In 1987 the St. Olaf campus was crazy over condoms, and this week The Bathtub was as well! Caroline Geer filled in for Stacie this episode and had a great time diving into the Mess archives. What articles did we explore?
“Boys play at love to get sex. while girls play at sex to get love.”
“Abortion could be made easily and cheaply available and safer than childbirth or a tonsillectomy. But now illegal abortions take the lives of many hundreds of women in America every year.”
Estimated 80-100 women every year had an abortion
"I am a typical Ole with a typical Ole reputation to keep up," one woman wrote. "We [she and her female lover] are still hoping it's a passing phase of 'adolescence.' I laugh when I say that because it sounds so stupid—but I can also cry when I think about it. I don't want to be gay. . ."
“So many sexual stereotypes exist on campus. For instance, we hear endless complaints about the lack of dating, jokes about the frigidity of Olaf women, and rumors of the "abnormally" high percentage of virgins. Remarks about homosexuality and bisexuality are usually confined to smart comments about "queers" and "fags"—supposedly, there are not many of "those people" on campus.”
“The Student Education and Referral Service (SERS) was begun this fall as a means of educating students about birth control and venereal disease. In addition, SERS gives referrals to students desiring counseling and medical services, particularly in the areas of pregnancy, abortion, venereal disease, homosexuality, and assault. SERS operates a 24-hour-daily helpline for St. Olaf students at x3388. The phone service is run by the women of Boe House and coordinated by students Diana Odland and Barbara Lunde.”
“Despite the availability of contraceptives, there are twenty to 30 preganancies each year on the two campuses. This figure includes only those which come to the attention of the Health Service through pregnancy tests, physical examinations, or postabortion exams; it does not, however, include the significant number of rumored pregnancies."
“A total of twenty students (five men, fourteen women, and one student whose gender was not specified) know students who have been assaulted or raped. This figure represents 20.8 percent - of the total respondents.”
Basically a lot of students at the U (where they did have free condoms) treated it as a joke but admin was like “hey dude you can get aids please be aware of that and use condoms” so they considered it successful in being heard- gave away 4000 condoms
“Carol Johnson, vice president and dean of students, distributing condoms "endorses and encourages casual sex. It is inappropriate for St. Olaf to be endorsing this." She added that "observing National Condom Week is not the most appropriate way to deal with this issue.”
“The contraceptive issue is no longer (and perhaps never was) a topic simply involving St. Olaf students' moral character or the college's public image. It has become a matter of life and death.”
“Returning to the Fram-Frames scenario in the year 2000, one cannot help but wonder whether the students, instead of laughing, will remember friends and loved ones who died because they were uninformed about the dangers and methods of preventing AIDS.”
"Selling condoms to unmarried people is against Christian teaching. Their use is obvious," Bruss said. Bruss pointed out that lack of birth control is not the cause of sexual diseases or unwanted pregnancy. "People are not abstaining," he said.
CONTRACEPTION IS NOT A MORAL ISSUE March 1987
“The decision to use birth control is not a moral issue—the decision to have sex is a moral choice which must be made by individuals, but the decision to use birth control is a practical and responsible one that must be made as a result of the choice to have sex.” - Doug Carlson
“I find it unthinkable that the Administration is willing to continue to sacrifice the physical and psychological health and well-being of the student body in the interest of presenting a good image to alumni and prospectives.” - Matt Bailey
ALUMNI ALARMED AT CONDOM POLICY March 1987
“We are embarrassed to admit that our alma mater is the same institution which is unwilling to face the challenges of its students in the 1980s. … That the College is not taking steps to reduce the incidence of abortion or infection by sexually transmitted diseases indicates a lack of wisdom and foresight. We strongly recommend that the College change its policy and make contraceptives available to students on campus in a proper place: namely, the bookstore pharmacy section or the health service station in Boe House.” - Terry Johnson '83, Judith L. Cole '83, Alan Shepard '83, David Williams '83
REFRAIN FROM IMMORAL SEX March 1987
“We believe birth-control of any sort at St. Olaf is an evil with which the administration ought to reckon by creating a policy against all birth-control. … Providing any form of birth-control makes it easier for St. Olaf students to engage in sexual sin. Furthermore, as stated earlier, no form of birth- control, abstention aside, is fully effective in the prevention of AIDS. The condom may be the best artificial means of preventing AIDS. But when dealing with a fatal disease, any chance of contracting it is too great. St. Olaf, as a college of the Church, instead of teaching that sex is all right with "proper" artificial means of prevention, should teach that the surest bet is abstention.”
CONDOM DELIVERY FINDS DEMAND ON CAMPUS April 1987
“Little Shop of Condoms”
""Everyone was really sincere, and a lot of people have thanked us for what we are doing." The delivery service was initially set up to promote administration awareness about the need for condoms on campus, as well as a service for students, but CCC members are finding a true demand for their products."
""My objection to the brochure is that it doesn't go into enough detail about what sexual practices carry low risk, what practices carry high risk, and how you can modify your sexual practices to protect yourself," Garnett said."
OLAF'S GOOD IMAGE GONE BAD Oct 1988
“It is said that the "good" image which strengthens Saint Olaf by attracting alumni dollars and students also weakens the campus. It weakens our school by breeding an attitude that somehow we're exempt, here on the hill, from the ills which plague those below us. And when those ills are ignored for the sake of a "good" image, we define ourselves as hypocrites.”
“In contrast to other colleges, our rules and regulations assume a higher moral responsibility. But let's face the truth. The members of our campus are no more Christian or moral than any other campus'.“
ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSE Feb 1989
“The College does not regulate student sexual activities. The College does believe that sex is a gift from God intended to be part of a mutual relationship of faithfulness and commitment. While we are certainly aware that some St. Olaf students are sexually active, it is also important to acknowledge that there are many students on our campus who have chosen to abstain from such activity.”
“The more certain way to avoid contracting sexual diseases is to refrain from promiscuity and to confine any sexual activity to a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship such as our society recognizes in marriage.”
ADDITIONAL READING
GEORGE SPEAKS ON BIRTH CONTROL March 1987
AIDS SEX AND THE ST. OLAF STUDENT April 1987
CCC OPENS NEW CAMPUS CONDOM DELIVERY SERVICE April 1987
TWO STUDENTS SELL CONDOMS TO PEERS FROM DORM ROOM November 1987
STUDENT SENATE'S CONDOM PROPOSAL Feb 1989
CONDOM CONQUEST May 1989
CONDOM DEMONSTRATION EXCITES CAMPUS Oct 1990
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