^day • November 4, 1997
State
l'w programs focus on
jiising girls’ self-esteem
ISTIN (AP) — When Teresa Kelly read
^Ophelia, the bestseller about forces
itransform lively pre-teen girls into
ppy, unhealthy adolescents, she
;iitofthe 9- and 10-year-olds in the Girl
'nroop she leads.
I sHjj were so outgoing and assertive
764 jisyand talkative and confident and
ithemselves, basically,” Kelly, whose
to/mo'Mdudes Ihm d.iiighit'i, said,
from’-ethought of in three years looking
dand seeing them quiet and passive
| itiei] tiouswasjust more than I could bear.”
ecalled other mothers, told them to
ibathTe book and arranged a meeting.
|nts, inwas last year. Since then, the moms
started The Ophelia Project, which
nowizes speakers on adolescent girl is-
,96 ‘ind plans such activities as parent-
jter workshops and retreats,
i ects around die country,
alisto help girls grow into confident
,u 3tin hi despite a culture described by Re-
laying. % Ophelia author and psychologist
love-injjpher as "girl-poisoning” — danger-
rflialized and filled with pressure to be
|using;jjy] an ^ sophisticated.
ie other scholars have written about
»Pipher’s book has found a wide audi-
'ince being published in 1994.
lotiuied after the ill fated heroine in
topmj * et ’ ' ts ^de is Reviving Ophelia:
|s wei-pheSelves oj Adolescent (iirls.
Tlat is just what the projects it has
wspur seek to do: empower girls to
^strong identities and avoid prob-
jisuchas depression and eating disor-
, despite cultural and peer pressures
lintnes. r . ,
, pro-tan seem overwhelming,
parish here’s just an incredible amount of stuff
idone," Pipher said in a telephone inter-
h—^ There are people all over the country
^gani- tve gotten into coming-of-age projects
ampus . a g ers xhere is a lot of int erest in get-
rens involved in volunteer work.”
iliere are a lot of mentoring programs
lave girls connect ed to young women.”
Danish.iSacred Heart Academy in Louisville,
9roup unior and senior girls link up with
graders in a mentoring program ini-
Iciiiave;after teacher and counselor Rose
mary Richard read the book.
They discuss situations that tempt girls to
change or hide their true selves, such as
pressure to drink or social rejection, and
provide proposed responses and support.
“We select girls from our junior and se
nior class who have maintained their true
selves,” Richard said. “They’re not the prize
winners, not the super stars. They are just
the girls who have worked hard and are real
easy to get along with. They’re a pleasure.
They can stand up for themselves. They
speak their minds.”
Alternative girls’ magazines have been
started up that focus not on how to catch
a boy but on health, social trends and
girls’ achievements.
Austin-based Girl Games — dedicated
to providing entertainment products that
encourage girls to express themselves, de
velop and grow — is sponsoring a girls’ dis
cussion panel in connection with an up
coming visit by Pipher.
In northwestern Harris County, the Ju
nior League is focusing on self-esteem of
girls and boys. In El Paso, the book sparked
discussion among parents and teachers. Ms.
Pipher spoke to crowds in both areas and is
visiting Austin on Friday and Saturday.
In Round Rock, north of Austin, seventh-
grade math teacher Debbie Rodell started a
Girls’ Club that members say provides a safe
place to talk about the changes and chal
lenges they face.
“You get to tell your feelings about your
teachers, and boys, and how teachers treat
boys and girls differently. You can talk about
anything,” eighth-grader Kimberly Tdsia said.
Megan Bernhard, also in eighth grade,
added, “It gives us a lot of self-esteem in
learning how to be more assertive, and when
to take things seriously and when not to. It
gives us a way to talk about things we would
n’t want to talk about with our parents.”
Kelly said her hope is for her daughter,
11 -year-old Kate, to make informed choic
es about her life.
“She can decide to go the stereotypical
beauty route if she wants ... As long as it’s a
conscious decision, and she knows the ben
efits and the downside,” she said.
Gommissioner orders insurance cuts
State tax commissioner says lower auto rates will benefit uninsured drivers
AUSTIN (AP) —The average benchmark rate for insurance
on private passenger cars will go down 5 percent statewide, the
state insurance commissioner ordered Monday.
It is the first reduction in the auto benchmark since the state’s
flexible rating system was created in 1991.
