Posted on 04/15/2007 5:49:44 AM PDT by Ellesu
Some universities¡¯ decision to allow female students to be absent for classes during their menstruation period is stirring debate among professors and students.
After Chung-Ang University first decided last year to allow female students to be absent as long as they report they are suffering from menstruation to their professors, other major universities such as Kyung Hee University and Cheju National University adopted the system. This year, Yonsei and Sogang University followed with similar systems.
According to the schools, a maximum of two days¡¯ absence is allowed for a single period, and no more than four times in a semester is valid. Sogang University is requiring a medical certificate, while at Yonsei University, a student must download a format from the school¡¯s Web site and personally hand in the paper to the professor.
However, this system is bringing complaints from all sides _ even female students.
Some female students, who are supposed to benefit from the system, criticized that the program as too complicated for the people who are sick. ``In our society, it is not an easy thing for woman to talk about her menstrual period. Taking into account that most of the professors are male, handing in the paper and telling them that she¡¯s having her period is quite embarrassing,¡¯¡¯ a Yonsei university student said. She suggested the school implement an online application system.
Lee So-jin, a student of Sungshin Women¡¯s University, said that though the absence is pardoned, the student must still take full responsibility for missing a class and have to put in extra effort to catch up with the academic schedule. ``Schools uploading class materials on the Web site could solve the problem, I guess,¡¯¡¯ she said.
Male students are not happy, either. Though they understand that women are not in their best condition while having their menstrual period, male students point out that it could be seen as a form of a sexual discrimination.
They criticize that while many universities accept medical certification for pardon in case of serious illness, accepting menstruation as a separate case can be awkward.
``After all, there is no good way to check whether they really have their period, right?¡¯¡¯ Chung, a Yonsei University student, asked.
The possibility of abusing the system also worries the professors. A professor, who declined to be identified, said many students hand in the excuse slip when it rains or there are holidays the next day _ which is too much of coincidences.
``I still have to trust the students. If they are lying, then it is a big excuse for other students attending the class,¡¯¡¯ he said.
However, the system is expected to continue and be expanded to other schools. Sungshin Women¡¯s University said that more than 900 students a month benefited from the program and are satisfied with it.
Also, Rep. Shin Sang-jung of the Democratic Labor Party said that 56 percent of 700 adults were in favor of the system last month, saying that more universities must accept it.
``Menstruation is a natural thing, nothing to hide away from. If women want to use the system, they should be honest and confident in using them,¡¯¡¯ Prof. Cho Han Hye-jung of Yonsei University said.
So pretty much all the time, then eh?
LOL
Yeah, pretty much.
I would have been happy to have a period [of getting it] every 28 days.
During my first marriageI used to tell folks I could do 6 months without standing on my head.
Once a month would have been nirvana...
L
I know it sounds unjust, but there are many women whose menstrual periods bring uterine pain that’s not responsive to over-the-counter medications. There may be back pain as well. In severe cases they may vomit and have diarrhea. They get little sleep because of the hormonal disturbance (just as women in the throes of menopause often can’t sleep, for the same reason). A gynecologist will prescribe birth control pills, but these may not work to control the symptoms and can have serious side effects.
Many years ago we used to recognize that some women were indisposed during their periods, and back in my grandmother’s day certain girls just took to their beds. Now women are expected to conquer the world, and a girl who has real pain is laughed and accused of malingering at if she tries to take a few days off. Is today’s system really better than the one our grandparents had?
Too late now to turn the clock back now
You can thank “NOW” and the rest of the feminazi’s
Shades of Jim Crow
The two truths about this issue are:
(1)Will some female students take advantage of the rule, just to get some extra time away from class? Obviously.
(2)Do some females have a harder time than others during their period, with a few for whom even the medications for the ill-symptoms are not 100% affective? Yes, that is also true.
The only ones who should “feel bad” (forgive the pun) about the rule are those females with a guilty conscience (when the real excuse was either not their period or not an unusually bad one). But they are the exception to the rule meant to help those that really need it.
As my ex used to tell me, “What Menstrual problem!, I don’t HAVE a Menstrual problem!”.
You’re exactly right. I credit the feminists, along with Hugh Hefner, with destroying much of American society. They are a corruption and a cancer we are not willing to eradicate.
That may be true in China. I had female students who had no problem using the excuse for missing a test and asking for a makeup exam. The magic word was "CRAMPS".
How about a female President, with her finger on the nuclear switch....
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