Author: Dani Eaton

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Don’t Plan Parenthood

Motherhood: A time many women anticipate in life. It’s symbolic of turning a new page in the book of life, the start of the long road of adulthood. However, Facebook and Apple are now asking women to put all that on hold. For what you may ask? To further their careers and advance in possible business opportunities. That’s great, right? They’re so invested in the ‘future careers and opportunities for women’ that they’re now offering to cover $20,000 worth of medical costs for their female employees to freeze their eggs.

A little background on egg freezing: it’s relatively new technology, only deemed non-experimental in 2012. It was never intended to be used as it is currently, for postponing pregnancy to further careers. Instead it was recommended as an alternative for critically ill patients undergoing treatments that could potentially sterilize them. $20,000. A lot of money, am I right? Not when it comes to freezing your eggs. If you’re considering freezing your eggs to expand the length of your career you should consider this: it cost $10,000 per egg retrieval, $3,000 for hormone injections, $1,500 for anesthesia, and $500 per year of egg storage. So basically Facebook and Apple will pay for you to get two eggs removed, the rest is up to you since it’s rare to find an insurance company that will cover the cost.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled corporations are taking women into consideration and attempting to provide solutions so they can continue in the labor force. However, both Facebook and Apple are not taking into consideration the weight of the decision and the potential detriments that come with the choice to freeze one’s eggs. There are many health risks to consider when making the choice, including blood clots, organ failure, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome occurs due to the hormone injections one needs to undergo the egg freezing process. The hormones enlarge the ovaries, putting them at risk of rupturing, in turn potentially ruining a woman’s chance for natural pregnancy. What’s the best part of all this? Egg freezing only has about a 40-50% chance of success for women under 35. But it’s great, right? Facebook and Apple are sincerely and wholeheartedly interested in the future of women in the workforce. So much so that they’re asking them to choose between a career with their corporation and potential fatalities for a possible chance at motherhood. Maybe they’ll get to have children, and just maybe they’ll get to keep their job if they do.

Could you decide between a long career with the possibility of not having children or lack of career with the probable guarantee of parenthood? Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s an emotionally devastating decision to make, especially when you’re supposed to be in the prime of your life. How will you know if you even want children? What if this job isn’t for you? Women shouldn’t be put in a position where they have to make this choice, it’s not fair to them to have to choose. Corporations should let women decide their future in their own time, not force them to make a decision because they feel like it will better their company in the long-run.

Instead of forcing women to make such a crucial decision that could significantly impact the outcome of their future, why not just offer a longer maternity leave? Or maybe use the money that they’re willing to spend on freezing eggs and instead pay women to go on maternity leave? Believe it or not, women are great multitaskers. While it may be harder for some companies, at Facebook and Apple it would be relatively easy for women to work from home while on maternity leave benefiting both the company and the new mother.

Why not pay women to work while on maternity leave at least until the point of birth, giving them something to do and allowing them to be of aid to the company at the same time? Countries like the UK offer 52 weeks of maternity leave and pay 90% of wages, so why can’t companies in the U.S. pay for a few months with the possibility of a woman working from home?

And if women are offered the chance to freeze eggs, why aren’t the corporations paying to freeze sperm? Some may argue ‘that’s completely different, men can’t get pregnant!’ This isn’t about getting pregnant though, women can still work and function normally in a job setting during the duration of the pregnancy. If a man wanted a family would he be asked to reconsider because it may affect his potential career and future with a company? It may come from stereotypes that women have a larger role in raising a child than men do, but in today’s society that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Men are just as actively involved in raising children as women are. In some cases men are more involved than women. My father, a divorcee and father to 7, raised, supported, and housed 3 of us without a single cent or ounce of support from our mother. Would he have been asked to put his parental duties on hold to further his career? Probably not, because stereotypes have told us that he has little to none.

In conclusion, businesses shouldn’t ask women to plan their reproductive futures around their company’s projected success and they shouldn’t assume men have no reproductive plans. Societal expectations and stereotypes have made us unsympathetic and greedy, always looking for something that will benefit us in a situation, which is exactly what Facebook and Apple are doing right now. Life is unexpected, can change in the blink of an eye, and should be lived that way. Not planned.

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News

Scotland Votes to Remain Part of UK

After a close vote last Thursday, Scottish citizens voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom, made of up of Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England, united with Scotland in 1603. In 1707, however, The Acts of Union united England and Scotland under one Crown and Parliament. Nearly splitting the population down the middle with a vote of 45-55, the population remains divided and the future of the nation somewhat uncertain.

DaniUpon the announcement of the vote according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the crowd of divided supporters and oppositionists, gathered in Glasgow’s George Square, erupted in tension and disagreements. Though there were no injuries, authorities were forced to intervene arresting 11 citizens were on counts of public disorder offenses, including vandalism.

According to a CNN article, while many financial markets and governments around the world were reassured by the vote some were unsettled and unhappy about the results of the vote. The significant size of the independent movement, it’s large amount of supporters, and many dissatisfied opinions in regard to the vote in Scotland suggests that there could be another cry for independence within the next decade or two. This cry, according to The New York Times, gives Scottish citizens who want independence for the country a larger platform to press for greater powers and autonomy that British leaders promised during the campaign.

Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister and leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, announced his resignation, effective in November, shortly after the vote. Though he was proud of the pro-independence movement and its effectiveness, he said it was now time to hold British officials to their promises of greater autonomy for Scotland

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, however said, “Like millions of other people, I am delighted.” Cameron added that this was an opportunity for the United Kingdom to make some changes and help ease the discontent among those who are unhappy with the current situation. Cameron said “a new and fair settlement” will be created for Scotland and the other countries in the United Kingdom.

