Men vs. Women: What is the real battle?

So, I have been itching to get my reactions to this program off my back. I must say, our office has some pretty good damn programs, AND we have some of the largest turnouts given the size of our campus, I'm pretty ecstatic. Now, back to the actual program. I have been at in my current position for about 10 weeks now, and I have been able to make some observations about the campus culture and our programs and purpose of the office. My university is definitely different from any other university I have been at. We are in deep east Texas where majority of the student population is Black and White and some sort of christian faith, with a professional faculty and leadership comprising primarily white. Most of the conversations and observations I make, take me for a ride because it definitely challenges me to think outside the box despite its conservatism.

My office had the privilege of inviting Mr. Hasani Pettiford and Ms. Renee Toppin, experts on communication between the sexes. When I first met our noted speakers, they were eager to learn information about the campus culture in relation to sex, relationships, and communication between the sexes. Having only been here for about 10 months, I do not know much, I don't think I was able to provide them with enough insights, however they chatted it up with various students. It was then that I learned some pretty disturbing 'facts' about my university in relations to those topics. I place 'facts' in quotations because in reality what might have been shared, might be something that that university is trying to say, so I do not know exactly if they are describe my university as a matter of factly. Anyhow, Ms. Toppin's passion is educating women about self-respect, self-worth, and empowerment, something I felt the ladies in my campus might not want to hear, but need to hear.

During the program she stood her ground as she through out statistics about STI's, the effects of casual sex and dating, and the importance of self-respect . . . mind you throwing in their that language of vaginas and penis' and condoms . . . something Texas universities do not hear often. There was quite a bit of shock in the air, but you could also see those "Ah!" moments come on. It was amazing to watch how the image of a powerful Black woman standing up for what she believes in the midst of black college men mocking and doubting her words.

They posed questions such as, "Women, Why is it okay to sleep around?" and "Men, Why is it okay to accept sex when the opportunity presents itself?" Various student development questions were thrown out there such as, "What values are guiding you?" "What principles do you turn to when it comes to sex?" First of all . . . are they paying for sex when they come to college, or are they paying for an education? After the 2 hr and 15min presentation, both Renee and Hasani proposed a 60-day challenge of abstinence and had ladies and men alike recite a pledge. The beauty of the program came when I noticed young ladies moved to tears as they recited the pledge and came up to hug Ms. Toppin. So moving! So inspirational! A space for vulnerability was created in a ballroom that was filled with a little over 700 students.