Stern College for Women is a campus divided after a newspaper published a student's essay about a sexual encounter.
Yeshiva University Stunned by Tale of a Tryst - NYTimes.com
"It all started with a provocative, anonymous essay about premarital sex published by an online student newspaper on Monday, the kind of first-person tell-all that would probably pass without much mention at the average secular university.
A young woman narrates how she goes to a hotel, peels off her conservative clothes, slips on lace and sprays her “newly liberated skin with a noticeable amount of floral perfume.” Her lover comes to the room; they have a tryst. The next morning, she regrets what she has done.
But this essay was different, because it was written by an Orthodox woman and posted by a publication at Stern College for Women — part of Yeshiva University of Manhattan — where the writer says she is a student....
The result was a week-long firestorm on campus that has highlighted the tension between Yeshiva University’s secular and religious identities in a place where sex is still considered a deeply private matter...
“We have a vibrant student press and a vibrant democracy here,” Mr. Fertig said, adding that the council had acted according to the wishes of the students. Rather than being about censorship, he said, “this whole thing showcases our diversity in our campus that we are proud of. This is a yeshiva and a university, and we take both very seriously.”
