DURHAM, N.C. — In a column for Time Magazine published today, notorious “Duke University porn star” Belle Knox (nee Miriam Weeks) discusses, in an ironic sweep, how her income level bolstered from performing in porn has disqualified her for financial aid.
But Knox, who originally began performing in hardcore films to foot the $60,000 tuition bill served up by Duke, wanted to address the underlying cause driving up higher education costs across the board.
“Instead of focusing on my decision to perform in porn to pay my tuition, let’s start paying attention to what got me here: artificially inflated demand for college that pushes tuitions sky high,” Knox begins her column.
This year, even after factoring in financial aid, Weeks faced a $47,000 bill. Because of her increased income — most likely due to her national exposure as a porn star — Knox says she is set to lose her $13,000 in aid, resulting in a staggering $62,000 bill for the next academic year.
She quips, “Faced with either a degree from a less prestigious school or decades of crushing debt, a few hours of work on a porn set revealed itself to be the best way to avoid getting screwed.”
According to Knox, the driving inflation force behind high tuition costs is the same force driving the public’s desire to see young porn stars: bloated demand and a limited supply.
Her solution, in direct opposition to the initiative laid out by President Barack Obama, is to dissuade some students from attending college and also to limit government aid to schools. She boldly asserts that the “government must stop the flow of money to schools in order to get tuition rates under control again. That means being honest about the fact that not every child should go to college.”
To read the column, “Duke Porn Star: I Lost My Financial Aid” in full, click here.
