Sex Edition: How our expectations compare to those of students in 1975

… 1975

On Oct. 3, 1975, an article titled “Sex on Campus — Rumor versus Fact” appeared in The Pitt News. Reporter Harry Paras stood outside of Hillman Library to ask students about sex and distributed a paper survey. The following is an excerpt of this article.

The college campus at one time had the reputation of being a place where sex was wet and wild. Students, female as well as male, were supposedly uninhibited, lustful, experimentative and active in sexual matters.

Well, as far as Pitt today is concerned, that seemed a somewhat false picture. So, I decided to go to the students — armed with a survey sheet and a notebook — themselves. Some interesting results came up.

Before college, most students said they had the stereotyped image of the college sex scene. A male sophomore said, “I was hoping there would be so much of it at Pitt that I could burn myself out in the first two years and then be able to concentrate more on studying the last two.”

Most males interviewed had high hopes of finding it easily and getting it easily.

Although females thought college was much freer sexually, many admitted to never having thought about it much until after they went out with a few college fellows. One freshwoman said that just recently at a fraternity party, about half a dozen guys approached her, talked for a few minutes, and then asked her if she wanted to go upstairs.

After a few years here, attitudes change. Men and women agreed a lot of talking about sex goes on, but it doesn’t reflect how much is actually going on. Guys generally agreed most males are “big bullsh*tters’” when it comes to sexual exploits. However, there was agreement among those interviewed that if you really want it, you can find it at Pitt. Not as much goes on as is sometimes claimed, but it’s not true, either, that most are abstaining.

If presented with a willing female, most guys would have no qualms or moral constraints about having sex. A junior engineering student said, “If I’m attracted to her, and she’s attracted to me, then I’m ready for action.”

However, these same guys thought sex was much better in the context of some sort of relationship. This relationship did not necessarily have to be love, or one pointing towards marriage, but could be one of friendship.

But all males interviewed said sex and love were separable.

Most females, on the other hand, said they felt sex was right for them only in the context of a serious relationship. Some were quick to add that this didn’t necessarily mean marriage, or a relationship that would eventually be one of marriage. Living together was acceptable to them. However, just as many thought a serious relationship did mean marriage, and this was the only place for a full sexual relationship.

To the question of mutual attraction outside a relationship, a majority of women said even if they were sexually attracted to an unknown guy and he to them, it would not be all right to have sex.

… and 2013

If any story deserves a 38-year follow up, it’s this one. How has the campus sex scene changed since 1975? Is the undergraduate population uninhibited, lustful, experimentative and active in sexual matters, as Paras asked students 38 years ago? Standing outside of Hillman Library armed with questions based on this article, I sought to discover the truth. I posted an online version of the survey on the Pitt News website, as well.

Unlike students from 1975, who felt their pre-college stereotypes of the college sex scene turned out to be wrong, most today believe their pre-college perceptions have been correct. They generally agree that while it’s far “less raunchy than movies portray sex in college to be,” a good amount of sex happens on campus. Only two women, a sophomore and a junior, said there was a lot less than they expected.

However, when it comes to talking about sex, 82 percent of all respondents both online and in-person believe men exaggerate about their sex lives, although one senior man added they don’t exaggerate to good friends. There was far less consensus on women, however: About half of both men and women surveyed believe most women over-exaggerated about their sex lives.

Most people personally expressed that sex was better in the context of a relationship. Many shared the sentiment that an “emotional attraction makes it better” and that “it has more meaning” if there is a relationship. Yet a sizable minority thinks casual friendship is enough to constitute this emotional bond. One senior woman claimed to have “had some of [her] best sex with just a friend.” And about 15 percent think that consent is all that is necessary for great sex. Unlike the results from 1975, in this year’s responses, there was no noticeable difference between the sexes in their answers on this topic.

When people were asked if they would try to talk to a stranger they were sexually attracted to, most people said it would depend on the context, but that in most situations, they would not. Many expressed anxiety or low self-confidence as inhibitors. Others said they would only do so if they had been drinking. Still, a sizable portion of male respondents claimed to have luck with strangers: One junior claimed “usually they approach me first” and another freshman claimed he “spits a good game.”

So just as in 1975, people still have sex. Women have adopted many of the beliefs previously held primarily by men but still seem to be more timid about approaching strangers.

When asked to describe sex, there was a wide range of responses, ranging from scientific (“intercourse”) to light-hearted (“the greatest way to have fun for free”) to reflective (“Something I so desperately believe I require, until the rare moment in which I take part in it, in which case I am left unfulfilled”).

None of the 80 people involved, online or offline, mentioned the word “love.” Four, however, did call sex “intimate.” By far, the most popular description was “fun.”

Finally, the same day I was standing outside Hillman Library, a woman was passing out religious pamphlets nearby. In the spirit of investigative journalism, I decided to ask her what she thought about sex among college-aged people.

“I don’t think age has anything to do with it, but until you are married, you shouldn’t do it.”

Add another opinion to the mix.

One thing I noticed during in-person surveying was that far fewer men seemed interested in having this conversation than women. One particular man, when he heard I was asking about sex, simply said “Oh hell no” before storming off. My rejection rate was twice as high for guys; I have to wonder how well a female surveyor would have done.

But when engaged in these conversations, many men and women were very talkative and open. I actually think some of them liked talking about it. Not surprisingly, though, the online responses were significantly more frank, although I suspect a bit less truthful.

Survey results — then and now

In 1975, the majority of students believed the the sex scene at Pitt was “dull and non-existent.” Today, more than 80 percent call it average. However, a larger percentage of the students surveyed 38 years ago (30 percent) called it “kinky,”, “truly” exciting, or “A haven for your wildest fantasies” — today, only 15 percent feellt this was an apt description.

Men and women shared answered similarly to each other and to their 1975 counterparts when asked to describe the average male and female on campus, saying they are on average “nice enough to deserve a second look.” Slightly more students today, however, believed Pitt females to be “downright erotic.”

Exciting locations for sexual experiences

1975: the bathroom, the library, Atwood Street, kitchen floor, Trees Hall swimming pool, under the bed

2013 exciting locations: carousel in Schenley Park, locations within the Cathedral of Learning (11), Grand Canyon (2), alley beside Gene’s place, Banana Republic dressing room, Market Central, Panther Hollow Lake

Most interesting descriptions of sex

“rough and spontaneous”

“an intimate physical experience … and alcohol”

“Too small of a sample size to generalize. But, if done right, it can be very nice.”

“the temporary satisfaction of a perpetual urge”

“full of friction?”

“Something that should be enjoyed exclusively in the context of a healthy, monogamous relationship.”

“Either passionate hook-up sex, which is a ton of fun but meaningless, or an intimate encounter with a committed partner.”

“The same way I would describe the [Lord of the Rings] universe. I’ve never experienced it firsthand but I’d like to think I know a decent amount about it.”