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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1999)
Aggielife tudents share insight about sexual activity on campus Page 3 • Friday, September 17, 1999 BY SUSAN OVERCASH The Battalion O ne fateful afternoon, John Phillips, a senior engineering major, decided to skip a class, and head back to his freshman dorm room. Little did he suspect the surprise and embarrassment waiting for him on the other side of the door. When Phillips opened the door, he found his room mate, alone, with his pants down, in an em barrassing position. Sex is everywhere. From TV ads to tradi tional pornography to the student sitting one row over in class, sex pervades Ameri can society. Sex also has invaded campus — in the dorms, on the Internet and even between the pathways and inside the build ings Aggies call home. Performing a sexual act on campus (yes, on campus) can be a risky proposition. In the residence halls, as Phillips discov ered, mutual respect and understanding be tween roommates is an essential issue. Dr. Margaret Griffith, health education coordi nator for the A.P. Beutel Health Center, said roommates need to sit down and talk about these boundaries. “Sex is a very private thing,” Griffith said. “It would almost be like having sex in front of your mother — your roommate is like your family. It could really damage your relationship.” Phillips said he caught his roommate on several other occasions. “1 came in late one Sunday,” Phillips said. “The lights were off, and I heard a racket. He was in bed with my Snap-On Tools Girls calendar — the noise was him trying to get rid of it.” Maria Tfevino, a senior marketing major and resident advisor for McFadden Hall said, students who are uncomfortable with their roommates after startling experiences have mediation options. She said the first step in resolving roommate problems is to sit down and talk about the issue. Because there are no rules regarding sex in the residence halls other than those re garding visitation hours, Tfevino said that, as a resident adviser, she approaches the is sue from a courtesy standpoint. “If you’re mature enough to have sex, be mature enough to have respect for it around your roommate,” Trevino said. “It’s an issue of respect; no one wants to wake up and see sex in the next bed.” Phillips said he was disgusted with his roommate but did not move out. “After I found him the first time, 1 walked out and told everyone I knew,” Phillips said. “I was pretty mean to the guy all year after that.” Tad Fielder, a senior petroleum engi neering major, said roommates should come to an understanding about sex in their dorm room. “I think that roommates should have some kind of system, like a rubber band on the door,” Fielder said. “But if you live on campus and you’re having sex, you should probably expect someone to walk in on you at some point.” Fielder also made a starling discovery about his room in Dunn Hall his sophomore year. Fielder said when he moved in, the words “Porn House” were written over the door in permanent marker. A student who had lived there the year before stopped by one day and explained the words’ meaning Fielder said. “Without getting too detailed, two years before, some guys lived there and had some girls over,” Fielder said. “They were watching movies and started playing ‘Tfuth or Dare.’ It ended in a big orgy, and the R.A. found out and wrote those words over the door.” Fielder said after discovering the mean ing of the words on the door, he was leery of the room’s furnishings. “I was scared of the mattresses after that,” Fielder said. “I had two egg crates and a blanket on my bed, but I was still like, ‘Oh my God!”’ In residence halls, virtual sex also has reared its head. Todd Roland, a junior en gineering technology major, said ResNet, the network linking all residence-hall com puters connected to Ethernet, contains stu dent-posted pornography in shared folders. “It’s a matter of right-clicking and saying ‘Share,’” Roland said. “There was a guy last semester that had a gig of porn on there, both pictures and videos. You can find anything and everything you could possibly see Sex on Page 4. cHF Fine Cuisine at Your Doorstep The only multi-restaurant delivery service in town • Cenare • Alicia’s • Oxford Street • Cafe Eccell Quizno’s Subs • Square One • Brazos Blue Ribbon Bakery & Restaurant • Mr Q’s Pizzeria • Ninfa’s • Epicures • Saigon • Country Club Deli • Kentucky Fried Chicken qtve us A call/ 268-0354 n First Bap 1st Church BRYAN 11 TEXAS tcliison, Kerri WJ ;ody Wages 1 And they're singing and dancing! Who knew? The saber wielding and vibrantly costumed Don Cossacks of Rostov lead off the MSC OPAS 1999-2000 season with an electrifying performance filled with strong voices and fiery dance! J)on Need a Lift? Free Rides - 9:00 a.m. at Fish Pond, Quad, Commons FBC Bryan dent Publications 1313: Fa*: ! jcal, and oationa office Itours* i Battalion. M* 1 !! he swum#' j Monday tlM#^ allege Stat® | K77# 11 of Rostov Thursday, September 30 @ 7:30 PM Rudder Auditorium Season Media Partners: ytiiMv k^9sj For tickets, order on-line at opas.tamu.edu. Or, call 845-1234. This Sunday: Welcome Back” Brunch —Free sponsored by compass college ministries Nl University Dr. •- www.fbcb.org 779-2434
