Carolyn DePew
Staff Writer
University of Houston officials are investigating allegations of public sex in campus restrooms.
The problem was forcefully brought to the attention of UH administration when an investigative report by newsman Tony Kovelesky was broadcast last week on Channel 2 news.
According to Cindy Suggs of the UH external communications office, everything possible is being done to correct the situation and prevent its reoccurrence, including repairing damages, close monitoring by the custodial staff and an investigation by the University Police Department.
The "hidden cameras found activity between (restroom) stalls between men," Kovelesky said.
There was graffiti on the walls describing and requesting sexual acts, and holes of various sizes were found between stalls.
Kovelesky speculated that the holes were used to spy on others for personal gratification or to facilitate sex.
Kovelesky described one such hole as something of a "cavern between the stalls."
The investigative news team discovered this activity while surfing the Internet, where they encountered a site, www.cruisingforsex.com.
The site contained a list of places across the city and the world where "men can meet men for sex."
Several male public restrooms on the UH main campus were identified, including one in particular on the first floor of the Fine Arts building that Channel 2 investigated.
The entry involving UH was updated recently with an entrapment alert which indicated that a "police operation in progress or another form of bashing" had been reported there.
Because of the broadcast, those interested were advised by the Website that "all these pickup spots (across Houston that were indicated in the story) should be considered extremely risky since the management at each location was notified by the TV station, and each promised increased security to prevent further sexual activity."
According to Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations Wendy Adair, "The physical plant checked the sites (indicated in the report), painted out the graffiti and repaired the damages."
Suggs said all areas on campus listed on the Website, not just those stated in the report, were repaired, and the case, as with all criminal cases, was turned over to UHPD.
"(UHPD) has a strategy for dealing with this," said Suggs.
"They have targeted the named areas and have heightened patrols and investigations."
She said no more on the strategy could be revealed without jeopardizing the operation, and UHPD declined commenting on the progress of the investigation and concerns involving the legality of methods used to investigate this situation.
The problem of sex in campus restrooms is not a new one.
Suggs said the administration has been aware of this activity for years.
"It has been reported in the past," Suggs said.
She said there has been at least one arrest in the past two years, but the administration has not taken stronger action because they do not think public sex is "rampant or prevalent on campus."