In education, girls out-smart boys

ELIZABETH BRACHELLI ASST A&E EDITOR EAB722@CABRINI EDU

Reaching into the bottomless pit of his backpack, sophomore Sam Sedam of Harry S. Truman High School searches frantically for a pencil and his homework.. Then, he tries to dig into the pit of papers to find his textbook. With no luck, he figures, “I can carry a “B” average, why should I worry?”

Sedam, like many other boys across the nation, is not alone. Although his biggest concern is not his grades, academics are now a huge concern among parents and educators. It has been reported by Newsweek that boys across the nation and in every demographic group are falling behind in school. Also, the number of boys who didn’t like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001, according to a University of Michigan study.And this shift is clearly being seen on college campuses everywhere.

30 years ago it was girls, not boys who were falling behind and men represented 58 percent of the undergradu- ate student body. Now men a minority at 44 percent according to Newsweek.

The number of boys who do not like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001 according to a University of Michigan study.

Sedam said, “I’m not really motivated enough. There are other things to do. Why work?”

Although Sedam may not be “motivated enough” now, he hopes to attend Penn State University after graduating from high school in the near future. At many state universities, the gender balance is 60-40, tilting towards women according to Newsweek.

Carolyn Roberts, a sophomore exercise science major, said,

“Some people are just more motivated. I just think boys are very apathetic. Their grades don’t mean anything to them.”

Dr. Carol Kessler, associate professor of education, believes that boys like Sedam and Cabrini’s male students are falling behind for several reasons.

According to Newsweek, boys are biologically, developmentally and psychologically different from girls, which was a point that Kessler stressed.

“Male brain chemistry is different. They start out differently and that doesn’t mean they’re inferior. They’re just hardwired differently. They’re maturation is completely different,” Kessler said.

The difference of maturation is seen early on. In elementary school, boys are not as encouraged to read although they begin with lower literacy skills. Boys ages five to 12 are 60 percent more likely than girls to have repeated at least one grade according to the U.S. Depart-

BOYS, page 3

A&E

‘In Focus’opens a world of portraits to students page 10

MEGHAN HURLEY STAFF WRITER

MLH722@CABRINI EDU

On Dec. 16, 2005, the House of Representatives approved an immigration bill that classified all undocumented immigrants as aggravated felons and classified anyone helping these immigrants as criminals. Students at Cabrini and surrounding colleges and universities are rallying against this legislation with a letter writing campaign and demonstration planned in February. They are partnering with Catholic Relief Services and the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition to protest this impending legislation.

This bill, titled Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, was drafted by James Sensen-

IMMIGRATION, page 3