Pollard Redux

"I can't understand what all the fuss was about," said a coed in the Class of 1976 after perusing a copy of the latest official College publication. "Is this what the administration delayed for more than two months?" asked an incredulous senior as he leafed through his copy of Mother Dartmouth's new baby.

What the two students were talking about is the 42-page pamphlet entitled "Straight Facts About Sex," published last month by the College and distributed, with a fine sense of timing, a day after Valentine's Day.

The author. Dr. Ann Milic, a gynecologist at Dick's House, explained, "The booklet is the small beginning of an attempt by Dartmouth College to allow for open communication within the Dartmouth community with regard to sexual topics." Students now have information about the more clinical aspects of sexual intercourse, including a review of sexual anatomy, physiology, contraception, abortion, and venereal disease.

As the name implies, "Straight Facts About Sex" does not probe such complex issues as homosexuality, masturbation, and sexual dysfunction. Nor does it attempt to deal with moral questions. As Dr. Milic said, "Issues of whether to, when, why, how, and with whom are complex and require well thought out individual decisions. It is not the intention of the College to dictate a uniform code of sexual behavior or to try to reach any consensus."

Indeed, there was a notable lack of success in reaching a consensus at the College on almost all aspects of this undertaking in sexual education. Besides the question of whether or not to, there were the additional problems of how to and when to. A debate also developed over catchy vs. solemn titles. ("Straight Facts" won out over the original "Practical Side of Sex.") The last hassle was over distribution. The Dartmouth editorialized that the booklet should be mailed to all students, but the administration, not wanting to force the booklet on anybody, opted for distribution at certain designated and welltraveled College locations.