In the wake of David Vitter announcing his bid for Louisiana Governor and LSU’s annual tuition increases, I predict one positive outcome — a program in which Louisiana politicians provide financial aid for students in return for escort services.
In the past year, we have heard new stories and rumors of female LSU students who are making ends meet as nude dancers, adult film stars and now escorts.
I’d say the conditions are just right for a new state scholarship.
One University student has already taken to Seeking Arrangement, a website matching young girls and wealthy men, and is she being flown to Santa Barbara on the weekends in return for financial aid.
Ashley, who was referred to by first name only in her interview in The Advocate because of confidentiality, knows the timeless struggle of a college student. Rather than seeking traditional forms of employment in addition to her hefty pre-med workload, she found a way to keep an open schedule and pay the bills.
The Advocate vaguely acknowledged a level of intimacy between the two, but the logistics of a relationship between two consenting adults is not ours to ponder.
What is interesting is the fact that websites such as Seeking Arrangement are seeing an influx of student profiles — with 137 LSU students signing up in 2013.
LSU President F. King Alexander told The Advocate he found this troubling.
I worry that he finds it troubling for the wrong reasons. College students are struggling to pay monthly bills because tuition increases are eating up traditional forms of financial aid such as grants and student loans.
I’m hoping Alexander sees past the traditional moral dilemma of escort services and realizes the reason that LSU is featured on Seeking Arrangement’s “Top 20 Fastest Growing Sugar Baby Schools” for 2013 is because of the growing financial burden an LSU degree has become.
But tradition counts, and in this case, it’s troubling our president because a poor young girl has lost her way and is now selling her companionship to a seedy old man.
Of course we’re quick to judge the student because she is female. The patriarchy would never stand to watch a twenty-something female abusing their system to pay her way through college.
But I say that if you can find a way to use the system to benefit you, you should do so.
Vitter has the perfect platform now. I’m sure he knows plenty of Louisiana politicians who would be quick to sponsor an intelligent, well spoken LSU student in his or her studies. And new financial aid programs would surely get him the student vote.
And maybe then we can stop worrying so much about prostitutes and pornographic images and start fixing the actual problems — like how expensive an LSU degree is.
Jana King is a nineteen year old communication studies sophomore from Ponchatoula, La.