GROVE CITY — EDITOR’S NOTE: An abbreviated version of this story was published Saturday. The full version being printed today appeared in Saturday’s edition of our sister twice-weekly newspaper, Allied News of Grove City.

Former Grove City College student John Gechter will never forget his experience at the third-most conservative campus in America.

Given that distinction by U.S. News and World Report, the college is strict in its policies: Co-eds are not allowed in each other’s dormitories after a certain hour; attending church services is a requirement of graduation; and walking on the grass is highly frowned upon.

So when it was discovered through an anonymous e-mail April 23 that Gechter, 22, acted in gay pornography, the Philadelphia native’s life was turned upside down.

GCC officials decided to indefinitely suspend Gechter for one year after an April 27 meeting, one of many he had with college administrators. GCC ruled that Gechter could seek re-admission in one year, but only if he ceased acting in pornography.

Gechter appealed that decision but the ruling was upheld by an appeals board comprised of faculty and students.

Gechter was about to make his final appeal to the provost when he struck a deal with GCC late Tuesday.

“(GCC) offered me a deal that if I withdrew, they would let me transfer a few courses that I need to graduate,” Gechter explained. “I’ll be able to transfer those credits to GCC and I will still graduate with a GCC degree.”

Gechter’s tenure at GCC officially ended on May 5 after he withdrew from the college. He said he plans to move to New York City in the next few weeks, where he will be headlining a play, “Love for Sale,” and also be taking his two bio-chemistry courses this summer.

“(The play) is one of the doors that porn has opened for me,” Gechter admitted. “I’ll also be looking at universities in the city, which there are plenty of.”

Gechter had considered suing the school for damages if he was indefinitely suspended. He had also planned to sue individual students for slander and defamation of character after receiving more than 150 of what he called “hate mails.” Gechter also said fruit was thrown at him in the cafeteria.

But Gechter said he is willing to let that all go if he can graduate with a GCC degree.

“If (the college) just lets me transfer credits and finish this situation quietly, (legal action) is not something I’m going to pursue,” Gechter said. “It’s not the best of all solutions, but it’s fair.”

GCC students seemed divided on the Gechter case. Some were sympathetic with his situation, since he was so close to graduation; some were in agreement with the school; and others did not wish to comment at all.

Sophomores John Harding and Jon Muldermans said they agreed with GCC’s initial decision to suspend Gechter.

“Everybody needs to follow school policy,” Harding said. “I don’t feel bad for (Gechter).”

Muldermans, who said the incident made him feel uncomfortable, stated that he didn’t doubt Gechter experienced harassment but added that a person “could be intimidated anywhere.”

“People on campus were more surprised than anything,” added Harding. “I heard one guy talking about it and ask, how did (Gechter) even get in this situation? (GCC) is not an environment that fosters that type of behavior.”

GCC sophomore Dan Bos said he didn’t think the issue was anyone’s business except the college’s and Gechter’s. While Bos said it was a tough decision since Gechter was so close to graduating, he noted that Gechter “knew what he was doing” the entire time.

Sophomore Steven Pinckney also said he sympathized with Gechter.

“He did break the college’s rules but I don’t know if I agree with the decision to kick him out so close to graduation,” Pinckney said. “But this college has a Christian reputation, so should they let him stay? Kicking him out is not a very nice thing to do, either, though.”

Bos and Pinckney both said they did not witness any harassment of Gechter, adding that it would be a shame if that happened on campus.

“There might have been some stares and some talk but I don’t think there would have been much harassment,” Pinckney said. “People here are respectful and don’t get involved in someone else’s business.”

Gechter, who had been a model for Midwest Model Management, Canton, Ohio, attended classes during the week and shot gay pornography on the weekends. Under the alias of Vincent DeSalvo, he flew to various locations all across the country to film scenes. He would get paid $3,000 to $5,000 per scene, which Gechter said was used to pay tuition at GCC, which averages more than $18,000 per year.

Gechter said he had sufficient credits to graduate from GCC, except for one class, bio-chemistry II, which he was planning to take this summer. He said college officials will allow him to take that class, along with bio-chemistry I — which he was taking this semester — at another institution and transfer those credits to GCC.

“(GCC) has a rule where the last 30 credits taken for a major have to be at GCC,” Gechter explained. “Administrators are willing to make a loophole for me by letting me transfer in courses (from another institution) to graduate.”

GCC did not confirm any of Gechter’s claims and only offered a statement, noting that Gechter has “voluntarily chosen to withdraw from Grove City College.”

“(Gechter’s) suspension resulted from his involvement in the adult pornography industry,” the statement read. “The student acknowledged that he was employed in the adult entertainment industry and that he knew that violated the student code of conduct. Throughout this process, his sexual orientation was not a factor in the decision.”

GCC also did not offer any specific comment as to whether any students were punished for spreading the e-mail about Gechter, only stating that “in mid-April, the Office of Student Life and Learning at Grove City College received information indicating one of our students was actively involved in the hardcore pornographic adult entertainment industry.”

GCC Communications Director Amy Clingensmith said the college had no further comment on the matter.

While Gechter said he was not happy with the overall outcome, he admitted it was a fair compromise. He noted that if he had been indefinitely suspended from GCC, he might have had to take a year-and-a-half’s worth of credits over again at another university.

“I’m satisfied with the outcome but not happy,” Gechter said. “But these last few weeks have been a lot of pressure and I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been through quite a bit at age 22.”

Gechter said he had originally planned to walk in the May 16 commencement ceremony at the college by filling out a request-to-walk form.

“Ideally, I’d be welcoming my friends and family in a week and I would walk across the stage and receive my diploma,” he said. “Obviously, that’s not something that’s going to transpire.”

Still, Gechter said he is happy for a quiet end to this incident, adding that he would no longer consider legal action if he is able to graduate with a GCC degree once he completes his credits.

Gechter noted that his four-year tenure at GCC had been a “decent experience.”

“Overall, up until the past two weeks, it’s not been bad,” he said. “I’m happy with the education I received and I made a few good friends on campus.”

Gechter served on The Collegian, GCC’s student newspaper, for three years, two as a photographer and one as photo editor. He donated more than 15,000 photos to the admissions office.

“My pictures are up all throughout campus, including the huge 6-foot posters in the student union,” he said. “The college has displayed hundreds if not thousands of my photos.”

Gechter also said he plans to continue modeling while he is in New York City, and will appear in an upcoming DVD.

Looking back, Gechter said he would not have gotten involved with the porn industry if he could do it all over again.



“It’s just created this huge hassle for me,” he admitted. “It’s caused not only a lot of academic problems but also family problems. It was only one of my possible solutions to the money equation.”