An increasing number of Canadian students are looking to “sugar daddies” or “sugar mommies” to help cover tuition and other costs.
And on at least one popular website for that type of arrangement, the University of Guelph stands as one of the most active schools in the country.
SeekingArrangement.com recently released a list of the 20 Canadian schools with the most so-called “sugar babies” – users seeking financial support from older men or women. Guelph came in at number eight on the list.
The site’s founder says he doesn’t see his creation as being significantly website from other online dating sites.
“A sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship is no different than a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, except in this case one party happens to be successful and wealthy and is paying for things,” creator Brandon Wade told CTV via Skype.
And what might those things be?
“Dinner, any expenses I may need at a certain timeframe, groceries,” listed Guelph political science student Derek Cleary.
Cleary says he’s had multiple sugar mommies in his time at Guelph.
Arrangements like those Cleary describes may have some thinking of darker trysts, but Wade says there are rules blocking users from utilizing his site for outright prostitution.
Even so, University of Guelph officials say they’d prefer to see students find other ways to cover expenses.
“I would advise on the dangers of some of these sites,” Brenda Whiteside, the school’s associate vice-president of student affairs, told CTV.
“We have other resources to help them. We have financial aid, we have bursaries, we have work study programs.”
Many Guelph students say they’ve never heard of the website and are surprised it exists.
“I think we all make jokes about wanting someone with more money … but I don’t think I’d ever do that,” said student Samantha Stothers.
Wade says Canadian student sugar baby enrollment rose by nearly 50 per cent during 2012 on his site.
