THE ELECTRICIAN
Executive Producer of Lovercall
THE ARCHITECT
Lovercall Producer
THE QUARTERBACK
Lovercall Producer
Hello!
We are The Electrician, The Architect and The Quarterback: producers and hosts of the radio show Lovercall right here at Fredonia. Lovercall is an anonymous late-night talk show about love, relationships and more. Students who come on the show use a codename to protect their identities when discussing potentially personal topics, hence the codenames of the writers of this column.
“The Electrician” is a 21-year-old cisgender female student who uses she/her pronouns and is a senior at Fredonia.
“The Architect” is a 21-year-old cisgender male student who uses he/him pronouns and is a senior at Fredonia.
“The Quarterback” is a 19-year-old cisgender male student who uses he/him pronouns and is a sophomore at Fredonia.
On each episode, the hosts and guests of Lovercall participate in a variety of segments. The cast discusses a relevant news story, a date idea, a wacky game and a main topic for the episode.
Listeners also write into the show, either via Fredonia Radio’s Instagram, @fredonia_radio, on Yik Yak or through the QR code provided in this column.
We typically answer the questions asked right here in this column, so be sure to look out for student stories and questions in future columns.
The show is now being streamed weekly on Wednesday nights from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. on WDVL 89.5 on www.fredoniaradio.com.
This column runs in conjunction with Lovercall and can be found both in print and online at fredonialeader.org.
Date idea of the week
We hope to provide our fellow students with a fun and unique date idea in every column. These “date” ideas aren’t just for romantic partners — you could go with your friends, your classmates or you can even go solo for a fun activity in Fredonia.
For this week’s date idea, we’re kicking it back to your high school days with a fake prom!
You could string up some lights, hang some streamers, put together a playlist or maybe even set up a photo booth!
Not to mention, who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up and dance?
Many young people dream of having the perfect prom, like one you might see in an ‘80s rom-com.
But, it doesn’t always live up to expectations.
This can be your chance for you and your partner to reclaim some of that “prom night magic” that you might not have gotten at your actual prom.
Also, some people didn’t get a prom because of COVID-19, so this can be a great way to reclaim those memories.
You don’t even have to have a date to fake prom — you could have just as much fun with your friends!
This idea might not be for everyone, especially for those who might not have had the best high school experience.
But for those who might want to bring back that magic, having a fake prom could be a great way to do just that.
Birth Control
This week, our topic was birth control.
Our hosts and guests had a productive conversation about the stigmas and lack of education surrounding birth control.
Everyone agreed that there wasn’t much education about birth control methods or safe sex in school.
In fact, several guests explained that they were told that abstinence is the only “true” method of birth control.
“Juno,” one of this week’s guests, explained that in her school, a lot of sex education was fear-based. Many teenagers were told just not to have sex, which we argue can be extremely harmful.
Avoiding sex education and discussions about birth control can limit the understanding students have about sex and their bodies.
In addition, many young adults become curious and are likely to explore their sexualities anyways. So, when a person does have sex, it is best for them to be equipped with a strong sexual education to help them make safe and informed decisions.
It can be difficult to make the decision to start birth control, especially with this lack of education on the topic.
We discussed that there are 19 different types of birth control recognized by the FDA, including the pill, IUDs, diaphragms, cervical caps and more.
Deciding which one is best for you is never an easy task.
However, we advise anyone looking to start any form of birth control to consult a doctor first.
It is very common for the first three months of a new birth control method to be a little weird, sometimes with increased symptoms.
But, after this transition period, many find their method to be more comfortable.
However, we at Lovercall feel that you know your body better than anyone. If you are doubting the method you are using, never hesitate to get a second opinion, whether that means doing further research from places such as planned parenthood or talking to a gynecologist.
As described above, many birth control methods can have several side effects.
For instance, hormonal birth control pills can have symptoms anywhere from nausea to weight gain to mood changes. It’s important to remember that these symptoms are normal, and it isn’t always guaranteed that you will have them.
The Electrician started hormonal birth control pills while in college, and was fortunate enough to only experience moderate side effects.
We here at Lovercall advise both people looking to start birth control and partners to avoid panicking about this topic. We feel that being mindful and centered is the best way to make careful and informed decisions.
Having discussions like this one can help bring a taboo topic such as birth control into the forefront of conversations.
It is important to have these talks to help educate students like ourselves on a matter as impactful as this one.
Resources
Planned Parenthood:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development:
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/contraception/more_information/resources
Center for Disease Control and Protection:
https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/index.htm
Your Lovercall crew for next year
The Electrician and The Architect will be graduating this May.
This means that two new producers will join the crew alongside The Quarterback.
The Quarterback will become the executive producer of Lovercall, and will be joined by The Musician as a co-host and Radio Rebel as a producer.
This means that this is the final Lovercolumn including The Electrician and The Architect!
We thank you for your support, and wish the new team all the best in the future!
Reach out!
Do you want to ask the authors of Lovercolumn a question? Do you need advice? Fill out the form by using this QR code.
Interested in being a guest on Lovercall? Email frs@fredonia.edu or visit Fredonia Radio Systems, located in McEwen Hall 115 and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The Electrician,” “The Architect” and “The Quarterback” are members of Fredonia Radio Systems and are involved in the production of Lovercall.
https://forms.gle/pFHcFzJ7Qc9fcsLP9