Could you imagine being twenty years old , trying to discover yourself, and then being punished for it? Weather you saw it happen on MTV or you heard about it in the news most of us have heard about ex-Real World cast member Julie Stoffer, and the controversy surrounding her appearance on the popular MTV reality show. Julie Stoffer was born on July 11th 1979 in Provo, Utah. The daughter of devote members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Julie followed in her parents footsteps and decided to attend Brigham Young University.
A business major and straight A student Julies responded to an advertisement to audition for MTV’s The Real World printed in the university newspaper during her junior year. Julie told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she never really thought she would be picked for the show and the free trip to Los Angeles for the audition finals was what she was really after. ” When I went to L. A. it was just life-changing. I got out there and I saw a whole new world I’ve never seen before. I met some really cool people, and I realized, if this experience could be this cool in a couple of days, imagine four months in a new place with new people.
I just wanted to see new things, see what I wasn’t seeing in Provo. Julie also admitted that she hadn’t had that much exposure to MTV. ” I’d seen a couple of episodes of “The Real World” at a friends house, but that was it” she told the Deseret News. Upon entering Belfort Mansion, in New Orleans Julie was immediately faced with the change she had been looking for. Among her roommates Julie found two minorities, and an openly gay male. Most of whom had a set of moral values that were considerably different than hers.
From the moment she stepped into the Real World house Julie began dispelling stereotypes associated with Mormonism. During the first hour she is asked if she is married and about weather or not she can drink caffeine. Although it seemed she was uncomfortable answering these questions she did anyway. Julie has said that ” I went into this saying that I was not going to be a representative for Mormonism” however she later recognizes that ” .. in being my religion I am a representative of it. ” Julies roommate also had some views on her religious beliefs.
One of her housemates, Jaime a 22 year old graduate of Cornell University, reacted to the rules imposed on Julies through her religion by telling her ” If you want a cup of coffee, have a cup of coffee. ” Jaime has also said that his first reaction to his Mormon roommate was that ” she’s very sheltered, that she was ignorant to a lot of things that to a lot of other people was just common knowledge” and although Jaime has acknowledged the power of Julies ” spiritual connectedness ” he also concedes that ” I haven’t come completely to terms with her community, and I think in some cases it doesn’t let her shine.
While theses statements may have been true at the beginning filming the show, Julie did learn to loosen up during her stint in the house. During the season Julie drank Mountain Dew and opened herself up to the more mainstream ideas of her roommates. However this newfound life experience led Julie into unfriendly territory with her university. Aware of Brigham Young’s Honor Code Julie contacted the Honor Code Office prior to signing on with MTV. According to The Daily Universe Julie left under the impression that as long as she behaved herself she would have no problems. However Julie’s belief was wrong.
Her involvement with MTV led to BYU suspending her on the grounds of violating the Honor Code which each student must sign upon entering the Mormon church owned private university. At the time of The Real World taping BYU was faced with the dilemma of weather or not to take action against Stoffer. The New York Post’s Don Kaplan pointed out that ” if BYU tosses her out, the school could face a wave of negative publicity. If they allow Julie to return to her classes in the fall other students may protest that the school was overlooking conduct that would have gotten her expelled had it not happened in national television. ”
BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins stated that their concerns were ” what happened in that environment, what were the male female interactions, and what was the appropriateness of those actions” BYU officials also maintain that this ” is not a decision about weather she is a good or bad person, but about her commitment to the Honor Code” But what exactly does this Honor Code entail? The BYU honor code prohibits sexually oriented joking, flirting, or comments, premarital sex, homosexual behavior and cross-dressing. It also stipulates that members of the opposite sex should never enter the bedroom or other private area of an apartment.
Entering the bedroom of a person of the opposite sex to study, type a paper, talk privately or for any other reason never justifies a breach of the Honor Code. B. Y. U. ‘s final decision was to suspend Julie for one year. Stating in a final letter that ” The reason for this action is your violation of the Honor Code, specifically your relationships with the opposite sex, including sleeping in the same together with them on multiple occasions” I addition to the suspension BYU laid out a five step program for Julie to carry out before she could be readmitted.
These steps included developing a plan with a bishop to change her lifestyle, reporting monthly to the school on her actions, completing specific assigned tasks, and acknowledging her violations. In response to this Julie has said ” I can have no respect for the Honor Code after this. For them to suggest that I need to meet with church leaders or go through a repentance process in order to return to BYU is totally uncalled for. I cannot respect an institution that would assume that I was guilty of immoral conduct when the T. V. footage supports my repeated denials of these actions.
I have totally stayed true to my morals, and if that is not enough then there are plenty of other good schools out there that have people with open minds. ” Although most people applaud Julies adventure in self discovery some Mormons are infuriated at her actions Julie has even been slapped in the face by a girl on the sidewalk of her hometown. Since receiving B. Y. U. ‘s final decision Julie has moved into her own apartment on the beach of Southern California.
An adventure that she speaks enthusiastically about in her journal at www. planetjulie. com She has also been busy speaking at universities all over the U. S. and actively searching for a new University. In reading some of Julies journal entries you get the sense that she is someone who is not only discovering the world, but herself for the first time. She is introspective, thoughtful, and at times insecure. Even though there is still debate over weather or not Julie actually did violate the BYU Honor Code since she was not attending the school at the time of her alleged misconduct, Julie appears to have left all of that behind her. And although I personally believe that B. Y. U s decision was wrong it seems that Julie is all the stronger because of it.