This study defines contrapower harassment in academia as student incivility, bullying, and sexual attention aimed at faculty. A U.S., Alaskan sample of 399 professors (50% women, 88% white) at the state's largest public university was surveyed about their experience with contrapower harassment. Although men reported more sexual attention from students and comparable levels of student incivility-bullying, women reported that such behaviors were more upsetting and had a greater negative impact on their health and work-lives; they were also more likely to take action following such experiences than men. Tenure-track faculty appear to be at increased risk of student hostility. Discussion focuses on how gender and other markers of socio-cultural or institutional power relate to the experience of contrapower harassment.

A high level of uncertainty exists about certain aspects of cesarean birth among young women and men, highlighting the need for information for prospective parents. Most college students did not view the cesarean birth experience as either potentially negative or normal. Future research should explore coverage of cesarean birth in childbirth education classes and the roles physicians, nurses, and midwives play in preparing expectant parents for the possibility of cesarean delivery.

Background: Numerous clinicians and researchers have expressed concern about the necessity and potential adverse consequences of many cesarean births in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore college students' attitudes and beliefs about cesarean section. Methods: One hundred two college students (66% women) completed a 20-item questionnaire that asked i f they viewed cesarean delivery as a potentially negative experience, as a normal or acceptable method of childbirth, and as medically necessary, and asked about their beliefs concerning risk and prevention of cesarean birth. Results: The number of "undecided" responses in the study was striking (7.8% to 69.6% across the 20 items). In general, women and men responded similarly, although women were signijicantly more likely than men to say they would be profoundly disappointed if their babies had to be delivered by cesarean section. Despite expressing cynicism about the cesarean birth rate (40% agreed that many unnecessary cesarean births occurred) and not viewing the procedure as a normal way of giving birth (47%), most respondents (over 70%) disagreed that giving birth by cesarean would be a negative experience or would make a woman feel like a failure. Conclusion: A high level of uncertainty exists about certain aspects of cesarean birth among young women and men, highlighting the need for information for prospective parents. Most college students did not view the cesarean birth experience as either potentially negative or normal. Future research should explore coverage of cesarean birth in childbirth education classes and the roles physicians, nurses, and midwives play in preparing expectant parents for the possibility of cesarean delivety. (BIRTH 24:3, September 1997) Over the past 25 years, the number of women in the United States giving birth by cesarean section has increased dramatically. In 1970 approximately one in 20 births was by cesarean section; in 1988 the rate was nearly one in four (1,2). Since 1988, however, the rate has declined. In 1994, 22 percent of women delivered by cesarean section (I), and in 1995 the rate declined to 20.8 percent (3). Despite the recent reduction, the striking rise in the cesarean birth rate during the latter part of this century reflects the "medicalization" of Claudia Lampman

undertook to prove experimentally on his own person that lithium administered for the elimination of uric acid from the system, not only failed to accom¬ plish the purpose, but "diminished the excretion of uric acid." In defense of this position he quotes from Rose to the effect that lithium forms "insolu¬ ble compounds with phosphate of soda and triple phosphate of ammonia and soda, salts generally present in animal fluids." The work of Rose has not been accessible to me and I, therefore, am not in a position to assert whether or not Haig properly quoted or understood him, but I find that Dr. Hal¬ berstadt asserts that "sodium phosphate causes, in not too attenuated solutions of lithium salts, a crys¬ talline precipitate of normal lithium phosphate ;"'" and Sir Dyce Duckworth" states that "the normal and bi-urate of lithium easily dissolve in alkalin fluids, also in phosphate of sodium." " This is in accordance with my own experience, but I found also by actual experiment that no precipita¬ tion took place, even after several days, when such solutions are further diluted to 1 part in 250 or more parts of water before being mixed. When we take into consideration the minute amounts of sodium

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