Sex in the stacks

Bizzell Memorial Library has long been rumored to host more than just study sessions, and now some students and visitors are using the anonymity of the Internet to take advantage of the seclusion of the stacks.

The library’s twists and turns have made it one of the preferred campus rendezvous points for men seeking casual sex.

Frequent posts on the classifieds Web site Craigslist.org, have been asking for participants to satisfy their after-school sexual desires on campus.

However, students who choose to meet for sex in Bizzell or the Huston Huffman Center, the other popular Craigslist meeting point, take on a long list of risks including sexually transmitted diseases and legal trouble.

In the past month, 20 ads for sex on campus have appeared in Craigslist’s Oklahoma City personals section.

Authors of the posts range in advertised age from 19 to 33, and give detailed descriptions of what kind of extracurricular activities they hope to participate in.

One post stated the author had endured a long day and was looking for another man to help him “get off.” He said he would be on Deck 5 or 6 in the library.

“Just got bored studyin’ in the stacks,” another post said. “Come find me. You unzip. I’ll take care of you. You pull your pants back up and then you just leave.”

Posters have also sought anonymous partners in the Huston Huffman Center. On Feb. 20, one man said he was looking for sex in the men’s locker room, gave a detailed description of himself and described the “hot bods” he wanted to approach him.

When a Daily reporter posted similar advertisements for sex in Bizzell and the Huff, seven men responded to the post for sex in Bizzell, and six responded to the Huff post, all within about two hours.

Five men responded with photos of their faces, two responded with fully nude photos of themselves and two gave their phone numbers.

One responder was willing to travel from Western Oklahoma State College in Altus and another offered to meet for sex in Oklahoma City.

Risks

The convenience of personal advertisement Web sites may sound attractive to students looking for sexual satisfaction, but meeting anonymously for sex has its dangers.

The risks of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from an anonymous sexual encounter is moderate for an initial act, said Eric Campbell, a physician’s assistant at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, but the chance of contracting a disease dramatically increases when one has frequent unprotected encounters.

According to Craigslist policy, users assume all risks, physical and legal, that arise from their meetings.

One poster, who identified himself as Jared in an e-mail, said sexual health is a concern for him, but he takes precautionary measures.

“I use protection where appropriate,” he said. “I’m fully aware of the risks I take and get tested regularly, which is more than I can say for most ‘straight’ guys.”

Jared compared asking for sex on Craigslist to meeting someone at a bar and said using the Web site is a good method for those looking for short-term pleasure.

“Why does a frat guy go to a bar and hit on girls? Craigslist takes less work to get the same end result,” Jared said in an e-mail.

However, it’s a method that could cost its practitioners time and money.

Students caught having sex on campus are prosecuted by the Cleveland County district attorney’s office.

David Brockman, assistant district attorney, said charges for sex in public can be classified as misdemeanors or felonies, and penalties can range from a $500 fine to a year in prison.

“It depends on exactly what you are caught doing,” he said.

A conviction for having sex in public could also place the offender on the National Sex Offender Registry.

A spot on the registry can earn one a spot on the unemployment list as well.

“If you are convicted of a sexual offense, you can still find a job, but your possibilities can be limited based on your field and the state you are located in,” said Bette Scott, director of OU Career Services.

If hired, a sex offender might have limited contact with the public, at the discretion of the employer, she said.

Sex offenders can also be denied volunteer positions.

Reactions

Students who use the Huff and Bizzell for their intended purposes aren’t very keen on the idea of others using the buildings for sex.

Chrissie Johnson, advertising senior, works in Bizzell and said she had heard rumors of people having sex in the stacks, but didn’t know of any actual cases.

She understands why students might take to the building though.

“I guess the fact that the library is a large, historical place could entice students to take the risk,” Johnson said.

Students in the Huff were less understanding.

“That sucks,” said Chris Yates, a music graduate student working out at the Huff, about the idea of using the locker room for sex. “I don’t want to walk in on a bunch of guys doing it.”

Bobbi Day, management information systems junior, said the Huff should be solely used for traditional exercise, not on-campus sex.

“I thought that’s what the library was for,” she said.

Campus sex and Craigslist

By the numbers:

4: Number of minutes it took for a fake Craigslist post seeking sex on campus by The Daily to receive a response.

6: Number of responses to the fake post for sex in the Huston Huffman Center.

7: Number of responses to the fake post for sex in the Bizzell Memorial
Library

20: Number of postings for sex on campus since Jan. 25

113: Number of miles from Altus to Norman, the distance one responder was willing to drive for sex in the Huff.

Ricky Maranon

Ricky is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Staff Writer and Assignment Editor.