This Monday, Paul Fain, a reporter from Inside Higher Ed, posted an article about Make It Personal: College Completion (MIPCC), the work the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is doing, in partnership with The National Campaign, to incorporate information about unplanned pregnancy into college curricula as a way to improve retention. It was exciting to see USA Today include the article on its website, which provided great visibility and also attracted many comments. There have been some very supportive comments and also many derogatory (and, often, flat-out inaccurate) statements. I would like to give this latter group the benefit of the doubt and assume that they simply were not fully-informed (perhaps a result of USA Today removing the hyperlinks to helpful information in the article as it was originally published?).

Therefore, I would like to take a moment to dispel some of the most egregious myths I've read on these message boards.

Myth #1: By the time they arrive at college, students already know everything about how to prevent pregnancy.
This is not the first time we've heard people say, "These are grown-ups, surely they already know this stuff." But as we've seen again and again and again, there is in fact quite a lot that young adults don't know. Some of them may not have had any formal sex education in school at all, or they did but it wasn't very good, or when they received it they weren't having sex yet and didn't think it was relevant. For others, this was a taboo topic at home and their parents didn't give them helpful information.

I was also disturbed to read some very ugly comments about how, if students don't already know everything about sex, body parts, and birth control when they arrive at college, they're a lost cause and don't deserve to be there, so we shouldn't even worry about them. I'd argue there's a lot that students don't know when they arrive at college and a lot of remediation is done on topics that students should have learned before they got there (including math and writing). How is this subject different from any other--and how many other subjects are as life-changing? The point of college is to learn. Instead of criticizing the students who arrive at college without this knowledge, why don't we give it to them so they can be successful? There are many ways to do this, often at little to no cost to the college.

Myth #2: This topic does not belong in the classroom.
While some may view this topic as a personal matter, and we understand that view, students do need and want to talk about this. Plus, this personal matter has serious consequences for educational success, which is the business of colleges. When we talk about incorporating information about preventing unplanned pregnancy into a course, we're not talking about taking a time-out from class to pass around the condom fishbowl. We're talking about a thoughtful dialogue that can occur when students are able to discuss this issue in a classroom setting. It's an opportunity to think about personal beliefs and learn course material in a new and interesting way. It can also help instructors meet their course objectives.

Take, for example, this anecdote from one statistics instructor whose course outline is now free and available thanks to the MIPCC project:

I found that having a topic to work toward enhanced my class and was well worth any extra time on my part. My goals for this project were for students to learn the pitfalls and benefits of survey research, to work with a large data set instead of the usual 10-20 subjects, to learn the course content, including t-tests and correlation, and to participate in a project that serves to help people. This was very meaningful and interesting for my students.

Call me crazy, but this actually doesn't sound like a distraction from class at all. To me, it sounds like an instructor providing classwork that students will actually find interesting.

And, for those instructors who teach a student success course--which can cover everything from available resources on campus to creating a study schedule--and can't fit one more thing into class time, starting in the fall semester they can assign online lessons that students can do for homework.

Myth #3: Older students or those who are already parents are either left out of or will be offended by this conversation.
I'd like to introduce you to an amazing woman named Heather Thomas. Heather was president of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society chapter at Mesa Community College and, after she gives this year's commencement address at graduation, she plans to attend Northern Arizona University on a scholarship. Heather got pregnant when she was 15 and went back to college only after her daughter graduated from high school. She was a leader in her college's MIPCC program, Project H.O.P.E., and made the connection between unplanned pregnancy and college completion the key focus of her PTK chapter's award-winning project.

The truth is that students who are already parents know better than anyone just how hard it is to go to school and be a parent at the same time. There are many Heathers out there and no story is more compelling to their fellow classmates than the one they share. Last May the Chronicle on Higher Education even published an article about the impact Heather has made on others.

Many also commented that this conversation should be happening at home, and we couldn't agree more. By talking about this in the classroom, students can become more comfortable with this topic and can then have meaningful conversations with their own children.

Myths #4-8: I need to wrap this thing up, so I'll quickly set the record straight that contraception is not cheap; you cannot just walk into a drug store and get any method; more use of it does not lead to more abortion; we agree that not having sex is the most effective way to avoid pregnancy for those who choose this option; and Natural Family Planning is an option too, but definitely NOT the most effective method. But I could go on, trust me.

This project is about finding innovative ways to educate and encourage students to consciously plan and prevent unplanned pregnancies, which can interfere with college completion. That includes educating them on all their options--including not having sex--and letting them decide what works best for them. To me, that sounds like the exact opposite of Myth #9: taking responsibility away from students.

Around this time of year, high school seniors are turning their thoughts to spring break, senior projects, the prom, and of course graduation. At the same time, they are anxiously waiting to hear from colleges, nervous about whether they will find the "thick" or "thin" envelope in the mailbox. In spite of all the hustle-bustle and the stress, these are good times.

However, not all teens are preoccupied with high school graduation and college prospects. One in four U.S. public school students drops out of high school, which amounts to about 1.2 million students failing to graduate from high school each year. Nearly one-third of teen girls cite pregnancy or parenthood as a key reason for dropping out of high school. Only 40 percent of teen moms finish high school, and less than two percent of teen moms who have a baby before age 18 finish college by age 30.

Everyone benefits from increased graduation rates. The graduates themselves, on average, will earn higher wages and enjoy more comfortable and secure lifestyles. At the same time, the nation benefits from their increased purchasing power, collects higher tax receipts, and sees higher levels of worker productivity. Over the course of a lifetime, a college graduate will earn, on average, $1 million more than a high school dropout. So not only is dropping out of high school a loss to individuals, a single high school dropout costs the nation approximately $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity. If the students who dropped out of the Class of 2011 had graduated, the nation's economy would likely benefit from nearly $154 billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes.

Avoiding teen pregnancy goes hand in hand with school completion. A student's primary focus is academics, along with serving on school committees, playing sports, school band performances, and building lifelong friendships. Equally important is waiting to become a parent until one is ready to be a parent, which means completing one's educational, career, and other life goals. These life achievements are critical to preparing men and women for the financial and emotional responsibilities of parenthood.

So enjoy those school days while you can. And remember, Spring is just around the corner!

"Textbooks" image by textbookace.

This photo was sent to us by the amazing Mary Ellen Duncan, who helps us with our outreach to community colleges. She said it made her think of us--which we've decided to take as a compliment. It made us laugh out loud--bringing a touch of the Bahamas to those of us not lucky enough to actually be there. Enjoy!

At present, fully 7 in 10 pregnancies among unmarried women 18-29 are described by women themselves as unplanned. Bedsider and a brand new three year public service campaign from The Ad Council are here to help.

Designed for those 18-29, bedsider.org is an online and digital network designed to make birth control easier. Maybe even fun. Previously available in beta form, Bedsider officially launches today with several new features, including Bedsider Insider that provides rewards to users.

Also unveiled today is a groundbreaking, first-ever, national multimedia public service campaign being launched in partnership with the Ad Council. Featuring a montage of relatable "sex mishaps," the ads conclude with the line, "You didn't give up on sex. Don't give up on birth control either." Check out a couple after the jump.

With my college graduation quickly approaching, I've become more aware of myself as an adult within society rather than just a teenager or college student. Thinking in such terms, however, has brought about an onslaught of questions and topics of consideration. As an intern with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, I've found myself focusing my attention on the "teen" part of our mission. And while the prevention of teen pregnancy presents a constant battle within this country, I can't help but wonder, what about those young women and students once they turn 20?