We’ve been flooded with negative headlines about 20-somethings - from their sense of entitlement, to their unwillingness to grow up, to their attachment to their parents’ purse strings. The resulting message is that these young people need to shape up and grow up – and take the same fast track to adulthood that their parents did.

 Rick Settersten, author of the new book, "Not Quite Adults," will shatter this stereotype of young people during Oregon State University – Cascades upcoming Science Pub on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

 "Not Quite Adults: Why 20-Somethings Are Choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood, and Why It’s Good for Everyone," was released Dec. 28 through Random House. In the book, Settersten, who is the endowed director of the Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families at Oregon State University, and his co-author, Barbara Ray, explore the question of why 20-somethings are delaying adulthood.

 "The great shake-ups that are going on in the transition to adulthood are transforming American life," they write in the book, “and the reverberations will be felt by everyone.  These changes will demand new responses from governments, families, and society."

This generation of young people is facing a very different world than their parents did and for them, growing up too fast can be damaging. Settersten and Ray’s book shows that adult children who return home after college and delay marriage and child-rearing get a much better start in life than those who leave the nest too early, settling for low-paying jobs and having children too soon.

In fact, unequal access to the resources that make this slower transition possible – including financial assistance, educational guidance, and social support networks – is deepening a class divide that will affect everyone.

Settersten is professor of human development and family sciences at OSU, and a member of the MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood.

Reservations are required for the popular Science Pub lectures.  Science Pubs take place from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Doors open at 5:00 p.m.  Networking and food and beverage service begin at 5:30 p.m, and the presentation begins at 6:00 p.m.  Science Pubs are sponsored by OSU-Cascades and are free and open to community members, and limited to 100 guests.  Participants must RSVP at info@osucascades.edu or 541-322-3100.  For information call 541-322-3100.