Students of a Roman Catholic college in Minnesota in the US have been embroiled in a controversy after they were caught organising ‘sex competitions’ on the campuses. According to sources, a group of students from St. John’s University, an all-male university, launched a competition to see who could lure the maximum number of female students from their sister school, the College of St. Benedict, an all-female college, and have most sexual encounters with them. The competition was organised by students living in Saint Patrick Hall of St. John’s University.
On the condition of anonymity, two people familiar with the matter spoke to the student publication The Record. They confirmed that the students were running the competition through a group chat. It began with them sharing the names of all the Benedict girl students the boys were expected to seduce.
Male students of Minnesota college were assigned point values for different sex acts
Though the other rules of the competition remains a secret, reports have it that the male students were assigned point values for having sex with the maximum number of females and for different sex acts. It is, however, not known as to how many students have participated or exactly how it has evolved since the idea was conceptualised and implemented.
The incident drew widespread outrage when it was originally reported in September, prompting the universities to initiate an investigation.
The catholic college spokeswoman Katie Alvino could not disclose the nature of the allegations or whether they involved criminal acts or sexual assault due to the ongoing investigation in the case, but confirmed that the schools were taking the matter very seriously.
“We will not tolerate sexual misconduct in any form,” she told DailyMail. “We are utilizing trained, impartial, third-party investigators to determine the responsible parties. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which all members of the community respect the rights and human dignity of all”, added Alvino.
As per media reports, the St. John’s administration in Minnesota sent an email to students last week informing them of the investigation and inviting anyone with knowledge of the competition to contact them. To address the charges, the college also organised residence hall meetings for residents of the St. John’s dorm at the centre of the allegations to discuss the issue.
‘Harmful behaviour by male students has historically been swept under the rug’, female students demands action against the male students
Meanwhile, hundreds of students attended an outdoor demonstration and sit-in organized by the College of St. Benedict’s Institute for Women’s Leadership to protest against the alleged competition.
Emily Berg Paup, a communication and gender studies professor at the colleges, called the allegations “disturbing.” She attended the event and praised the students for uniting together to condemn the purported competition.
“It’s obviously indicative of … a broader cultural problem,” she said, adding: “This is an issue on college campuses all around the country, all around the world.”
Recollecting how the college, in the past, has overlooked such outrageous behaviour of male students, Olayinka Fadahunsi, a St. Benedict junior studying global business leadership, said she hopes the colleges will hold the St. John’s students accountable for their actions. Harmful behaviour by male students has historically been swept under the rug,” she said.