BYU vs. MTV
by andy baillargeon
The world of "cool" that watches MTV sits amazed at a sheltered girl that knows nothing about the "Real World."
Many of you may have already heard about the poor little girl who was booted from BYU for cohabiting on the MTV series "The Real World." When every BYU student registers, they are expected to follow the honor code of the University. One of these codes involves residential living requirements. Students of the opposite sex are only allowed to be in the lobby and kitchen areas of the dorm. The bedroom and bathroom areas are strictly prohibited. In an off-campus situation, members of the opposite sex are only allowed in the living room and kitchen. We want to know what happens when the opposing gender needs to use the can.
BYU has recently taken issue with one of its most famous students (not Steve Young) regarding these residential living honor codes. Julie from the New Orleans "Real World" was suspended from BYU for breaking this honor code. By joining the show, Julie had to live with six people she has never met; four of them were boys. These other six people were quite diverse; two black kids (one of them a boy), a gay boy (OH BOY), and two hip white kids (one is a boy).
As you might have imagined, Julie's childhood was a sheltered one. She was born in Provo, and was raised Mormon in Delafield, Wisconsin. The Real World's melting pot of cast-members were intrigued and confused by our young hero. When she would use the word "colored" to refer to blacks, the other members of the show would gasp in concern. They harassed her about not knowing "common, American knowledge," but tried to understand her innocence.
Julie was fascinated with the gay boy's lifestyle because it was so foreign to her. Julie was actually getting a taste of the real world.
Oh my heck, what had Julie done? She was breaking every rule she was taught growing up, and discovering a life of her own. Shame on her!
Julie's devotion to her religion is still strong, and yet she wants to forge ahead and open her mind to new ideas and beliefs. Julie is a pioneer, and actually even has a great sense of humor (something lacking in Utah's real world). When she was asked who she told first about being on the show, she said she didn't tell anyone for two days.
"The hardest person to tell was my dad because he had made me promise I wouldn't do it if I got picked. I broke it to him really easy. I said, Dad, I'm pregnant. Wait, no… I'm actually just living in Sin City on The Real World."
Julie has some guts to ignore some of her religious beliefs in order to learn about the world. We hope there are a few more out there like her.
"Real World Julie" is Wild Utah's hero of the week.
BYU Question Here's a scenario; say some friends want to get together and pull back a six pack of bee… ah, soda, and your bladder is greeted with the sensation of pressure, resulting in the need for discharge of certain bodily fluids? Is each off-campus house issued a port-o-shitter, or do you have to drive all the way home each time nature calls? These questions and more can probably only be answered by a student of any of the four BYU affiliated schools. Please help.