
College students are having sex in dorm rooms, libraries, trucks, showers, hotel rooms and at parties on any given day, according to Playboy magazine.
In April, Playboy conducted a college sex survey that took a close look at the sex lives of students at a dozen colleges, including SF State.
Psychology Professor Norma McCoy was asked by her friend Marty Klein, a sex therapist who wrote the article in Playboy, to administer a 152-item survey and 10 essay questions to her class. Students were asked to complete the survey on a volunteer basis and on their own time.
"We wanted to get beyond multiple-choice answers and dry statistics to hear students describe sex in their own words," according to "Playboy's College Sex Survey," by Marty Klein and James R. Petersen.
According to the survey, most students are having longer and more sexually creative relationships with a regular partner. The poll shows that nine out of 10 students are sexually active.
The number of sexually active college students disclosed by the poll is much higher than the Kinsey Institute's 1991 figures of 80 percent for men and 73 percent for women.
"We must be doing something right here at San Francisco State," McCoy said.
Peter Jackson, a music major, said most people are becoming more aware of the dangers that sex can cause.
"I'm as cautious as I was during my first time because of friends who died from AIDS," Jackson said.
The survey asked students if they had engaged in sexual intercourse with someone other than their steady partner. Forty three percent of the men compared with 29 percent of the women surveyed had strayed from a monogamous relationship.
Lisa McKenna, a nutrition major, said that she believes a large percent of men do stray.
"The penis has a mind of its own," McKenna said.
College offers students increased freedom, which may lead to an increase in the level of sexual activity.
According to the poll most students have a place of their own, be it a dorm room (38 percent of the men, 32 percent of the women) or off-campus housing (48 percent of men, 55 percent of women). But privacy is not always guaranteed.
The survey asked students, "Have you ever had someone walk in on you while you were having intercourse?" Their answers revealed that 63 percent of the men and 37 percent of the women had been caught in the act.
Vasco Morelli, a graphic design major, was caught having sex in his family room by his friends and his brother.
"I looked up and my friends ran out, but my brother and his friend snuck back and watched from under a table," Morelli said. "I didn't know until four hours later."
Three out of four students discuss sexual fantasies like spanking, tying up someone or acting out erotic scenes.
Michael Calica, a business administration major, has acted out a burglary scene with his partner. He pretended to be the aggressive burglar while his girlfriend was the passive one who "asked for it."
"I think it is important to discuss fantasies with your partner to understand the person's needs and fulfill their desires," Calica said.
A 21-year-old female SF State student discussed her sexual fantasy in Playboy.
"I'd like to strap on a dildo and penetrate a man just to see what it's like to be inside someone," she said.
The survey also revealed an overwhelming majority (95 percent to 98 percent) of the students surveyed had tried oral sex. Many of the women said it was the only way they reached orgasm.
Playboy asked a simple question: Is oral sex "real" sex?
Fifty two percent of the guys and 46 percent of the women said "yes." According to Playboy, one "virgin" at SF State had had oral sex with 10 partners.
"Oral sex is a form of sex," Christy Dietrich, an anthropology major, said. "Unless she considers herself a vaginal virgin."
Playboy's "College Sex Survey" is included in its October issue.
[ Golden Gater Online September 5, 1996 ]
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