that faith is a beautiful emotion to possess. However, it concerns me when people choose to put their faith in a God without putting any faith in their own capabilities. They would rather keep praying for something rather than asking for it from their fellow human beings.

Why is it that we thank God and not the health care providers who cured your uncle’s cancer? Why do we thank a god and not the firefighters who stopped your house from burning down?

A good friend once said to me, “God is inherently good and evil is man’s perversion of His goodness.” This makes me wonder why is it so hard for men and women to believe that people are capable of goodness. Why is God the only one who is looked at as inherently good?

Look at all the beautiful things human beings have accomplished. We have saved lives through a highly advanced medical system, helped the impoverished with organizations like the Peace Corps and Habitat for Humanity and improved communication worldwide through the Internet and telephones.

It is true that God may have helped humans in creating all of those wonderful things, but it was your fellow human beings who made it possible. Humans are the ones who are truly invested in making this world a better place for future generations. You would think that this investment would fuel humankind to believe in itself, but time and time again, they choose to place their faith elsewhere.

But why? As citizens of the western world, we are taught to fear the future. We are told from a very young age that in order to suppress this fear we need to put our faith in something larger than ourselves. For the vast majority of Americans, this higher power is the Christian God. We are taught to pray to God for forgiveness, protection, health, compassion and countless other reasons. All we have to do is pray and everything will be alright.

This passive way of solving our problems leads to nothing. We need to take a more active approach to our problems by seeking the help of others. Not only do we need to seek the help of others, but we need to place our faith in them. By placing our faith in each other, we can achieve more than we can imagine. Without faith and trust, we cannot evolve to make this world a better place.

On an ending note I want to thank each and every one of you for reading this. Whether or not you agree with it, I will continue to put my own faith in you and your abilities and I hope you will place the same faith in me.

Hannah McDermet is a senior journalism major at SDSU. Contact Hannah at hkmcdermet@jacks.sdstate.edu.

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