Penn State popular with those seeking paying companions

Penn State has one of the fastest growing student populations of sugar babies, according to a website that provides a platform for female college students to have relationships with sugar daddies.

Seekingarrangement.com revealed Monday that the website increased its Penn State student membership by 74 percent in the past year, 9th most in the nation. There are 284 Penn State students signed up to get paid for relationships with men.

The website’s selling point to college-aged women is that they could afford school through paid relationships. The site goes as far to tout that it leaves sugar babies debt free, because students earn an average of about $3,000 per month, amounting to $36,000 a year.

The site’s boasts may be true in some cases.

The cost of attending University Park for the 2014-2015 school year was estimated by the university to be about $34,600. That’s just for an in-state student. Out-of-state students’ costs are about $47,600, according to Penn State.

Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers declined comment.

Centre County Women’s Resource Center Executive Director Anne Ard was concerned by the number of students turning to the website.

“Even if the website’s language is framed as if it’s a business relationship, all of their graphics have a very clear sexual overtone to them,” Ard said. “Any arrangement that monetizes relationships, particularly sexual relationships, creates a power imbalance that can lead to abusive behaviors.”

Reflex Media, the company that coordinates public relations for seekingarrangement.com, sees things differently.

“There could be any type of relationship, and there are a lot of different relationships people can have like any other dating site,” seekingarrangement.com’s Ashleigh Stevens said. “Each relationship is tailored to what two people would like to make it. Seekingarrangement prides itself on being more open and honest and upfront with hopefully less drama than other sites.”

Someone could pay for school using the site, but Ard said the risk outweighs the reward.

“The thing is it feels like a setup,” Ard said. “Even if there is a business or contractual agreement it will typically be older, financially well-off men or women paired with younger people who aren’t financially secure otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it. The person seeking to make money is at a disadvantage in the relationship. As desperate as someone can be seeing loans and bills due pile up, this may not be a good way to go.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Penn State popular with those seeking paying companions."