Berkeley student's guide on how to have sex in campus library, classrooms sparks outrage
University of Berkeley student Nadia Cho’s detailed guide on how to have sexual encounters in the campus library and classrooms has drawn worldwide attention.
Cho, who is the sex columnist for the The Daily Californian, an independent, student-run newspaper, described in lurid detail her own sexual experiences among the stacks of books in the university’s flagship library.
Cho, a columnist at the Daily Cal, sparked controversy when she authored a detailed guide on how to have sexual encounters in public.
Cho then went on to encourage her peers to follow her lead.
”For those whose bucket lists include the item ‘have sex on campus,’ the inspirational message from my classy afternoon is: Just do it,” she advised.
Since the column ran on Dec. 3 it has drawn worldwide attention to the university with stories in the UK’s Daily Mail, The New York Daily News, and an outlet in Singapore.
Four days after the column was published, Cho posted another blog on the Huffington Post in which she accused East Coasters of being too prudish and suggested the outrage might have something to do with the fact that she is “a woman of color.”
“Al Qaeda has been taking over Mali this week, and people are concerned that I talked about a rendezvous in the library?” she asked. “It really shouldn’t come as a shock that college students have sex, albeit in public places.”
A spokeswoman for the university quickly disavowed Cho’s column on Tuesday, telling Campus Reform that such behavior is forbidden on campus.
”According to our campus police, sexual acts in a public space are not allowed by penal code or campus policy,” said spokeswoman Janet Gilmore.
A spokesman also pointed out in a conversation with the Daily Mail that administrators are unable to censor the content of the paper, which does not receive university funds.
“The Daily Cal is not an official university newspaper, it is a student-run, public newspaper and they do not have our backing,” said the spokesman. “We have known about that column for a long time but there is nothing we can do about it. The students have a right to free speech.”
Cho, who could not be reached by Campus Reform, noted in her column she has participated in orgies, attended naked parties, among other things while at CAL.
After several days of controversy following the release of the article, Cho did suggest on Twitter that librarians may now view her with some suspicion.
“I kinda feel like every time I walk into a library these days, people assume I’m only there to have sex,” she Tweeted.
Follow the author of this article on twitter: @oliverdarcy
