No doubt college students have sex, though probably never as much as they would prefer, but this will likely get some parents—especially parents of students at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota—to think seriously about the “home colleging” option for their kids. Freshmen orientation included sexual skits preformed on stage by underclassmen attired in lion costumes. (Who knows why they picked on lions.) “Condom man” shows up with a pithy remark about safe sex, and then . . . oh, heck, click the link yourself for what an on-campus protest group called sexual indoctrination.
There were also helpful hints about how to alert a roommate to stay away while engaged in sex and another on how to tell your roommate you are gay. Since Gustavus Adolphus is a Lutheran college (ELCA), far from the founding roots of the Swedish immigrants who established the school, coming out gay to a roommate may be less stressful than coming out as an active Christian.
October 8th, 2010 | 12:59 pm
I think you meant ‘costumes’, not ‘customs’.
They should just get rid of all this Victorian prudery and just have live sex on stage, amirite?
That would be really progressive.
Yikes.
October 8th, 2010 | 1:10 pm
Just watched the videos. Every parent thinking of sending their kid to college should watch them. I’m totally shocked. I feel so sorry for the normal, Christian kids there. Other kids around them are laughing at sex toys, masturbation, fake orgasm moans, etc., and they feel pressure to laugh along, though deep down I’m sure they know that something is totally wrong. That is indoctrination. And then in the second video, saying that lesbian love is wonderful, discussing pansexualism, and saying all expressions of sexuality are great. God help those freshmen.
October 8th, 2010 | 1:26 pm
“Lion customs” makes some sense, at least for the sexual revolution’s devoted males, who would like to live like lions, who spend their lives sleeping, eating, and mating, and fighting with younger males for control of the pride. Anyway, the typo is fixed.
October 8th, 2010 | 1:29 pm
Glad for the fix. The only real reason for editors is to make the writer look good; I can’t think of any higher purpose.
October 8th, 2010 | 2:24 pm
People are shocked by this sort of thing. I’m always surprised by that. Haven’t they been paying attention? This is awful news, but hardly fresh.
October 8th, 2010 | 8:40 pm
Lars Walker: More likely, I think they just don’t believe those who tell them about such things. By time the unbelievable invades their own little world, it’s too late.
October 8th, 2010 | 8:54 pm
Or they believe it, but they think it couldn’t really be happening in more than one or two places (out of the 4000+ colleges in the country!) and will soon be discontinued. After all, I’ve been told, “these problems have a way of working themselves out”.
October 9th, 2010 | 1:39 am
I went to a rather anti-Christian liberal arts school in the midwest, about the same size as Gustavus. They had indoctrination stuff, but I do not recall being this forceful, and one reason was perhaps a strong feminist presence on campus, which in a non-healthy method, demanded respect for women. Some Christian campuses are trying so hard to remove the “stuffiness” portion of their faith, so that they go overboard in the indoctrination, more so than a secular campus that has been teaching how to put condoms on a banana for years (it’s old hat, so to speak), and realizes that date rape ummmm. . . might be happening because of the chasing of all the Charlotte Simmon’s on campus.
Some years ago it was the dorm sexiler that was at fault in the dorm culture, now it is the sexiled that are indoctrinated to respect and tolerate the tryst going on. Why the flip-flop?
October 9th, 2010 | 10:20 am
Looks smart to me. Kids are subjected to lots of new experiences in a very short time. Skits like these are done at almost every college/university in the nation. It’s intended to shock them and make them think. Without such programs, our children would be woefully unprepared for situations that can and do arise in a dorm situation. I wish people would realize that the “good” kids will find this more disturbing than anything. Trust your young adults to make the right choices, if you did your job, chances are they’ll make all the right decisions.
October 9th, 2010 | 11:53 am
The lion costumes are because the lion is the school mascot (called a “Gustie,” but since that’s not a real thing, you get a lion costume; ditto the “Ole” at St. Olaf, another lion). So the lion is merely a symbol of school spirit. None of the rest of your post is worth commenting on.
October 10th, 2010 | 8:20 am
Thank you Marv and AT for your sensible comments. I agree wholeheartedly.
