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" To TKDgirl: You are right your generation is far more aware and knowledgeable about the risks of STD's and pregnancy. That is why the study is a big waste of money. You can give the students the information but you can't force them to use good judgement. "

" It seems to me that everybody who has commented below is somewhere between middle-aged and late/middle-aged, so it is not at all surprising to hear the denigration of a perfectly resourceful way to spend money for the amelioration of FUTURE generations. Speaking as a college student, I can't think of a more efficacious way to do this type of crucial research. It NEEDS to be done in order to prevent an ongoing crisis that not only our country is facing, but many others worldwide. Seeing as how most of the comments are made by the older generation, they are obsolete because risky sexual decisions MAY have been attributed to "horny hormones, booze, and enjoyment" long ago, but let's face it.. My generation is far more aware and knowledgeable about the risks of STD's and pregnancy.. so why do teens still do it? There has to be some type of explanation, and this study attempts to find it.

The point of the study is not to find a cure or a vaccine, but rather prevent STD's before they even occur. "

" The focus group participants at IWU might be surprised to find out their upper, middle class friends are in the 1 in 4 group, just like the rest of the population. Sounds as if there will be denial at any level of education. "

" Newsflash.....teenagers from ALL walks of life engage in sex. Not just the ones with bad parents. I am sure this study from IWU will uncover that fact. "

" Why don't they use this money to come up with cures and vacines for these diseases so we can all enjoy ourselves and not have to worry.

Oh yeah, and bad parenting leads to unprotected sex in college, that's why all the preacher's kids are the wild ones. "

" Maybe if we had better parents who don't shirk their responsibilities or expect schools to provide all the discipline, education and moral growth researchers wouldn’t worry about this and the NIH wouldn’t approve the grant. If kids learned simple life lessons of responsibility and do unto others then maybe STDs would be on the decline.

Worthwhile to you doesn’t mean worthwhile to me. I would rather see money spent proactively than billions after it’s already too late. A panel of experts (DRs) must approve grants and usually grants take multiple revisions. If we can’t teach people to change then society is done for. Also universities take like 40-50 percent of grants for “administration fees” and when you consider it is spread over many years, it ends up paying for 1 or 2 new staff, and some VR equipment probably.

If you want to talk about wasted money go after the 42 million dollars the IRS spent on letters to say you might be getting a stimulus check, even though it was all over the news, and you would eventually get one which would be notification enough. "

" It looks like studies goal isn't about why people have sex (that’s a given) or getting them to stop, its about trying to find out when they choose protection and when they don't. In the area of psychology, then it makes sense that the follow-up to this information is likely trying to come up with a proactive program that educates people to be more safe for their own good or even put things in the environment (sign at bar with bowl of free condoms) to encourage them to not spread their own STDs or protect themselves from those who have them.

The alternate approach seems to be do nothing and just let people do what ever they want and screw up and then beg the government to bail them out (just like the mortgage industry and smokers) because they were mislead in life (or more likely just ignorant) and then healthcare costs and taxes continue to rise.

If grants were easy to get then everyone would have them and they wouldn't make the newspaper. "

" I'll give you several reasons why. . .Rhino's, Fat Jack's Paulie's, Chasers, McGuires, The Bistro, Killarneys, The Pub II, Maggie Miley's, Foul Shots, etc. "

" I think the observer effect is going to make it hard to get useful data from this experiment.

People behave differently when they know they are being studied.
Moreover people behave differently when they know there are no real life consequences.

None of the "sex" they will have in the simulation will be dangerous physically, so many participants will engage in as much as possible. "

" A ridiculous waste of government money. Pantagraph- I challenge you to do a follow up story on this in a year to find out what was "discovered" and what "solutions" this study suggests. I don't mean to be negative, but in these ecomomic (war) times, we can find better uses for this money- oh, and by the way, a million dollars is still a lot of money for most of us, even if it is a drop in the bucket of government spending. "

" Let's see...........................human nature might be an answer. Didn't I just read "The University of Illinois Extension would lose half of its budget if Gov. Rod Blagojevich gets his way. Maybe ISU should be talking to the same entities that IWU talks to. "

" It's not rocket science! 1.2 million bucks to do a study on doing what comes naturally! Anyway it's been that way since I was born in 49. What a ridiculous waste of money! If they find an 'answer', what are they going to do with the information? Surely, these people don't think that students are going to stop doing what feels good just because there is an answer other than human nature! "

" Let's see:
1. Puberty, and teens coming to terms with their body
2. Discovery of pleasure
3. Lack of morality in society and their personal surroundings
4. Lack of responsibility for their actions
5. As someone commented earlier it feels good

Oh and porn, Kelly Clarkson, and booze. Hmmmm... I'll see you guys later. "

" Come on folks, the answer is because these students don't use lots of COMMON SENSE! They are ignorant of "what happens if . . . " and they don't care! The future of our world? I'm scared!

I can think of ways this money can be spent on something actually worthwhile! "

" It's been a while ago (I went to ISU in the mid 70's) but if I recall correctly it's because college students (the males) are by and large drooling horndogs. I'll split that grant with Tripper if you don't mind. "

" They obviously do need a study for this, because, let's face it, if were as simple as a lack of judgment or irresponsibility, etc., the problem would be easier to solve. The article says that students at the IWU campus think they don't have to worry about it because they are upper middle class and busy studying. That tells me there is a real lack of education in this area. I'll be interested in seeing the results of this study and whether the data is any more accurate because it's using virtual reality. "

" Two factors:

1. People love to have sex, despite the best efforts of religious kooks and doctors.
2. Booze. "

" They are just a bunch of perverts wanting to check out the young stuff. everyone knows why they make those decisions...horny hormones...raging! Duh. "

" Do they really need a study for this? "

" because they arent responsible, they dont care about their body, because they lack good judgement, because they dont care in general, because they live in the now and dont look at future consequences....umm what else do they want to know... "

" Because they enjoy it!

Now hand over the $1.2 million and I will put that in a detailed report. Geez. "