Among the many supporters of the Scotland’s decision to stay part of the United Kingdom was Queen Elizabeth II. She said that the outcome will be met with a range of emotions, but is hopeful. She also said, “Now, as we move forward, we should remember that despite the range of views that have been expressed, we have in common an enduring love of Scotland, which is one of the things that helps to unite us all.”

One issue that is yet to be resolved, however, is Scotland’s stance on nuclear weapons. In his campaign for an independent Scotland, Salmond promised that if freed from British rule, Scotland would become a non-nuclear nation within five years of gaining independence. The location of the United Kingdom’s Trident nuclear submarine base in Scotland, which is due for potential renewal in upcoming years, is still the cause for much discussion. Had Scotland voted yes for their independence, plans for the removal of the Trident had been put in place. According to RT, a British news source, a former defence chief warned removing the UK’s Trident nuclear submarine base from an independent Scotland would “add a dangerous period of destabilization” to the UK’s “nuclear defense posture.” While the relocation of the case is very likely, it is causing a stir among British defense leaders due the astronomical price the relocation would cost the United Kingdom. If the need to relocate the Trident were to arise it could cost the nation upwards of billions of dollars and take at least a decade.

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Opinions

How Not To Be A Sexist Pig

Catcalling- the art of whistling at women so they’re made aware of a man’s attraction to them. It happens daily, all over the world, and has been happening for as long as any member of our generation can remember. That mean’s it’s okay, right? Wrong. If anyone ever looked up the history of the catcall they’d find that it was used in the 1960’s as a noisemaker to express ones dissatisfaction regarding a play. Somehow, over time, it has evolved into men’s very own verbal, personal stamp of approval for women.

Dani EatonThe popularity of the catcall practically invites men to not only look at, but to judge a woman solely based on her appearance and her body, and somehow makes it okay because they whistled at us. Some people may think it’s an overreaction to say that a catcall is a form of objectification and harassment, that it’s really just a compliment and women should be flattered. However, there are many less demeaning and more flattering ways to give women a compliment. Notice things about her aside from her body, how friendly she is, what an insightful comment she made in class, or maybe how nice her hair looks today. Women are generally self-conscious. Society has painted a portrait of what women are supposed to look like, it’s not pretty, and, rational or not, we feel like we have to live up to it. Catcalling makes us aware that you have been inspecting us, checking us for flaws and imperfections we already obsess over and wish we could change. Catcalling does not make women feel beautiful, it makes us hate our bodies even more than we already do.

This is wrong for several reasons, the biggest and most obvious one being: it’s our body. Not yours. Whistling at a woman gives you control over her body, emotions, and vulnerability. God made us all unique, each of us with our own distinguishing characteristics, ours are not yours to control as you please.

How can we change something that’s been so ingrained into today’s culture and media? We educate. Education is key. Educate yourself, your friends, your brothers on why it is wrong. And keep educating. Do you want to live in a world where your daughter walks down the street with strangers whistling at her, reminding her that her body is up to par today, that society approves of how she looks? Do you want to live in a world where your son is the one whistling at a passing stranger, telling her that she meets his expectations of what a woman should look like, that her body gets his approval? In her lifetime a woman will almost definitely be two things: a mother and a daughter. If you don’t degrade your mother and wouldn’t objectify your own daughter some day, why would you do it to someone else’s? The only difference between men and women is that we have to fight for our rights, don’t make the battle harder for us.

 

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News

Baseball Team Strikes Out at Inaugural Game on New Field

After two years of constant travel, the Houghton baseball team finally got a chance to play on their own field Friday, March 21, against the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. The field, part of the new Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, was finished in 2013 and was designed with many elements that should help the team gain an advantage over their competition.

In previous seasons, the team played their home games at Bolivar Richburg High School, about an hour away. Assistant coach Ignacio Villalobos thought the field would draw a crowd larger than just the few loyal fans that drove to home games last season.

Baseball_1“Hopefully they can get some more people out and we’ll have a home crowd which will be really cool for the team to play with,” he said. “The guys will enjoy playing at home.”

Both the team’s familiarity with the field due to practice and the fact that it is their home field is expected to be in favor of the Highlanders as the current season goes on.

Another aspect of the field that will give the Highlanders an edge on other teams would be its construction material. The field is made of turf, or artificial grass. One of the benefits of such material is immunity from weather conditions, especially rain, that often affect grass fields and cause games to be called off due to poor field conditions.

According to Michael Kerr, team captain, the field will also give the team a competitive advantage because turf allows for the game to be played at a much quicker pace. That, he says, will allow them to play to their strengths as a team. Kerr also thinks that the field will help the baseball program grow.

“The field will give future players a state-of-the-art playing surface and an awesome atmosphere to play at,” he said. “As the team grows and expands, I think Houghton can become one of the better baseball programs in the Empire 8 and Division III.”

Skip Lord, Executive Director of Athletics, thinks the current team has a promising season ahead of them. “They have exceeded my expectations as a young team,” he said. “They’ve worked really hard and are performing solid on the field.”

Both Villalobos and Lord are expecting to be middle of the pack in the Empire 8. Both men expect a few more wins than the team had in previous seasons, and Lord is hopeful that the team will be able to qualify for top playoffs for Christian schools.

Villalobos thinks the team has built a lot, not only in skills and abilities, but in size as well. One of the most helpful things for the team this season has been that they have twenty-nine players compared to the seventeen they had the first season. Kerr also thinks the team has played well together so far, but that in order to have a successful season they will need to compete at a high level.

Unfortunately, despite all these factors the baseball team was not able to win their match and lost to Pitt-Bradford with a score of 7-0.