 "Photo: Hanlly Sam")
Recently, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonpartisan group, has been advocating for lowering the number of community college students in their 20s that have unplanned pregnancies.
I believe that this campaign is an excellent initiative for both students and community college institutions; and I fully support all of its endeavours.
The campaign explains that many students who have unplanned pregnancies have an increased risk of dropping out of college. “61% of women who have children after enrolling in community college fail to finish their degree, which is 65% higher than the rate for those who didn’t have children,” according to the news brief “Unplanned Pregnancy and Community Colleges,” released by the campaign in November.
It’s shocking to hear those numbers, but I think its not surprising.
The campaign’s goal is “to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families,” and their “specific strategy for reaching this goal is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults,” the news brief stated.
Morally, their goal isn’t very unique. Who wouldn’t want happy, healthy families?
However, the way they are attempting to achieve their goal is a refreshing change.
Instead of focusing on teenage pregnancies, the campaign is focusing on a demographic that has seen little attention concerning pregnancies.
Society in general has assumed that 20-year-olds can make their own decisions concerning sex and relationships and should take care of themselves health wise.
For the most part, yes that is true, but we don’t always make smart decisions and do need guidance from others whether they are family, friends or even people at our schools.
This is where the campaign steps in and wants to give community colleges the tools needed to encourage students to make smart decisions sexually and in relationships.
Currently, they have recently provided about $100,000 in grants to three community colleges around the country to fund differing educational efforts.
Those colleges have used the funding in several ways, and the campaign has taken those ideas and published them in another recent news brief titled “Unplanned Pregnancy and What Community Colleges Can Do.”
The brief includes one suggestion that I think is a great idea. It encourages community colleges to develop and open health centers for students since most colleges nationwide do not currently offer such services.
ACC is among those colleges with no health services available, and I believe students would greatly benefit from such a service.
Given that seven ACC campuses are located throughout the greater Austin area, more than one center would be necessary, but the college could utilize the health services and nursing departments to help staff and run the centers.
The campaign claims that the biggest benefit community colleges would have if they educated their students about the effects of unplanned pregnancy is that they can boost their overall student retention and success rates, the campaign explains.
ACC reported on May 11, 2009 from their 12th class day data that traditional student retention rate was 64.8 percent from fall 2008 to spring 2009.
Low retention rates are not only a local issue, it is a national issue at community colleges, and if the national bill the campaign has been advocating for, H.R. 3312, also known as the Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Support Parents Act, is passed it will be successful at helping colleges like ACC improve their retention rates.
I agree with this campaign that H.R. 3312 should pass and provide demonstration grants of $15 million for fiscal years 2010-12 to community colleges to support activities to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
If passed, H.R. 3312 will have specific guidelines for community colleges to follow should they accept any funding from the bill.
These guidelines include creating a partnership with community based organizations that are experts in addressing pregnancy prevention or healthy relationships, training for targeted faculty and staff on how unplanned pregnancy affects student success and ways to help students address this issue and providing campus-based family planning services among eight other guidelines that are subject to evaluation by the Secretary of Education.
Unplanned pregnancies are a problem among students in their 20s and everyone handles them differently, but for some having a child unexpectedly is a burden. This campaign encourages students to plan out their lives more responsibly and ACC administrators should look into the campaign and consider implementing sexual responsibility into the school’s goals.
Students should contact their local House Representatives and encourage them to vote yes on H.R. 3312. It is an admirable bill that will positively impact student success rates at community colleges nationwide.
Be the first to comment on this article!