Ivy Leaguers Rebuff Sex With Abstinence Societies
By Amanda Mayo Forget traditional Greek life and sports clubs. A new movement has emerged among a few college campuses across the nation: students choosing to forgo sex. Clubs touting abstinence are rare, but in the last year and a half, they have received considerable media attention describing both their platform and function. The Anscombe societies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University are very similar in structure and in number. Kevin Joyce, a founder of the Princeton group, said the society started about two to three years ago. Now a junior in college, Joyce described the beginnings of the group and said there was initially a fair amount of hostility toward the idea from students. Not many thought an abstinence club would be successful in today's society, he said. The society at Princeton is one of two established Anscombe societies. It was named after 20th century philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe and bases a large number of its ideas and activities on philosophical discussion. Joyce said the only way to have credibility with a student group is to start off with an intellectual base. “We’re looking for a thoughtful approach,” Joyce said. The group seeks to provide rational reasons for maintaining an abstinent lifestyle in the stereotypical rowdy college atmosphere. Joyce added the group isn’t based on religion and added that members reach out to a diverse number of people from different backgrounds. The group is in no way affiliated with the Anscombe society at MIT, he said. Joyce said that Princeton’s Anscombe society’s primary goal is supporting students who choose an abstinent lifestyle throughout college. “The funny thing is,” Joyce said, “it’s not something you’d think would gather a lot of steam.” He said the group largely branched out in 2007 and people have commented about how refreshing the movement is. Since its creation, the group has focused on inviting speakers to talk about family values, marriage, sexuality, and culture. Speakers have included sociologists, doctors and philosophers. The group's first attempt at branching out was in Feb., when so-called “experts” of the abstinent lifestyle came to speak at the Intercollegiate Conference of the Anscombe Society. Visiting students from schools like Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania asked questions about creating similar groups. It is not known if similar groups have emerged at these universities. “I think in a lot of ways it’s been kind of a liberating message for a lot of college students,” Joyce said. He spoke of the “original” attitude toward relationships, and how a casual approach is sometimes almost anonymous. He said that using people in quick encounters doesn’t form a deep connection - it is just utilization as opposed to loving another person. He said that while student health services provides condoms and safety tips on staying safe while engaging in sex, there were no groups used as a means of support for students who maintained an abstinent lifestyle. Right now, Princeton’s Anscombe society continues to branch out. They hold bi-weekly seminars called Relationships 101. The seminars are discussion groups for students to participate in and readings are sent out prior to the meeting. These methods are for those who prefer a less academic approach, as opposed to philosophical speeches. The society is currently working on more outreach opportunities and Joyce said they have been contacted by local middle schools and high schools about giving speeches and presentations. “We’re really looking at expanding,” Joyce said. At MIT, Bill Jacobs holds the position of president and co-founder. He’s a 21-year-old computer science major who said the group has been running for about a year and a half. “The idea definitely came from the Princeton group,” Jacobs said. Like the society at Princeton, MIT’s Anscombe society holds group discussions and meetings. They also set up a table in a main corridor to pass out magazines and chastity pledges, and they have social events like game nights. The group advertises itself by setting up tables at activity fairs for incoming and prospective students. Although Joyce said the group is not particularly big, they have a following on the social networking site Facebook. He said there are 60 students in the Facebook group, 30 people on their mailing list, and usually about 10 students who show up to official group meetings. The group, like Princeton's, is not religiously affiliated. “The thing with MIT is people tend to be really busy so they don’t divert to student groups,” Jacobs said. About the abstinence society movement as a whole, Joyce said he was unaware of any national network. “As far as I know, it’s kind of been haphazard,” he said. Jacobs says there were some administrative issues with getting officially recognized, but the group currently receives some funding from the university. At Arizona State University in Tempe, Andrea Summers, a 20-year-old philosophy major, founded New Sexual Revolution with a friend. The Anscombe-like group began in fall 2006 and was founded on the belief that current attitudes toward sex and marriage could be detrimental to future families. Summers said that co-habitation is unhealthy before marriage, and that men and women have different standards of sex and love. To get the word out to other ASU students, New Sexual Revolution invites speakers to campus. Tables are also set up at “Sexual House Fairs” in the dormitories. Women’s groups, campus health groups, and AIDS and STD awareness groups occupy other tables. New Sexual Revolution received funding for the first time earlier this fall. Summers said the group consists of about 10-15 active members, half of whom are men. She said that reporters have contacted the group on a few occasions, and weekly meetings are held to talk about different issues and educate members. One college abstinence society that received considerable publicity this year was Harvard University’s True Love Revolution, founded by Sarah Kinsella and Justin Murray. Current president Leo Keliher said that the societies at MIT and Princeton existed well before True Love Revolution started up. He added that the Anscombe societies are based mainly on philosophical discussion, while True Love Revolution uses a different approach: not taking themselves too seriously. “We actually started with the Facebook group,” Keliher said. To gain publicity on campus, the group passed out fliers during freshman orientation and made cards on valentine’s day last year. They are now an official club that receives campus funding. Keliher said that as far as he knows, there are no chapters on other campuses for this kind of society. There is, however, a global Facebook group for True Love Revolution that anyone can join. “We’re still defining exactly what our responsibilities are,” Keliher said. The club likes to focus on committing to a few events and doing them well, like having abstinence speakers on discussion night. “[The club's] primary goal is not philosophical debate,” he said. So far, no similar organizations have emerged at Stony Brook University. While there are no national chapters, and there is no real central force behind them, societies supporting abstinent lifestyles appear to be forming most quickly in Ivy League schools and state universities. “We are able to provide that other voice on campus that otherwise would not be there,” Summers said. |
