Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

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...'F' S,- 18 Y Kid Ex-posed I ,

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Kid EXDOSGCI Ari Uririiitufall high One room is usually set aside, not necessarily on purpose. It just seems to happen that way at a college party. The freshmen from the small-town schools might think it's the coat room. But most others know better. Anyway, the freshmen find out when they go inside to look for their coats and get lost in the thick, pungent smog that develops in a room filled with people smoking marijuana. For a naive student, this can be traumatic. And although there are students who are never exposed to drugs before coming to college, most students interviewed at Western said they had gotten used to taking or being around drugs in high school, or even earlier. They all agreed that almost nobody goes through college without coming in contact with drugs or liquor. They'd have to stayin their rooms all night, a Bowling Green senior said. They'd have to come in contact with it. Asked whether he'd ever been to a college party at which alcohol or drugs weren't present, he said, No, l've never seen it happen. That's what the whole idea of a party seems to be. But that doesn't mean one has to drink beer or enjoy drugs to attend a party. And it certainly doesn't mean that the words drugs and fun are inseparable, nor are they mutually exclusive. One student said that his not smoking man- juana has had little effect on his relationships with students who do, but that sometimes it's hard for them to understand. They figure you're not having a good time. But they don't mean any harm .... You gotta say there is some pressure ito conforml. They can't believe you don't want to. His observations were verified by another student, who says he's involved with drugs, You don't feel like you're having a good time unless you're doing some sort of drugs, whether it's alcohol, pot or pills. Carol Sheets, an Elizabethtown freshman, the only student interviewed who gave permis- sion for her name to be used, said she goes to parties only to meet people, and that she doesn't drink to excess or take any drugs, other than an occasional aspirin. About pressure to conform at parties, she said, It's not hard to resist at all .... But I don't want other people to feel uncomfortable. Although Sheets said she has been to many parties where drugs and beer were plentiful, she said they're not at all parties. Sheets, who bases her abstinence on religion, says that her more religious friends have parties that don't involve any drinking, unless it's tea, or smoking, unless it's cigarettes. Though she is strongly opposed to heavy drinking or drug use, she is tolerant of those with opposite views. But she does feel that they're wrong. lt's nothing. I think it's so empty. lt's the in- secure who are going to be influenced. There are those who don't necessarily want to take drugs but do because they don't want to be alienated. Peer pressure in college is no different from peer pressure in high schoolg it has a great ef- fect on a person, another student said, adding that alcohol and pot are cool with just about everyone. Dr. Jimmie Price, an associate professor who teaches drug abuse at Western, said it is not known how extensively drugs are used by stu- dents here, but, We would assume that some usage does take place. But what kind of drugs and how much, I can't say. She cited peer pressure and curiosity as main reasons people try drugs and alcohol, es- pecially drugs. But, she says, there is a new reason for drug use. Nowadays, it's more commonly accepted to be done strictly socially land for recreationlf' she said. A lot of society's role models tout the use of some drugs, and young people emulate it. People at all age levels use drugs to cope with and to escape from problems, too. The problem of peer pressure is not limited to college students, either. You never get away from it, It's always going to be there. Judging from the comments of students, there is pressure on those who abstain, and pressure on those who take drugs. But the pressure, they say, is more felt than seen. ln some cases, it may even be imagined. The harder the drug, the more pressure is in- volved. Acids are probably the hardest acting drugs . . . available at Western, but they are only pop- ular among certain groups that you trust, one student said. Those who don't partake may be seen as outsiders because they pose a threat to the drug users, who, though they may want to be relaxed, can't afford to take as many risks as those who smoke marijuana. lt doesn't bother me when they don't want to smoke imarijuanaif' one student said. But when it's coke or Quaaludes, the crowd starts getting smaller. But it just happens. They don't want to be around us anymore than we want them around. Though marijuana was the most frequently mentioned drug, three students interviewed talked about the use of cocaine and Quaaludes and one mentioned acids, or hallucinogens. Nobody said he had come in contact with heroin or other drugs taken intravenously. Whether they advocated or opposed the use of drugs, all students interviewed said they tried to tolerate the views of those who differ. I know what's right for me, but I don't care what anyone else does. Well, it's not that l don't care - I just don't say anything, one student said. Sheets, who says it bothers her that people feel they need drugs, said she has trouble relating to drug users. But, l get along with just about everybody. A Bowling Green junior said, l just feel I don't need it imarijuanal. It's partly because it's illegal, I guess. But drinking is legal for me, and I don't do that either. Back to the smoke-filled room analogy. The door is open, whether it's for entering or leaving. lj Illustration byDavidFrank Kid Exposed

