Category: Population

Related directly to population issues.

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Population

Support Fort Lewis College—3-14

“Every person in the world should have a chance to achieve something, they should not be stripped of this opportunity simply due to the location of their birth.” A Fort Lewis College student from Arctic Alaska

One of the reasons that we chose Durango as our home 37 years ago was that it is a college town. Through the years Fort Lewis College (FLC) has enriched our lives in many ways.
After graduation from college Gail, my wife, earned a master’s degree in secondary education. After moving to Durango she became more interested in educating young children. Our two sons were still in elementary school when Gail earned her second bachelor’s degree at FLC. She found some of the professors there on a par with Harvard!
Gail and I have enjoyed musical performances at the college. We learned what fine performers professors in the Music Department are when they started the “Raising the Roof” concerts to help fund the Community Concert Hall. The College and the Durango community financed this fine facility together after a heavy snow crushed the prior venue. Go there for concerts, plays and even the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats!
We have sung with the Durango Choral Society since arriving in Durango, along with college students and faculty. Our current leader is Linda Mack Berven, who raised choral music at “The Fort” to a very high level.
In addition to our personal enjoyment, FLC is a vital resource for the county. The students are important economic drivers who bring money to the local economy. Many students hold down menial jobs in the community. Some stick around after graduation and put their new skills to use.
Have you attended any of the talks in the stimulating “Lifelong Learning” series? They are held Thursday evenings when college is in session. This program is possible because many very interesting people live in or have retired in the area, forming the Professional Associates. A volunteer group under the auspices of the President’s Office, it serves the college in many ways in addition to Lifelong Learning. The Associates offer four student scholarships and assist with the Honors Program. They also have a unique “Host Family Program” that matches incoming students with local families.
Referred to as the “Campus in the Sky”, it is appropriate that the college’s varsity teams are called the “Skyhawks”. Teams include a championship cycling team, women’s lacrosse and men’s golf. Recently we went to an exciting football game against rival Adams State, with a very close win. Also important are the club sports and intramural sports, including rugby (for both men and women), ultimate frisbee and badminton. It is not surprising that exercise science and athletic training are two of FLC’s majors.
The name “Fort Lewis” bespeaks the college’s history. It started as a military outpost near Pagosa Springs in 1878, then moved to Hesperus two years later. In 1891 the fort was decommissioned and the campus transformed into a boarding school for Indians. At the beginning of the 20th century it became a technical high school, next a two-year agricultural college and finally a 4-year college in 1956 when it moved to its present campus in Durango. FLC now recognizes the importance of Native cultures, which it honors with the Native American Center, a major in Native American and Indigenous Studies, and by observing many Native traditions and ceremonies. About a fifth of all students are Native American; it is one of only two colleges in the USA that offers free tuition for Native people.
When I taught a class at FLC I was pleased to make the acquaintance of Native students. They often have a different approach to life, with fine appreciation of the natural world.
I have been frustrated by the few connections between the College and the community. The Concert Hall is a wonderful example of collaboration where both entities benefit, but I would like to see more interchange.
The community misses out on the excitement of intellectual stimulation and of young people. FLC could harness more of the experience in the community. I have two specific suggestions to increase relations: offer free parking on campus for community visitors, and allow senior citizens to audit FLC classes for a small fee, the way the University of Colorado does. Increasing interaction with the community will increase financial support, I am convinced.
Our society’s future depends on today’s students. Some of the best study at the Campus in the Sky. We should do whatever we can to support them!
© Richard Grossman MD, 2014

Categories
Contraception Family Planning Population Reproductive Health

Reject these Old Memes—2-2014

Recently a friend introduced me to the word “meme”. Now I run across this concept frequently.
The word “meme” is analogous to “gene”, but it is information in our culture rather than in our DNA. A meme is a building block upon which our way of life is built. One definition is: “an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture”.
An old example is the Pythagorean theorem—the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. This meme is ancient.
One accidental meme is changing lives in Brazil. The average family size has dropped rapidly. In 1954, when I visited as a child, women had an average of over 6 children. Now the average is 1.8—less than replacement. This big change is largely because of TV telenovelas, where middle class families are all small.
Some memes are harmful. An example is a tradition in Nigeria that leads to the death of many children. For eons Traditional Birth Attendants used mud or other unclean substances to dress newborn babies’ umbilical cord stumps. If tetanus spores are present, the baby can die a horrible death from tetanus. This improved when TBAs were taught the advantages of cleanliness and sterile instruments. Now pregnant women getting prenatal care are immunized against tetanus and there are many fewer deaths.
Galileo, who was born 450 years ago this month, suffered because of a religious meme. This meme slowed the development of knowledge for centuries.
Ancient Egyptians thought that the sun rotated around them—the geocentric model of the solar system. A Greek may have first proposed that Earth revolved around the sun 2500 years ago—the heliocentric model. For centuries people believed that the earth was the center of the universe, supported by theology that interpreted the Bible thusly. One verse that supports this meme is found in Psalms 104:5: “(God) built the earth on its foundations, so it can never be moved”. There are still people who hold that the sun goes around the earth—including 26% of US citizens, according to a recent National Science Foundation survey!
In the early 17th century Galileo defended the heliocentric theory, for which he was accused of heresy and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. The Inquisition’s ban on reprinting his works was only lifted a century later. It was not until the 19th century that the Roman Catholic Church removed books advocating heliocentrism from its Index of Prohibited Books. Pius XII was the first Pope to acknowledge the many important contributions of Galileo—in 1939. Yet there are people who believe that heliocentrism is a conspiracy (http://www.johnthebaptist.us/jbw_english/default.htm). It is amazing how long this meme has persisted!
Years ago I sold “green umbrellas” at a public health meeting. From a campaign in Bangladesh (where it rains a lot), these umbrellas carry slogans such as “stay well” and “take health services” in Bengali. A doctor from Bangladesh bought one, then a few minutes later returned and wanted his money back. I asked him what was wrong. He replied that one of the sayings is “small families”, and we should have as many children as Allah gives us. This is another case of a religious meme that has outlived its usefulness, since Bangladesh is very crowded.
I find it amazing that some religions have not yet recognized the benefits of contraception to individuals, to families and to the world. The official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church is that only periodic abstinence (the “rhythm” method) is acceptable. This policy is ignored by many of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide—and many women I have talked with have left the Church because of this policy.
In many Catholic countries, such as Brazil and in Western Europe, couples use modern contraception resulting in average family size less than two. There are places, including some of the poorest countries in the world where this prohibition against effective contraception is followed. They will continue to be stuck in poverty so long as people are prohibited from using modern family planning. Rwanda is an example; its rapid population growth was one factor leading to its genocide 20 years ago.
Memes can outlive their usefulness to society. It is time for women to have the same status and rights as men, and for all people to have the access to the means to manage their fertility.

© Richard Grossman MD, 2014