Father John Malone remembers the first time he saw one of the posters on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota where he works as Vice President of Mission since retiring from his parish in St. Paul.
It was a poster for “Sperm donation.” Fr. Malone tells the Cardinal Newman Society that he tore it down. and quickly forgot about it.
But they’re back.
Signs asking students who need a little extra cash are being found on bulletin boards throughout the campus. According to student run Tommie Media, the fliers are from 123Donate.com’s Roseville, Minnesota donation office whose website states the reason they advertise on college campuses is that some college experience seems to be a requirement to donate sperm. Their website states:
If you are a healthy, college-educated male between the ages of 18-39, you could qualify to be a sperm donor.
According to several news stories, sperm donation organizations can charge more for donors of higher intelligence.
123Donate’s website also states that on the average, students can earn $100 per “specimen” and actually features a picture of a young man wearing a graduation gown and a tassel.
While Fr. Malone tells the Cardinal Newman Society that he has taken the posters down when he sees them, he inquired of the administration about who has oversight on the bulletin boards on campus.
It turned out that nobody did in many areas. The places where the posters are going up are currently unpoliced and nobody is responsible for them.
Jim Winterer of Director of the University News Service told the Cardinal Newman Society that’s it’s likely because it’s never been a problem before. “In thirty years, I never saw anything like it,” said Winterer. “It’s very unusual.”
But Fr. Malone said St. Thomas University isn’t just accepting it. “We’re having a meeting Monday morning,” he said. “as a Catholic institution must live up to what the teachings of the Catholic church are.”
Senior staff at the University will meet to discuss the posters and establish oversight responsibility. “I suppose you have to keep updating your policies because people keep thinking of new things to do,” he said. “It’s sad.”
Fr. Malone said he was shocked that sperm donation companies are actually targeting college students. “Obviously I’m against any operations like that but even if you weren’t can you imagine going out into the world, especially a college campus to put something like that up,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
“it kind of shows that an awful lot of people don’t know the difference between a Catholic school or not,” he said. “They’ve probably never been to a church in their life. The whole thing to me is a degree of ignorance.”
Fr. Malone said that this also had nothing to do with donations, no matter what the poster said. “it isn’t donating,” he said. “It’s selling and buying.”
Although some students told Tommie Media that they weren’t bothered, others said it wasn’t appropriate.
Senior Rachel Berg said she thought the fliers should be removed.
“It’s a little inappropriate. it doesn’t go in with the Catholic statements at St. Thomas,” Berg said.