sorority women neither virginal nor promiscuous
by anne carothers
Oex and the sorority girl. Helen Gurley
Brown never touched the subject.
The movie Animal House caricatured
sorority girls of the 1960s with Babs and
Mandy. All dressed up in prim and pretty
pink; they were a little niave but none the
less willing to massage their boyfriend's
ego or any other part to win him over.
Sara Davidson in her book Loose
Change, detailed experiences of three not-so-typical
sorority girls caught up in the
changes of the late 60s.
But all that was a decade and a sexual
revolution ago. Where does that leave the
sorority woman of the 70s?
Today sexual attitudes for sorority
women mean different things to different
people. For some, mostly parents, these
ivy-covered brick walls mean protection
for their virginal young daughters.
Others describe sororities as social in
stitutions for cosmopolitan, promiscuous
college women.
However, a survey of UNL sorority
members shows that although the Greek
woman may not be a virginal, she rarely
is cosmopolitan.
A questionnaire answered by 30 soror
ity members shows that 14 woman or 47
percent have had sexual intercourse. Forty
percent of these woman now are sexually
active.
Those that indicated they had not had
intercourse cited religion and personal pre
ference as reasons for abstinance.
"I'm against premarital sex because of
my religion and my family upbringing,"
said one girl in a later interview.
"Unless it's between two people with a
serious commitment toward each other, it's
wrong," she said.
Clccording to the survey, those that are
sexually active had their first sexual exper
ience at age 19 or 20. Most have sexual
intercourse from once to several times a
week.
None of the women exmployed a
double standard for premarital sex. Nearly
97 percent said if premarital sex is per
missible for men, it also is okay for wo
men. However, the survey indicated that the
women overwhelmingly, 27 to three dis
approved of sex between two people not in
love with each other. Casual one-night
affairs definitely were not approved of.
According to the survey, a majority of
the sexually active women indicated that
they have had sex with only one person.
None indicated more than five previous sex
partners.
"Sex is okay if you're in love, I mean
really in love with someone," said one wo
man. On the questionnaire, although 30 per
cent of the women said they would be un
concerned if their fiance had intercourse
with someone else previously, 50 percent
said they would be bothered by it. And 10
percent said they would be concerned
enough to prevent marriage.
Basically, the rule of thumb for accept
able sexual behavior is discretion, the
standards (morals) chairman for one house
said.
"When it (sexual behavior) becomes so
indiscreet that it becomes tasteless and
creates a bad reflection on the house
(sorority) the house objects," said one
sophomore sorority member.
m,
ost houses have a written code of
ethics. One such code reads "mature judge
ment and good tastes should be reflected in
every action and members are expected to
maintain Christian moral standards."
Premarital sex is forbidden in some
sorority rules, the chairman said.
"I don't think the (written) moral code
will ever change although I think we do all
we can to bend it," she explained.
But one sorority member said such an
antiquated moral code bothers her.
"If you're going to set guidelines for be
havior, they should be realistic ones. I
think it's wrong when you go by rules that
are 10 years out of date," said the junior
sorority member.
"Anyway, I don't think there is a
"moral code." We live by our own moral
codes," she said. "I mean, what is moral
ity? It's too subjective."
Continued on page 8.
If
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Photo by Ted Kirk
fraternity men pressured to be sexually active
by john minnick
1 verheard at the breakfast table:
"Hey, who'd you go out with last
night?"
"I picked up this gorgeous babe-blonde
hair-you know that Sandy whats-her-name
from Broken Bow."
"You mean that beautiful pledge we
met the other night at Wendy's?"
"Heah, that's the one-you know with
the big. . . ."
"And those long, long legs-she's really
cute."
"Well, we came back to my room and I
turned on KFMQ, and she was so hot, I
mean, she practically. .
"Go on, go on. . ."
Other nearby diners stopped discussing
the point spread on the Maryland game to
listen,
"Well, she was so hot, so I turned down
the lights, put on my Chuck Mangione al
bum and we started to make-out. Well,
pretty soon her hands were all over my
body, and you know, one thing led to
another. . ."
At another table, another diner mutters
to one of hi? fraternity brothers
"Listen, that is pui bull. That Sandy
won't have anything to do with him. I
know for a fact he watched television,
went to get some tacos and then went to
bed last night. He didn't get down with any
hot chick."
Sexual escapades, whether they be
true of false, are commonly discussed in
fraternities, according to several members.
Barry, a 20-year-old junior, said most
men lie about their sexual experiences to
their fraternity brothers because qf peer
pressure.
"All guys ask another guy if he had sex
with the girl he went out with," Barry said.
"Most of it is lies. They have some male
ego they must fulfill. If they lie it makes
them look better to their friends."
Whether they have a "good" reputation
or not, girls get little respect in his fra
ternity, Barry added.
"Most guys say the rudest things they
can think of about girlfriends, guys' mo
thers, or even our housemother. It gets
really old, but everyone sfe'Sys blighs 2t
the jokes."
Craig, a 21 -year-old senior, said there is
"an immense exaggeration" of sexual ex
periences in his fraternity.
"People who exaggerate their sex lives
lead pretty dull lives," he said. "All guys
talk about it, but almost everyone tells
lies"
But one member disagreed.
Alan, an 18-year-old freshman, said he
does not like io talk about sex with his
fraternity brothers.
"1 like to keep it pretty low key," he
said. "I don't mention what I do too often.
It really kind of bothers me to talk about
it or lie about it."
Alan said that since he has come to
UNL, he feels that his sexual activity has
increased, but his attitudes toward sex have
not. He said he first had intercourse when
he was 16, and although he is a Catholic,
practicing pre-marital sex does not bother
him.
He also said he feels some peer pressure
to have sex from his fraternity brothers.
Craig agreed. Craig said the lack of pri
vacy in a fraternity prohibits a lot of sexual
activity, but he feels that because of peer
pressure and social contacts in a fraternity,
there is a great deal of pressure for fra
ternity men to have sex.
Craig is also Catholic and said his re
HgjOP. do?? not inhibit his sexual experi
ence. Craig said he first had intercourse
when he was 1 3, and was sexually active in
high school, but has changed his attitude in
college.
"In high school I was really preoccupied
with sex," Craig explained. "But now I'm
more occupied with school and other acti
vities so that sex is not as important to me
any more."
Craig said that after college he supposes
sex will become a more important part of
his life. He could have sex with someone
he did not iove or care anything about, he
added.
"The partner knows you don't give a
damn about her, and that you just want
some sort of sexual pleasure, so it really
doesn't matter," Craig said.
Barry also said he could have sex with
someone he did not love.
"The way I see it," he said, "is that
there are two types of sex-there is having
intercourse just to have intercourse and
having intercourse because you are in
love."
)n the other side of the coin is Frank,
a 20-year-old sophomore who has remained
a virgin among a household of "sexual
athletes."
"I never let it bother me all that
much," Frank said. "I think most guys
know, but they never give me a hard time
about it."
Frank said inat ne trunks wclZ Z't fO'Jf
or five guys in his house who are virgins
but "lie through their teeth" about their
sexual experiences. He said he gets tired
of all the "bull" that guys talk about on
Saturday morning after their Friday night
dates.
"I used to listen to the stories, but I
kind of tune them out now," he said. "I
think most of the guys in the house know
that most of the stories are lies."
Frank said he has remained a virgin by
continued on page S
friday, november 10, 1978
fathom
page 7