Kenyon College - CASE

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class nOTES Understanding the Faked Orgasm The orgasm—yes, the orgasm—plays an important role in our lives and helped shape the development of the species. It’s best not to leave everything we know about it to bar talk and magazines. Erin Billie Cooper ’04 has ushered the orgasm into the realm of science with her study, begun at Kenyon, of heterosexual women who occasionally fake it. “Studies have found that between 50 and 68 percent of women have faked an orgasm at some point in their lives, but until I started my research, we never knew why. All the evidence was anecdotal,” said Cooper, a fourth-year graduate student in clinical psychology at Temple University. Cooper developed an assessment measure that unveils motives behind the behavior. She used it to survey 481 women between the ages of eighteen and thirty-two who endorsed faking orgasms. “The common assumption is that women do this to protect the man’s ego because they don’t experience a real orgasm, but women fake orgasms for a variety of reasons.” One motive is indeed to protect a partner’s feelings. But others include insecurity about sexual functioning and the desire to end the sex act quickly. Some women fake orgasm to enhance their sexual experience. “These women are never talked about. They are taking control of their sensuality and ensuring that they have a good time. Faking orgasm can make sex more fun and exciting for them; it has little to do with their partner.” Cooper’s research, which has attracted national attention in the popular media, originated with girl-talk over lunch during her senior year in Gambier. “I was looking for an independent study idea and this came up as a bunch of girls were sitting around in Peirce Hall,” recalled Cooper, who is originally from northern Kentucky. “I think the conversation was triggered by a Cosmopolitan article.” Being the good psychology student, Cooper searched the literature and was surprised to find just two articles in peer-reviewed journals about the practice. Under the tutelage of Professor of Psychology Allan Fenigstein, she began collecting data from Kenyon female undergraduates and developing her questionnaire. Presentations at professional conferences since 2007 have sparked a firestorm of interview requests and reports in newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. “I wonder every day if this is good for my career,” said Cooper, who hopes to continue her research in an academic or clinical career. “Most graduate students are not yet respected enough in their field to be contacted for interviews, so this has been great attention for my work. But I have some concern that it will not be taken as seriously as it should due to the interest shown by the popular press.” When people ask Cooper what she studies, she typically smiles in anticipation of their response to her answer. “I know they are going to react with shock, horror, or fascination, but for the most part people are interested, especially women. The practice is common, so there is good reason to study it.” Her work, which she hopes to publish soon, advances knowledge about human sexual behavior and can better inform therapy for individuals and couples. It even has implications for men. “They can use my research as an ice-breaker for having an open and honest conversation with their partners,” Cooper said. —Dennis Fiely ’04 California, won the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association’s (PAPA) World Pinball Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August. Andrei tells us that his first attempt at the world title was in 1994 when he was still attending Kenyon. He writes, “All those hours I spent playing in Gund Commons finally paid off.” ’96 Delia A. Kloh Charlottesville, Virginia delia1974@gmail.com Sarah Michael Long Beach, California sarahemichael@gmail.com Christopher Ellsworth Mount Vernon, Ohio ellsworthc@kenyon.edu Christian L. Ball and his wife, Anne, welcomed their new son, Maxwell Thomas Ball, in November 2010. Chris and his family live in Billings, Montana. Joseph F. Herban, Columbus, Ohio, informs us that he is a top producing realtor and real estate investor in Columbus. He married his wife, Angela, at Kenyon, and they have a three-year-old daughter named Hailey. Joe keeps in touch with Michael H. Schuermeyer and Joshua H. Cornehlsen, and they jointly own ocean-front property in Nicaragua, where they plan to eventually open a youth hostel/ resort home for tourists. Adrienne Biggert Morrell is still living and working in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Jarrett, are kept very busy by their three children, Greer (five), Charlotte (three), and Anders (one). ’97 Barbara Kakiris Cleveland, Ohio barbara.l.kakiris@nasa.gov R. Joseph Rodriguez, Austin, Texas, had a research article featured in the National Council of Teachers of English centennial issue of English Journal, in which he commented