October 10th, 2010 | 2:36 pm
Thank you Mary for your post! I am disturbed that so many do not notice the benefit of these presentations. Gustavus is a religiously affiliated college but it does not pressure students to follow “traditional” Christian values. The videos are intended to poke fun at common college situations as well as inform new freshmen of serious dangers. Drinking, frat parties, and sex WILL happen at colleges regardless of the affiliation. I was better off being warned, educated, and prepared.
Gustavus and the town of St. Peter is an area full of love, service, and acceptance of all people, period. To me, those are true “Christian” values.
October 10th, 2010 | 7:59 pm
I think it is FANTASTIC that skits, programs, and orientations like this are provided for the young students who are, undoubtedly, going to have to face one or all of these situations throughout their time in college. The only sad thing about these videos is that 50 minute orientation programs are cut down, edited, and manipulated into a 5 minute video to make the viewers believe the entire show is about sex and sexuality. The reality is that there are dozens more skits about such things as laundry etiquette, not walking alone at night, where to study in the library, how to manage stress, healthy eating habits, and many other college-related tips and hints. I sure wish the whole story were presented in these videos…
October 10th, 2010 | 10:17 pm
As a virgin, heterosexual, Lutheran young woman currently attending Gustavus Adolphus, I found these skits fantastic and very insightful. While many of the situations do not pertain to me personally, I know many friends and students who could relate to the skits shown and we need to be realistic about our current society. While many of these situations may go against the word of the Bible, we must nevertheless respect their feelings and lifestyle. I also agree with Gustie, who noted how sad it is that a majority of the skits NOT pertaining to sexuality were not shown. In general I just feel the individuals bashing this method of orientation need to grow up and keep their issues to themselves.
October 11th, 2010 | 9:30 am
“While many of these situations may go against the word of the Bible, we must nevertheless respect their feelings and lifestyle.”
Well, I guess that says it all. Last one out of Western civilization, please turn out the lights.
October 11th, 2010 | 11:29 am
Is “lion” a typo? I think it should be “loin”.
October 11th, 2010 | 7:47 pm
@Sophie Donnelly, October 10th, 2010 | 10:17 pm: While many of these situations may go against the word of the Bible, we must nevertheless respect their feelings and lifestyle.
Why?
October 13th, 2010 | 9:05 pm
I am a Gustavus alum and could not be prouder of my alma mater. It sickens me that the individual who released these videos has brought such negative attention upon this incredible institution. I transferred to GAC my freshman year and did not experience orientation there. I did, however, attend orientation at my original institution. It in no way prepared me for the realities of college life. My discussion with fellow gusties proves these events were worth attendance and Gustavus’ orientation prepared them for college.
These skits are in no way attempted to indoctrinate freshman. That sense comes from the individual who infiltrated freshman orientation, took video, and edited them to support his claims. Yes, they joke about sex. Yes, there are atheists at Gustauvs. Yes, there is a strong GLBT community. That doesn’t mean that Gustavus aims to indoctrinate freshman by exposing them to these groups. And those who do not go to Gustavus must keep in mind that these are the only things this individual wanted to show about GAC.
I entered Gustavus as an individual that did not grow up attending church and I left a strong Christian. I learned to respect and accept everyone, whether I agree with their life choices or not. The idea that one of my fellow gusties wants to undermine our experiences in such a way is shameful.
If a parent refuses to allow their child to attend Gustavus after seeing these videos, well that’s there choice. But parents need to realize that your children are adults now and can make their own decisions and form their own beliefs.
Gustavus is a religious institution. It allows their students the opportunity to be exposed to the world in which we live while providing opportunities to further their faith. If you do not want to be exposed to diversity, there are other Christian Liberal Arts colleges in Minnesota you can attend.
I wouldn’t trade my time at Gustavus for anything. To have individuals with no affiliation to GAC bashing it is horrendous. I respect that you all have a right to your own opinions but I urge you to take the time to learn about our institution. Though no one but a gustie can understand or appreciate the experience. I only wish that I had had the opportunity to attend this part of orientation.
October 13th, 2010 | 9:25 pm
This video has been completely edited to show the worst parts of the skits, and shows ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEXT as to how it relates to the college students of Gustavus. The person who posted these videos is a extreme conservative, who is against all things GLTB. Gustavus is a GLTB friendly institution. Get over it.
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