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Kid EXDOSGCI l'CS not CDUl'1Zit1g Boy comes to college, girl comes to college. Boy meets girl, they start dating and live happily ever after. Right? Not necessarily. Dating usually isn't that simple - it's not like the movie musicals of the '5Os, when stacked coeds always dated handsome football players. Instead, students have diverse attitudes on dating. Some of the more than 30 students interviewed dated as often as five times a week, and others dated maybe twice a month. And many made it clear they don't usually date for keeps. The students talked about topics from open houses in dorms to premarital sex and birth control, Many said college changed their dating habits. They also discussed how they meet people of the op- posite sex, and what they do when they go out. And they talked about the reversal of roles. Open houses were expanded in the spring and most stu- dents said they take advantage of them, at least occasionally. Melissa Ann Hagans, a Lexington junior, said she has open house about six times a semester, usually in her room. I don't like the guys' dorms too much, she said. I don't like the smallnessf' She said her South Hall room seems larger than the men's rooms. During open house, students like to make dinner, listen to music and watch television. But open house comes only four nights a week. There are other times that people like to be alone. Cheryl Banks, a Western Springs, Ill., junior, said that before her boyfriend got an apartment, they seldom had privacy. It was a pain, she said. They sometimes took walks, she said, or went to a friend's house or sat in the dorm lobby to talk. 1In:k:k Almost all students thought that premarital sex is OK - with some reservations. Jack Augusty, a sophomore from Downers Grove, Ill., said sex before marriage can sometimes serve a purpose: lt's OK, if you're selective in choosing partners and in fthe amount ofl activity. Doug Cherry, a Lexington sophomore, said he thinks most young people approve of premarital sex I think we're gradually getting more open about all sexual things. A female student, who asked not to be named, said, It's OK, as long as the guy just isn't out for casual sexf' Some students, however, disapprove. Robin Toll, a Central City junior, said, I'd prefer a relationship not be based on sex Banks said she is tolerant of couples living together before maniage, if matrimony is in sight. Society is changing so much, she said. Living together is not as big a horror as it used to be. Something that often goes along with premarital sex is birth control. 'I think it lbirth controll is better than abortions, Banks said. Several students said the university health clinic should offer contraceptive aid. They fthe clinicl are supposed to cater to medical needs, Gary Mosley, a Louisville junior, said. Others, however - such as Karen Nettles, a Louisville sophomore - think the clinic should stay out of the con- traceptive business. There are already enough places one can get birth control. A spokesman said in the spring that the clinic had no plans to begin distributing birth control devices, because it already had all the patients it could handle. Students are referred to a Bowling Green family planning organization. Dee Matthews, family planning's services coor- dinator, said more students are using the service. During 1979, she said, 1,298 people between 15 and 19 come to family planning for birth control aid. She said she has found that students are generally more knowledgeable about birth control, although ignorance remains. zlsllfik Moving from home, growing up and having less parental supervision has changed dating habits for many students. One student, who asked not to be identified, said, Being away from home lets me stay out later or spend all night with him lher boyfriendlf' This isn't always good. she said. Sometimes I wish I could use mom as an excuse to come home. Another student, Cathy Bailey, a Wickliffe freshman, said living away from home cut down on her dating. She said she comes home earlier to study. Pam Jureka, a Russellville senior, said being away from home allows her to be less inhibited at parties. I don't worry about my condition when I come in, she said. fltiivls Meeting someone of the opposite sex is not that difficult, most said. I meet a number of women I date in classes or at bars or parties, Paul Neff, a Hardinsburg senior, said. Once the date is made. it's time to find some place to go. I usually take my date to a movie, to the student center, to dinner or to parties, Augusty said. Besides movies, which seem to be the most popular place for dates, students also mentioned parties, restaurants, bars and discos as frequent dating places. Pifllvk Liberal attitudes, in general, carried over to the subject of women asking men for dates. Matt Milbum, a Louisville junior, said he wouldn't mind if a woman asked him out. Girls should have the initiative. It makes it easier on some guys. I don't have the nerve, Hagans said. l'm not against it, but I'm as afraid of the rejection as guys. She added that it is good for a woman to help pay for a date - especially if it is expensive. Although often closer to soap opera plots than movie musicals, dating at Western is alive and well and thriving. EI KidBcp d