University of Virginia Library

Sexuality Seminar To Discuss
Problems, Concerns Of Students

By PAT GRANEY

A non-credit seminar on
"Human Sexuality and
interpersonal Relationships"
designed to "increase each
participant's ability to create
and maintain satisfying and
fulfilling relationships" will
meet every Thursday evening
this semester.

Sponsored by the University
Health and Physical Education
Department and
Charlottesville-Albemarle
Family Service, Inc., the course
is geared to "provide a medium
through which to discuss
sexual information and
feelings."

It will be limited to 25
persons and is open to the
University community free of
charge.

Gary K. Hardley, Family
Service, Inc. Director and
Cathy Bodkin, Family Service,
Inc. marriage and family
counselor, will lead the classes,
using discussion groups,
role-playing, and psychodrama
techniques.

"We hope to develop a
course that is neither an all
sensitivity-type emotional high,
or a lecture-oriented type, but
rather a program that enables
the participant to practice and
to experience a relationship,"
Mr. Hardley explained.

"We need something geared
toward normality, as opposed
to pathological problems.
Many students need counseling
on human sexuality."

"What we hope to do is
to incorporate this counseling
into the program," he said,
"because a great majority of
problems we see every day
could be prevented if people
had known more about
themselves.

"In a preventive sense, we
want to help the individual
before he gets caught in a
bind," he said.

The seminar will meet every
Thursday night from 7 to 9 in
Room 250 of the New
Education Building, beginning
Feb. 8. Each participant will be
expected to attend regularly,
and to read assigned material.

Emphasis will be placed
upon self-knowledge,
sensitivity to others, and
ability to maintain and form
meaningful relationships.

Although the program was
developed outside the
University curricula. Health
and Phys. Ed. Dept. Chairman
Patrick J. Bird hopes the
University will soon develop a
similar program for academic
credit.

"In the future we need to
develop a highly
interdisciplinary course with
people from varying
departments to provide an
integrated approach," he said.

Students interested in the
program should contact Mr.
Bird.