Commissioner Elton Bomer said large cuts would go to dri
vers who carry only liability insurance and uninsured mo
torists. He said it would be of particular benefit to lower-in
come Texans and those who own older cars that don’t need
full coverage.
The benchmark rate for bodily injury liability will drop an av
erage of 19 percent statewide. The rate for uninsured motorists
coverage will fall nearly 28 percent.
“This is good news for all motorists, especially drivers who
buy only the insurance they need to obey the law and those who
are concerned about being hit by the large number of drivers
who carry no insurance at all,” Bomer said.
The new benchmark rates take effect Jan. 20, 1998. Compa
nies then have 30 days to file their new rates with the state in
surance department.
A company may charge its new rates immediately after filing
them, without insurance department approval, as long as they
fall within the “flexible band” of 30 percent above and below the
benchmark rates. In most cases, individual customer’s premi
ums can be changed only when policies are renewed.
An industry group, the Southwestern Insurance Information
Service, said the benchmark rates actually are not a very impor
tant number.
“The business of insurance is so fiercely competitive that
most companies only use the benchmark rate as an average, and
many insurers charge well below the state-mandated rate,” Jer
ry Johns, the service’s president, said.
The insurance commissioner also reduced the bench
mark rate for commercial auto insurance an average of 9.3
percent statewide.
“A reduction in commercial auto rates saves money for busi
ness owners, which translates into an improved economic cli
mate for all Texans," Bomer said.
The 5-percent reduction for private auto rates is a statewide
average. Local and individual rate changes may vary consider
ably from the average.
In 48 of the state’s 52 geographic auto rating territories, the
average benchmark rate will decline for a typical driver with full
coverage; three will have increases and one will have no change.
All territories have reductions for liability coverage.
According to the insurance department, motorists in Nueces
County will get the largest decrease in benchmark rates. A typical
driver with basic liability, uninsured motorist and physical dam
age coverage will receive a 7.8 percent drop in the benchmark rate.
The largest increase will be 1.6 percent in the Panhandle
counties of Moore, Hutchinson and Gray.
Drivers’ actual premiums vaiy widely, depending on county,
age, gender, auto usage, make and model of car, driving record,
types of insurance coverage and the rating decisions of individ
ual companies.
The benchmark rates and flexibility bands affect insurance com
panies subject to rate regulation by the Texas Department of Insur
ance. Those companies write about 75 percent of the policies.
UT seeks slogan for fund-raising campaign
AUSTIN (AP) — University of Texas of
ficials are looking for the words that will
make people reach for their wallets.
The search for a slogan for the Austin
campus’ billion-dollar capital campaign
has kept interim president Peter Flawn
awake some nights — scrawling down
ideas in the dark, then rejecting them in
the light of day.
GSD&M, an Austin advertising agency
formed by UT graduates working on the
theme for free, will unveil their effort to
the UT Development Board on Friday.
If the board approves, the slogan could
be used for years to come, the Austin
American-Statesman reported Monday.
UT recently completed a yearlong ex
ercise to define its core purpose, which is
“to transform lives for the benefit of soci
ety”; and its core values of learning, dis
covery, freedom, leadership, individual
opportunity and responsibility. The exer-
| “I don’t think slogans with-
| out substance will take you
| very far.”
PETER FLAWN
INTERIM PRESIDENT
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
cise helped focus the university on its fu
ture, Flawn said.
“I don’t think slogans without sub
stance will take you very far,” Flawn said.
Flawn, UT’s president from 1979 to
1985, and others fear the school’s status as
a premier university is in jeopardy. Austin
lawyer Larry Temple, a UT alumnus in
volved in raising money for the school,
said a major reason is declining state aid.
Temple said when he was an assistant
for former Gov. John Connally in the ear
ly to mid-1960s, about 80 percent of UT-
Austin’s budget came form tax dollars. To
day, it’s about 24 percent.
While many believe UT is wealthy be
cause of an endowment it shares with
other UT campuses and the Texas A&M
System, UT officials say the money
doesn’t go as far as it once did as state aid
has dropped.
“You may not be able to buy excellence
and quality with money, but you surely
cannot achieve excellence and quality
without money,” Temple said.
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MSC Political Forum Presents:
America and the
Holocaust
A lecture by:
Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel
President of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
November 4, 1997
7:00 PM
Koldus 110
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