Dr. Ruth Visits The Coop

Dr. Ruth Westheimer yesterday said she was glad to hear that condoms are available in the laundry rooms of each house at Harvard.

"At UCLA, condoms are available in the bathrooms. I like them better in the laundromats. You can meet people and start flirting right there!"

The perky four-foot, seven-inch talk show host, famous for her witty television and radio discussions on sexuality, entertained fans and passers-by yesterday afternoon at The Coop as she autographed copies of her new book "Sex and Morality--Who is Teaching Our Sex Standards?"

Westheimer's book, co-authored with Louis Lieberman, an associate professor of sociology at the City University of New York, says the public schools should prepare students more fully through moral education for life in a sexually permissive society.

Westheimer said she was glad condoms were more available on campus this year, adding that she considered the availability of condoms essential to fighting AIDS.

"I never talk about safe sex. I don't know what that is. I talk about safer sex and the need to have condoms," she said. "I don't want to see AIDS education separate. I want to see it as part of sex education in general. And I want to see more money appropriated for AIDS research."

Scott Albertson '91 asked Westheimer if she was in favor of students engaging in indiscriminate sex and asked her to sign his own (wrapped) condom.

"No, especially these days with the fear of AIDS," Westheimer replied--to his apparent surprise. Then she added, "I've always been old-fashioned and square."

After speaking at MIT on Monday night and talking with Harvard students at The Coop, Westheimer said, "I get the same questions from these students as students anywhere. Their questions are just phrased in better language and they deal with more intellectual concepts. They are very challenging to me."