Some students at Massachusetts’ elite liberal school, Amherst College, say they were forced to sit through a “disgusting” orientation performance where people mimicked sex acts on stage and showered condoms “like confetti” on the crowd.
Footage obtained by the Washington Free Beacon captured students pretending to have sex, moaning loudly and thrusting under blankets during the annual performance that all first-years are apparently urged to attend.
Isabella Niemi, a junior, told the outlet she was so disturbed by the “grossly sexual” skit that she was desperate to leave.
“I thought about leaving 10 minutes in. I’m not someone who breaks rules or skips mandatory events, but it was disgusting enough it almost forced me to leave,” Niemi said.
The graphic performance known as “Voices of the Class,” which is sanctioned and funded by the $92,400-a-year private school, is said to be scripted with out-of-context excerpts from incoming students’ own admissions essays.
The school defended the performances, saying they had helped promote sexual respect on campus for years.
“The skits are part of our broader commitment to promoting wellbeing and sexual respect on campus,” Amanda Vann, the school’s director of health and wellbeing, said.
“They encourage conversations about topics that can sometimes feel difficult to discuss, from sexual health and communication to harm reduction and self-care. By presenting these subjects in a relatable, engaging format, the skits help students build the skills and awareness needed to care for themselves, support one another, and contribute to a healthy, respectful community.”
She added, too, that the performances have been put on for the past 25 years.
Still, some claimed the recent performances went too far.
“I understand that Amherst is trying to remove the taboo behind sex on campus, but this has gone way too far,” John Collier, a junior, said.
“The way it’s forced in our faces does the exact opposite.”
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