The size and makeup of our campus allows for the creation of a variety of subcultures and strong traditions. Whether it be not stepping on the circular map on Martin’s Way, knowing how to game the system with meal swipes, or the unwritten rules of study spaces, the general “zeitgeist” of Hamilton is rarely discussed. Specifically, the spirit and attitude surrounding sex on campus is quite unique and defined by a specific set of social rules, and I believe it can have profoundly negative consequences.

Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, students at Hamilton engage in rituals of seduction, libation, and fornication. In my very limited understanding, students tend to take a casual approach to dating. The formation of relationships is different here than in other places. More often than not, people will repeatedly hookup on the weekend, then eventually become “exclusive” (meaning dating, but without calling it dating).

I do not mean at all to sound like a prude by suggesting that there is an inherent issue with casual sex — in reality, research has shown that (without the presence of compounding factors) in college-age students, hookups can lead to higher self-esteem, lower rates of depression, and general increased happiness. When discussing casual sex at Hamilton College, it is imperative to keep in mind the myriad of other factors at play. My issue is with the attitudes surrounding the hookup culture, the prevalence of substance abuse, and the spaces in which relationships form.

It is part of the tacit culture at Hamilton that the Village Tavern is where you go if you are trying to get laid. When you open the door on any average weekend you are immediately hit with a hot gust of air carrying with it the stench of beer and an overwhelming mix of cologne and perfume. Casual conversation is all but impossible, especially with someone of the opposite sex. For this reason, I do not typically spend time with any of my female friends at the VT because on more than one occasion people have asked if we are together (that, or my friends’ prospects of landing a “juicy guy” would be ruined if I was standing with them).

The function of the VT is clear and obvious — one only has to listen to a few conversations to know what I mean. From statements like, “The Jitney is coming I gotta find someone fast,” to “I’m gonna ride up the hill with this hockey boy,” there is little argument that the hookup culture at Hamilton is at its zenith at the Village Tavern.

I do not know if I have seen two sober people leaving the VT together that have clear intentions of hooking up. Alcohol, as well as marijuana, has a huge impact on the hookups. It is no secret that alcohol lowers our inhibitions and that trouble can arise when mixing sexual desire and a high BAC.

In a journal entry in the United States National Library of Medicine in investigation entitled, “Sexual Hookup Culture: A Review,” researchers concluded that individuals overestimate others’ comfort with hookups and assign variable meanings to those behaviors. When you take these two factors and combine them, you are left with a recipe for disaster.

With all the attention on campus right now on mental health, I am surprised at the lack of conversation around hookup culture and its effect on our emotional and physical well-being. When the prevailing attitude is that everyone is hooking up at the VT (even though that is not the case), failure to procure a partner for the evening can be potentially damaging to self-esteem and body image. I know for a fact that several of my friends have had Saturday and Sunday mornings where they have been down or upset because they failed to have a hookup. I also know that there have been instances where both men and women have felt pressured into a hookup by their friends or their Greek life brothers or sisters.

Part of the problem is the search for “anyone” rather than “someone.” If the mindset when you are out on the weekend is to hookup with anyone, just for the sake of having a hookup, you are creating a situation rife with possible pitfalls. Issues of unsafe sex aside, it is important to think about and talk about why there is this pressure and what consequences can arise from it.

I would urge people to stop looking for anyone and start looking for someone. The old adage that I have heard for this time of year is that it is “cuffing season,” I challenge you to get cuffed and stay cuffed, if that is your thing.

Again, not all hookups are bad. At the end of the day though, I think that the capabilities for relationships not based on a drunken hookup are more varied than what immediately meets the eye.