Christopher C. Basile has been invited to join the board of The Monkey Wrench Collective, an internationally recognized theater. ’07 beauty of the area. Daniel W. Bowles remains happily married to Kelly McMullen. They live in Denver, Colorado, along with their twoyear-old son, Noah. Dan looks forward to finishing his oncology fellowship in 2012 and starting his practice at the University of Colorado and Denver VA Medical Center. on the teaching life in English language arts and his learning and experience at Kenyon. Larae Bush Schraeder informs us that she just completed her first of three years on the Alumni Council, and says, “Thanks to all those who voted for me.” Larae tells us that it has been a great way to get involved at Kenyon in a whole new way. She would love to be a voice for your ideas about Kenyon, so don’t hesitate to reach out to her. Larae and her husband, Jeffrey, are still living in Columbus, Ohio, and somehow five years working at Nationwide Insurance have already passed by. She has been spending her free time bicycling, visiting her grandparents, and doing family history research. ’98 Deborah Watkins Wooster, Ohio abcdwatkins@embarqmail.com David W. Eppley, Brooklyn, New York, reports that for the last year he has been working on a permanent installation for the School Construction Authority of New York City. Dave has moved on to the final fabrication stage and tells us that it has been very exciting. This project is multifaceted and he invites us all to go to the following link: www.ny1.com/content/ news_beats/education/143758/ the-classroom-collection--part- 3--city-students-create-permanentart-for-their-own-school-walls. Dave has also been invited to prepare an installation for a show at the Kohler Arts Center, slated to open in February 2012. The exhibition is called ‘The Line Unleashed’ and his idea is to create large streams of color going everywhere they want to go. Gallery walls and floors are a given, but for this show he wants to explore the security desks, and the pedestals for donation, and possibly go into other parts of the museum. Stephanie Maier Summers, Washington, D.C., was appointed chief executive officer of the Center for Public Justice in July 2011. Alison L. Wolfgram married Grant Duke, a 1999 graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, on August 13, 2011, in Ephraim, Wisconsin. Alison tells us that they have known each other since the fourth grade, having both grown up in Barrington, Illinois. The couple honeymooned in Costa Rica and are residing in Barrington. ’99 Hilary A. Lowbridge Hanson, Kentucky hlowbridge@gmail.com George W. Cook III, Alexandria, Virginia, reports that he started working at Toyota on August 3, 2011. Zachary B. Nowak, Perugia, Italy, was named the coordinator of the food studies program at the Umbra Institute in Perugia. He will be teaching courses on “Food Sustainability” and “The Business of Food,” as well as recruiting students. Zach says he hopes to see his Kenyon buddies next summer. J. Samuel Van Hallgren and his wife, Carrie, announce the birth of their second child, Susanna Van Hallgren, in January 2011. The Van Hallgren family lives in Davidson, North Carolina. 2000s ’00 Austin Barger Columbus, Ohio austinbarger@hotmail.com David Shearer Nashville, Tennessee dwshearer@gmail.com Claire K. Beckett married Peter Kvetko (Wittenberg) in May 2011 in Essex, Massachusetts, with several Kenyon alumni in attendance. Claire and Peter continue to live in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Kathleen S. Birck, Kingman, Arizona, continues to work at Noah Country Healthcare in northwest Arizona. This fall she entered an online doctor of nursing program through the University of Pittsburgh. Kathleen continues to love the sunshine, sunsets, and ’01 Erin Shanahan Chicago, Illinois shanahane@hotmail.com Julianna Shaffer Belelieu, Long Island City, New York, writes, “I had the opportunity to supervise an intern from Kenyon College, Yukiha Maruyama ’12, this past summer as part of my work at the TeenScreen National Center at Columbia University. It was fun to get to work with her and hear about the changes at Kenyon.” Alexis Braun Marks and Adam D. Marks celebrated the first birthday of their daughter, Corinne, in August. Alexis tells us she began her new job as the university archivist at Eastern Michigan University this fall. The Marks family lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gillian K. Pollock married Richard Turney on October 9, 2011, and they spent their honeymoon in Robert A. Dignazio and Nathaniel C. Pritchard are leading the new men’s lacrosse program at Beloit College. ’08
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Small Wonders A photo essay celebra
Page 3 and 4: Dan McMahon Jazz in the cornfields?
Page 5 and 6: letters To Our Letter Writers The B
Page 7 and 8: Test Your KQ what’s your kenyon q
Page 9 and 10: pass/fail marcella hackbardt Art pr
Page 11 and 12: theology, thrills, tending bar, and
Page 13 and 14: Fresh snow and a winter-blue sky ac
Page 15 and 16: Things We Love to Hate about Kenyon
Page 17 and 18: The Housing Lottery It’s not fair
Page 19: ...And Some Other Things Things we
Page 22 and 23: A taxi driver feverishly radioed fo
Page 24 and 25: While critics rage over college pri
Page 26 and 27: A Service Industry Into the breach
Page 28 and 29: Administrators not seen in great nu
Page 30 and 31: comparing costs: endowment per stud
Page 32: It’s the little things We usually
Page 37: A detail from HillCrop (2010), a sc
Page 40: A cadet’s uniform belonging to Me
Page 43 and 44: kenyon professors reflect on the li
Page 45 and 46: Answering Ovid recent books by Keny
Page 47 and 48: Ann is a wonderful woman whom he me
Page 49 and 50: ’69 ’65 Thomas R. Sant Hilliard
Page 51 and 52: ’83 William S. Spann is the new c
Page 53: James M. “Jake” Kerr, Dallas, T
Page 57 and 58: Robert J. “Bob” Derham ’47, o
Page 59 and 60: Northbrook, Illinois, man was forty
Page 61 and 62: “I See You. I See You.” Returni
Page 63 and 64: Trustees of Kenyon College Richard
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