'College in the Nude' educates audience

Humor, dating advice and information about sexually transmitted diseases can all be found weekly in alumnus Harlan Cohen's syndicated advice column.\nFriday from 10 to 11:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall of the Indiana Memorial Union, Cohen shared his insight and comedy with more than 100 students. His visit was part of Union Board's Late Night at the IMU program, and senior Carrie Smith, Union Board lectures director, said she and other Union Board executives were excited to have Cohen start this year's lectures series with "College in the Nude."\n"We had (Cohen) here a couple of years ago, and he brought a lot of information on relationships and STDs that were really relevant to college students," Smith said.\nDespite the relationship advice and STD information Cohen presented in his program, many students said they came because Cohen's column is humorous, and because he is an IU "celebrity."\n"I read his column in the IDS, and I think he's funny, so I wanted to see what he had to say," said sophomore Leslie Duve.\nAlthough Cohen used jokes about the recent coach Knight controversy and self-deprecating humor to get in touch with the audience, his message was serious and direct: safe sex is key to a good relationship, and STDs affect millions of college students in the United States.\n"One of the biggest factors to the spread of STDs is self-consciousness," Cohen said. "A lot of times, people are too scared or shy to talk to their partners openly about their sexual history."\nCohen called on volunteers from the audience throughout the night to help deliver his message, including an STD game show and three dating scenarios. He passed out copies of his new book, "Campus Life Exposed: Advice from the Inside" and various forms of food items, including a head of lettuce and an apple, as prizes for his volunteers.\nIn addition to advice on safe sex and STDs, Cohen used excerpts from his book and letters from his column to discuss dating in college. Cohen claimed there are three successful dating rules: Being comfortable with oneself, being willing to accept endless rejection and being willing to speak to different kinds of people.\n"When you're offering yourself, your time, to someone, it's hard to get rejected 10 or 20 times," Cohen said. "But that's what you have to do. It's easy to stop at two or three rejections, but you have to keep going."\nCohen reminded the crowd that everyone has anxiety about dating, and said it helps to remember that "we're all just huge rejects."\nSophomore Joanne Isidro said she found the evening to be informative as well as entertaining.\n"I enjoyed Harlan's program very much. It was highly amusing, and I think it was also educational, even though I knew a lot coming into the show," Isidro said.\nCohen said he was pleased with the crowd size and the reaction to his program and that he hoped he made the audience think as well as laugh.\n"I want them to walk away with the idea that they should take advantage of all their opportunities in college … to discover their passion," Cohen said. "That's what college is all about."\nThough Cohen answers letters from across the country and visits many college campuses, he said Bloomington is his favorite place to speak.\n"IU's great … when I come here, it's always the best because people have read the column for so long," Cohen said. "I think students can really identify with me here … this is where it all started"