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Show UNIVER$ITt Journal, e PACE 9 Tuesday, March 30, 2004 ! ( 13 , , EDITOR V Katie Allen, 865-844- 3 HEY FLOYD Progression piggybacks Youth more tolerant of homosexual rights three phases By TARA WEISS HARTFORD COURANT Hey Floyd, I'm a theatre student here and Iras' really looking forward to participating in the stage productions that are continually going on at SUU. But Ive been noticing that professors often get cast in lead roles instead of students. If students are competing against professionals, I think theres little chance of getting cast. Sure, theyll probably do a better job, but how can student actors learn to be as good as the professors if were never given the chance? If we re paying to come here, shouldn t we be allowed to perform in good rolps? Hey Histrionic, Youre right. Professors from the Theatre Arts & Dance Department sometimes perform in stage productions. While students are in a program, they go through three phases: Phase one: incompetence. Students know little or nothing about the subject at hand. They have no business participating in their future craft. Floyd is not just talking about actors here. d students shouldnt perform surgery, even if its for free, and journalism students must learn some things about grammar before they can ever write for a newspaper. Phase two: apprentice. Students have acquired Pre-me- basic competency. They should begin participating in their field at a beginning level. Performers should fill small roles, but they are not ready for lead performances. An apprentice-leve- l student can learn heaps working beside an advanced student or a professor should have a beginner position in order to observe the next step. Phase three: advanced beginner. The student has mastered primary principles and is given opportunities to take on tasks that are larger than himself or herself. These students are given lead roles. They become editors for the school paper, or they fill challenging internship positions. Once theyve reached this point, its essential that, instead of working in positions where they can only look up to professors, they work in roles similar to their mentors, refining and polishing their skills. Once students have mastered this third phase and crossed over to intermediate level, its time for them to go out into the real world. Theyll start over again, but this time its at the bottom of the professional ladder. There, they play minor roles once more learning from those who have gone before, adopting the legacies that are being left for them until one day, theyll be in a position where theyre the mentor, being asked to play a role alongside advanced beginners, attempting to show the student what it means to be a professional. Hey Floyd, I have a friend who is really relationship hungry. She has been engaged two times and seems to always attract the same losers who don t respect her physically. What can I tell her to do if she keeps going down the same road? Hey Your friend, eh? Floyd has a friend or two. He knows what you mean. Wink, wink. If your friend is really you, Floyd can offer help: Take a break from dating for a while. One of the reasons you may let others take advantage of you physically is because you need some form of reinforcement. You may feel you have little to offer other than sexuality. So, you shouldnt be in a relationship right now. You need to work on yourself. Find a hobby or two. Define things youre really good at. Maybe you want to be a homemaker. If so, work on that. Do you make good cheesecake? How are your chocolate chip cookies? You may have professional goals. So, are you working hard at your schooling? Do you have a job that will send you in the right direction? If school or work is a dead end, you may be looking for a relationship just so youll have someone to take care of you. Stay away from relationships until you feel you have something to offer. If all you can offer is your body, thats all people will take from you. Decide what you want men to want you for. Make that your strength. Once you feel good about yourself, return to the dating scene. If you have multiple things to offer a lover, he will love you for all of them. Now, if Floyd was wrong and you and your friend are actually separate people, Floyd apologizes. In that case, Floyds advice is simple: Leave your friend alone about the whole thing. Ultimately, she is responsible for who she dates. What she does with them physically is none of your, or Floyds, business, unless she specifically solicits your help with change, its not your job to make her into the person you think she should be. If, however, she has come to you for help, then you and Floyd are in a perfect position to lend an ear or a shoulder or a scolding, if need be. Share this column with her. Give her support, love and a chocolate sundae. With you and some nuts for her sundae, shell be able to pull through. Questions about life at SUU? Write Floyd at heyfloydsuujournal.com. The question is being asked everywhere, from teen magazines to the Pew Research Center: Do you support gay marriage? For the younger generations, the results are clear. They do, and in impressive numbers. Perhaps the best evidence that support of same-se- x marriage is largely generational came three weeks ago when the Baylor College newspaper The Lariat offered its editorial supporting the mayor of San Franciscos decision to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Naturally, the administration of the largest Baptist university in the world was not happy. The university president's response was in The Lariat a few days later, as was another from the student publications board, admonishing the newspaper staff for the editorial. The statements also assured trustees and alumni that the guidelines have been reviewed with The Lariat staff, so that they will be able to avoid this error in the future. But the word was out even young Baptists dont agree with President Bush and other supporters of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being only between a man and a woman. Considering the backing for same-se- x marriage the time frame during among 15- - to which an amendment like this can even be considered is rapidly running out. New generations of voters are more likely to be tolerant of gay marriage, just as new generations of voters embraced civil rights and womens suffrage, concepts rejected by their ancestors. History is progressive, and particularly American history, said Andrea Swift, executive producer of In the Life, a monthly newsmagazine on PBS about issues that pertain to gays and lesbians. We have consistently, if slowly, added groups of people to protections of basic rights. If you think about people who were in their 20s in the 60s, they just couldnt imagine why there were issues around interracial marriage, Swift added. Interracial marriage was illegal in 16 states when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down such laws in 1967. Prohibitions in 14 other states were repealed between 1952 and 1967. Among 15- - to 25 year-old- s surveyed nationally in November, more than half support gay marriage, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, a nonpartisan research organization at the University of Marylands School of Public Affairs. One factor contributing to greater acceptance is the rise in the number of people who know someone who t s is gay. And since the average coming-ou- t age has dropped from 20 in 1979 to 13 in 1998, according to Ronni Sanlo, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Campus Resource Center at the Un iversity of California, Los Angeles more high school and middle school students have openly gay friends. There seems to be an absolute correlation between someone who knows someone gay and supporting gay people with equal rights, Swift said. Lots of people know of someone who is gay, which makes it harder for the monster stories to work. Teens echo this sentiment. I dont have a problem with gay marriage, said Angela Valdez, 16, a student at Hartford (Conn.) rrrrrt Should gay couples be allowed to marry? 