Town Hall Meeting: Sex & Scholarships Explored

By Broadside Assistant News Editor Sonya Hudson

Condom use and scholarships were the topics of the October Town Hall meeting, sponsored by the Student Government.

Danielle Lapierre, assistant director of the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education, gave an interactive presentation on safe sex to the small group of about eight students, Wednesday night in the Johnson Center. The Director of Fellowships and Undergraduate Apprenticeships, Deirdre Moloney, discussed the parameters for applying for scholarships, mostly graduate student specific.

Seniors Aaron Fisher, theater major, and Scott Hester, biology major, found both presentations informative. Fisher and Hester found the interactive safe sex presentation more engaging and competitive. “I love winning and putting on condoms,” said Fisher.

In her presentation, Lapierre discussed safe sex, a strategy to protect students and their partners from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Lapierre promoted safe sex and provided students with free condoms, which can also be found in the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education. Lapierre discussed the different contraception techniques provided free in the office. Lapierre passed around a dental dam and a female condom for students to become more familiar with options besides the male condom.

The group of students had the opportunity to get to know each other as Lapierre explained the rules of a couple of informational games. Both games informed students of the proper way to use a condom. The six or seven steps were discussed in one game and carried out in another game.

In the second game, called the condom race, the few students present had the opportunity to carry out the procedure of putting a condom on a dildo. This game was not only competitive, but educational. Each student had to carry out each step as quickly as possible without skipping any steps.

By the end of the game, everyone had perfected the application process of a condom and each person walked away with a free t-shirt.

The meeting was not all fun and games. The Director of Fellowships and Undergraduate Apprenticeships discussed the application process of certain scholarships and fellowships. Moloney encouraged Mason students to apply for scholarships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell and Gates Cambridge because each gives a unique opportunity for students to study abroad, do research in a specific field and receive credits toward a master’s program.

Available scholarships for juniors include Truman, Goldwater and Udall. Students who have recently graduated and are interested in studying abroad, teaching English, perfecting a second language and gaining experience in their given field should apply for the Fulbright scholarship.

Students are encouraged to apply for these masters program scholarships in their senior year or before they plan to go to graduate school. The competition varies each year, but it would only help to know a language fairly well if a student plans to emerse themselves in a country for nine months.

Moloney discussed the application process and gave pointers for getting good letters of recommendations from faculty. Though the application process is demanding and difficult, Moloney is emphatic that Mason students have good opportunities for receiving these scholarships. Moloney listed Mason’s proximity to Washington, D.C. as a benefit for the globally minded citizens who make up the student population.

Moloney encouraged students to spread the word about scholarship opportunities to friends and classmates, explaining that the “best way to inform others is through word of mouth.”

To find more information on specific scholarships, visit www.gmu.edu/student/fellowships or contact Deirdre Moloney at dmoloney@gmu.edu. For more information on safe sex, visit adhe.gmu.edu or the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education in Student Union Building I.