Thanks for taking the time to respond to this editorial.
1. We were never trying to indicate that grinding was a sign of maturity. Rather, it is an example of age sensitive behavior. It is undeniable that certain activity, grinding for example, is not age-appropriate for younger kids, much in the same way that PG-13 movies are not appropriate for younger kids. Also, I'd be careful about trying to define grinding so narrowly. Grinding is the rotation of one's hips while dancing. This has been applied to what is now referred to as "grinding," where there is pelvic to pelvic contact between two dancers. Grinding often include eye contact (i.e. of both dance partners are facing each other), and doesn't have to be of a sexual (stimulating) nature. Regardless, the fact is, at other schools grinding is a moral consideration, whereas at Uni, grinding is an age-appropriateness consideration as well. And finally, is it possible that grinding is a health expression of sexuality. More healthy, per se, than actual sexual activity, where there are risks involved?
2. Maturity will always vary by age, and this is proven by the wide ranging maturity of adults. But society legally recognizes that age and development go hand in hand and for a reason— biological and environmental changes occur with aging that impact a person's overall maturity. Also, I would caution you against attributing lack of emotional maturity with "academic focus and hard-won self-righteousness." Do you have an evidence that suggests this?
3. I'm not sure how you extrapolated to get that we are promoting hazing. The premise of this article is that generally allowing students to skip grades at that stage in development places the emphasis on purely academic development rather than social and holistic development. We explore the negative consequences of this for the individual students that skip as well as Uni as a whole.
Hi Peter,
Hi Peter,
Thanks for taking the time to respond to this editorial.
1. We were never trying to indicate that grinding was a sign of maturity. Rather, it is an example of age sensitive behavior. It is undeniable that certain activity, grinding for example, is not age-appropriate for younger kids, much in the same way that PG-13 movies are not appropriate for younger kids. Also, I'd be careful about trying to define grinding so narrowly. Grinding is the rotation of one's hips while dancing. This has been applied to what is now referred to as "grinding," where there is pelvic to pelvic contact between two dancers. Grinding often include eye contact (i.e. of both dance partners are facing each other), and doesn't have to be of a sexual (stimulating) nature. Regardless, the fact is, at other schools grinding is a moral consideration, whereas at Uni, grinding is an age-appropriateness consideration as well. And finally, is it possible that grinding is a health expression of sexuality. More healthy, per se, than actual sexual activity, where there are risks involved?
2. Maturity will always vary by age, and this is proven by the wide ranging maturity of adults. But society legally recognizes that age and development go hand in hand and for a reason— biological and environmental changes occur with aging that impact a person's overall maturity. Also, I would caution you against attributing lack of emotional maturity with "academic focus and hard-won self-righteousness." Do you have an evidence that suggests this?
3. I'm not sure how you extrapolated to get that we are promoting hazing. The premise of this article is that generally allowing students to skip grades at that stage in development places the emphasis on purely academic development rather than social and holistic development. We explore the negative consequences of this for the individual students that skip as well as Uni as a whole.