When I started my senior year of college, the excitement started to set in. I was in the final stretch, before I'd finally go out into the world and make my mark. I felt just like one of the incoming freshmen all over again, with a whole new world laid out before me, full of infinite possibilities. Given this sense of my final year feeling a bit like my first, I started to enjoy watching the new students and observing their mixture of anxiety and enthusiasm. This was easy to do, given that I lived in a large dorm with the first two floors dedicated to freshmen, and the upper floors filled with a mix of upperclassmen.
The freshman girls were of special interest to me. They were on their own for the first time, ready to break free of their parents' control, hungry to experience life, and maybe even experiment a little bit. Their powerful, if hesitant, sexual curiosity was potent and visible. They tested the waters, sitting in the quad braless, knowing that they drew the stares of college guys secretly watching the free movement of their young boobs beneath tight-fitting t-shirts.
Once in a while, I went down to the second floor lounge to work on my laptop, surrounded by young women full of questions about a class they wanted to take, or what clubs were worth joining. I enjoyed sharing with them my experiences over the last three years, and feeding their excitement.
It was in that freshman lounge where I met Layla a year earlier.
Layla was now a senior, like me, and had started mentoring the freshmen on the second floor during her junior year. As an RA, she lived on the second floor with them, offering all types of advice, organizing group activities, and generally helping them find their way through their first year of college. One afternoon, I happened to have just taken a seat in the lounge and poured myself a coffee from the communal coffee pot, when Layla walked in.
"Oh, hey Sean!" she said, hurrying over.
"Hey Layla! What's up?" I replied.
"Not much..." she said, taking a seat with me. "Just helping everyone get oriented." I could tell something was on her mind, because she was fidgeting nervously.
"Good. I remember how clueless I was back then." She stared at me blankly. I laughed and added, "What?"
Layla started laughing. "Um... I dunno how to tell you this."
"Just out with it," I said, becoming curious.
"Err... okay. Here goes," she replied. Layla then proceeded to tell me the shocking events that had happened the evening before.
***
Various students from Layla's floor had gathered in the large common room of her suite. One of the perks of being an RA was the chance to live in one of the spacious, corner suites on each floor. It often served double duty as a comfortable setting for weekly meetings, where anyone who wanted to could show up to ask general questions, as well as receive announcements about things going on around campus or related to academic affairs.
Halfway through the meeting, Layla had reached an awkward item on her agenda.
"Okay, next topic: sex," she said. The room filled with quiet giggles as young men and women exchanged looks and smirked at each other. "I know, I know, laugh all you want, but it's important," Layla chuckled. "I have to remind everyone that the health center is open and available as a resource any time any of you want to drop in and ask a question, meet with the nurse about any issues you're having, even... you know... pick up some free condoms."
There were more giggles. "Let's not pretend that many of you aren't... um... making new friends on campus, so to speak," Layla continued, smirking at the red faces around the room. "Or maybe you want to, but are nervous and have a lot of questions first. And that's okay. The point is- they're there to help, so don't be afraid to stop in and have a chat. It sounds like most people are not doing that, so I've been asked to remind you."
A room full of embarrassed students nodded at her. One of the guys raised his hand. Layla called on him.
"Can they... uh... set me up with a study partner?" he asked with a smirk. There were laughs around the room.
"A study partner?" asked Layla.
"You know... someone that can give me some hands-on experience," he said, sarcastically.
"Oh! Ha-ha, I get it," said Layla, rolling her eyes. "No, I'm quite sure they don't offer those services." She scanned her agenda, ready to move on. "But don't get me started about what RAs have done about that in the past..." she mumbled, not fully expecting anyone to hear.
"Haha, what does that mean?" asked a girl next to her.
"Huh? Oh... nothing. Just... in the past, there have been some 'hands-on' stuff going on in the dorms," Layla laughed.
"I'm in!" said a boy across the room.
"Me too!" said another. The girls laughed at them, as more students volunteered.
"I'm sure you are..." said Layla. "Anyway, next topic."
"Wait, wait!" said another girl. "You can't just say that and not tell us what happened!" The rest of the students began to beg Layla to explain.
Layla sighed. "Okay... I'll tell you, but understand that the school doesn't exactly condone this. It just happens sometimes, and they kinda look the other way. But... basically, some of the RAs have, in the past, arranged a sort of session where the freshmen can witness a frank... um.. demonstration. About sex."
Eyes opened wide around the room, and mouths dropped open. "Like, what kind of demonstration?" someone asked.
"Erm, well... they've brought some upperclassmen to a floor meeting to," Layla paused for a moment, amused at how her students were all on the edge of their seats, "... to demonstrate how to practice safe sex together. And to, um, offer advice on techniques and stuff."
The students lost it. There was nervous laughter, as they turned to their friends, covering their mouths, or chattering about what they'd just heard.
"You mean they have sex in front of everyone?" said the girl next to Layla.
"Yeah. A couple comes in, and engages in sexual intercourse, for educational purposes," Layla said, feeling somewhat embarrassed herself.
"When do we get to see that?!" one of the boys exclaimed, prompting more uproar.
"Wait, wait, wait, I'm just telling you what's happened before, I didn't say we're doing anything like that," replied Layla, trying to calm down the room of sexually curious and astonished students.
"Why not?" several of them asked. Both boys and girls seemed increasingly interested, albeit many still fully embarrassed by the idea.
"I dunno, it's just... as I said, you have a resource for th..."
"Please!" begged some of the more vocal, and unashamed students. "You should set up something similar for us!" The room was quickly divided into the sheltered, awkward students that were either horrified or embarrassed to hear the suggestion, and the students who were turned on by the opportunity to watch a live sex demonstration in their own dorm.
"Seriously? Are you guys really asking for this?" asked Layla, immediately feeling stupid for asking.