One female college student said she got $1000 dollars a date.......now, i am naive i know......but most men......................even very rich ones.............would not usually fork over one thousand dollars over dinner and a movie.......in addition to paying for the dinner and movie..................one grand is a lot just to sit and talk to someone...................regardless of how hot they are................but if she can suck a good..................

A new trend has “sugar daddies” paying tuition bills

ANNELISE GILBERT ’17

OPINION EDITOR

Ranked America’s 11 most expensive college in 2014 with an approximated tuition price tag of $62,000, attending Trinity requires a considerable financial commitment. While Trinity’s website states that the college provides around 30 million dollars in financial aid to approximately 40 percent of the student population, a portion of those students must seek further assistance from federal, state, and private funds. What if, despite aid from numerous sources, you still were unable to afford college? What would you be willing to do to make your dream of a college education a reality? Some options that first come to mind to ease the financial strain are working on-campus or taking out student loans. However, a surprising number of college women, and some men, are taking different route; the route of a sugar baby.

Essentially, sugar babies are college students who seek the companionship of older, wealthier, people who are financially able to support them. SeekingArrangement.com, one of the most popular sugar baby websites among college students, defines sugar babies as “attractive people looking for the finer things in life. For example, they appreciate exotic trips and gifts. Sugar Babies get to experience a luxurious lifestyle, and meet wealthy people on a regular basis.” While spokespeople for the website avoid the topic of sex, sugar babies interviewed by The Atlantic, say sugar daddies, sugar mamas, and sugar babies alike are all thinking about it. Sex is not obligatory or always expected, though. A part of creating your profile on websites like SeekingArrangement is defining your terms and your expectations for the arrangement. The companies try to draw a distinct line between prostitution and “sugar,” but it is usually blurred. To avoid being misunderstood as a business that pimps women out to wealthy men for sex, there is a policy requiring sugar daddies to do other activities, such as going out to dinner or museum. If these activities lead to sex, the company sees it as an organic, mutual result.

Many may assume that unintelligent bimbos account for the majority of sugar babies, however that is not the case. Since being launched in 2005, 2.3 million individuals have made sugar baby profiles on SeekingArrangement.com. Of the 2.3 million sugar babies, 44 percent used a “.edu” email address. After companies recognized the demand for college students, incentives directed at college students increased. If one signs up with a college email account, they receive a complimentary premium membership, a membership that sugar daddies pay upwards of 1,200 dollars for. College students are in high demand because they create the illusion that the relationships are not purely sex-for-money exchanges. How could a well-educated woman be a prostitute?  NYU, Columbia, UPenn, and UCLA are among the top sugar baby schools. A common benefit of having an educated sugar baby is that they are able to understand their “sugar daddy’s” line of work or area of study, an aspect that makes the relationship feel more genuine. Not all sugar daddies just want sexual relationships with their sugar babies, some want to take them to company functions or other formal events.

So, where does the money component come into play? Some girls state their fees and requests upfront, but many have learned that not mentioning payment frequently results in more money. A lot of daddies prefer to give women a credit card in their name so it feels informal and less like an exchange. For consistent relationships, a monthly allowance is usually initiated. The average monthly allowance is 3,000 dollars, but can be as high as 10,000 dollars. If the relationship is inconsistent, the babies are paid anywhere from $200 to $1,000 per date. A sugar baby interviewed at George Washington University advised those considering becoming a sugar baby to not join for purely financial reasons. If a student discloses they are in dire need of money, they lose all of their negotiating power. Travel, jobs, internships, and graduate school connections are among the other valuable benefits that come from having a sugar daddy.

These women often put themselves at risk to obtain these. A majority of arrangement sites monitor messages and conduct background checks by running potential members through national sex offenders, criminal, and financial fraud databases. Lots of “babies” take precautions by using reverse phonebook search engines to verify names, addresses, and enrolment records. Despite numerous safety measures, students still have had unsettling experiences. Another sugar baby from George Washington said she has had three creepy and somewhat scary dates. Luckily enough, they were the preliminary 20-minute dates where the potential partners tested for chemistry.

In a time where female promiscuity is often denounced, I commend these women for their confidence in facing the double standard of sexual relationships. So much negative stigma surrounds the idea of being a sugar baby that one must be mature to acknowledge that fact and still go through with it. Rationally speaking though, these types of relationships are becoming more socially acceptable. Countless college students use Tinder, a matchmaking mobile app, to “hook up.” The definition of hooking up varies from person to person, but often refers to sex. Similar to Tinder, the arrangements usually result in sex and the expectations are indicated before the parties meet in person, but are not required or obligatory. The only differences are the exchange of money or gifts and that the relationship is often between an older man and a younger woman. Some professors consider the culture of sugar babies and apps like Tinder as modernizations of activities in the past. Now, instead of a husband removing his wedding ring and going to a bar, he can easily find a woman who is aware of and comfortable with his expectations online or through an app. Some sugar babies knowingly have relationships with married men, but many are sickened by the idea. One sugar baby was comfortable sleeping with a married man until she saw a picture of his daughter, who was around her age.

No one has the right to judge the decisions those who are struggling to make the financial commitment to higher educational institutions. As the price of tuition continues to grow, so will people’s ingenious ideas for innovative strategies to pay-off expensive student bills.