44 -- Yes 21 Support civil unions 27 Agree with President George W. Bush that marriage is between a man and a woman Source M jjiugazme 50 support gay marriage Source Center Civic Learning for Information & Engagement and RiiMun.li on 13 years old The average age of gay people who came out of the closet in 1 998, compared to 20 years old in 1979 Source Ronnt Sanlo. director, Lekbian. Gay. Bisexual. Campus Rcsouwe Center UCLA) Transguider PublkHigh mom and dad are against it. think gay men make the best friends. If we (heterosexuals have a choice of who we want to be with, why not let them (have a choice)? sht asked. With a handful of cities across the country issuing marriage lirf.np fn aav couples, the issue suddenly became one of the hot issues of the election campaign. YM, a magazine for teenagers, posed this question recently on its Web site: In light of hundreds of gay marriages that have happened recently in San Francisco and other parts of the epuntry, President PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATRINA JOSLIN JOURNAL! UNIVERSITY Studies and surveys show people between the ages of 15 and 25 are more likely to and support gay marriage and other gay rights, similar to the support dynamics for civil accept rights and womens suffrage. Bush plans to support a constitutional amendment that will ban same-se- x weddings. Do you think gay couples should be allowed to marry? Forty-fou- r percent said yes; 21 percent said they support civil unions, a legal alternative to marriage without the religious overtones; and 27 percent said they agree with the president. Even some teens raised in religious households are disagreeing with their parents. I was raised in a religious house, and growing up we were taught it was wrong, said Ruth Valle, 17, at Hartford Public High School. But like heterosexuals, they have feelings and should be allowed to get married. On the other hand, theres Cameta Rubie, 18, who said, I was brought up in a Christian household, and I think our government is doing the right thing. On this topic I cant switch over, she added. Another likely factor in the shifting sentiment is pop culture. Shows like Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk and The get positive or at least, not negative images of gays and lesbians into the mainstream. I think Will & Grace is kind of awful, said Sanlo, of UCLA. Its (like) a white person putting on a black face to imitate an African American. What were getting is lots of stereotypes. ... 1 lookec But from the perspective of a gay kid for people like me on television, but I nevei did fine it, he continued. I didnt come out until I was 31. couldnt find the Wills and the Jacks and the Ellens. Perhaps it serves a wonderful purpose in that i validates that were simply not alone, he added. Education is also a large factor. Joan Byer, a teacher at Hall High School in Wes h Hartford, is founder of the schools Alliance. The group, which is made up of about 20 gay anc and discussioi straight students, has groups and has lobbied at the state capitol. Theyve also marched in Hartford's gay pride parade and testified at the state Legislature on behalf of ga) couples trying to adopt childien. Its not any easier to come out, Byei said. Bu theres more of an accepting community. You can fine people to support you. Hall also has an League program that mises awareness about prejudice and hat crimes. Gay marriage should definitely be made legal.'! said Rachel Conen, 16, a junior at Hall who takes paij in the ADL progum. If thats what they want to doj than fine. If theyre not hurting anyone else, thats fine, she added. Gay-Straig- fund-iaise- 4 Chucks Fix shows two final flicks as picks By BECKY BEANS bdeanssuujournal com Since the beginning of the semester, students have been able to watch a free movie screening on Tuesday nights in the Sharwan Smith Theatre and discuss it afterward. The name of the event is Chucks Pix, and the final two movies will be shown today and next Tuesday. Steve Breinholt. the event's producer and a graduate student from Provo earning a master's degree in fine arts, said the event begins with a introduction to give the viewers insights about what they should watch for and to provide some background about the film and the actors. He said the graduate students in the College of Performing & Visual Arts created Chucks Pix. named for Charles Metten, the colleges dean. Me and the other master students were asked to come up with ideas of what to do with the ARTichoke Lounge in the basement of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Center, Breinholt said. We decided that a film series would be a good thing to do, where students could watch and discuss inspirational movies. He said the movies were supposed to be viewed in the lounge, but funds were not available in time for them to purchase the equipment. Ninety percent cf the equipment has been purchased now; it just needs to be set up, Breinholt said. He said Mettens name was chosen for the event because he is retiring in June. We wanted this to be Dean Mettens last hoorah, Breinholt said. He is an amazing resource with a vast knowledge and understanding of film. It would be tragic to let that leave with him before taking advantage of it, he added. Metten said he chose the featured movies because of their inspirational values. Casablanca will be shown today at 7 p.m., and admission is free. Dead Poets Society will be the final featured film on April 6 at 7 p.m. I chose Dead Poets Society because when I first saw it, I thought, Every teacher needs to see this film, Metten said. While Chucks Pix will officially end with that movie, Kyle Bishop, lecturer for the English Department, said he and Todd Petersen, assistant professor of English, are attempting to kee the event going through organizing ; weekly movie series at SUU. If we get this project off the ground, our idea would be to pick a particular genre or possibly directof each semester, Wt Bishop said. would begin the screenings with soma background and history, watch tlu movie and then hold a discussion. J We have also considered alternating screenings between a popular film and a more artsy, possibly foreign, title.! he added. j He said funding is a problem right now because of having to show tint movies in the Sharwan Smith Theatre The theatre is rented for approx matcl $10 an hour, and we want to keep thJ screenings free to students. Bishop said. i 1 |