the 411 on hamilton hook-ups

According to the 336 students who participated in the “Sex Survey” on September 7, 2007, the Hamilton relationship scene is in need of serious change. Among other concerns, many of us worry: are we forever doomed to random hook-ups and awkward Commons encounters? Will we ever find a meaningful and enduring relationship during our time on the Hill?

These questions are among the many we hoped the “Sex Survey” would address. The survey was not, however, created for scientific purposes. Rather, its objective was to trace student’s relationship trends to the small campus culture and general college lifestyle at Hamilton.

The Hamilton “hook-up” scene was one of the main focuses of the survey. While “hook-ups” are a well-known part of college life, they are often hard to define. The majority of Hamilton students defined hook-ups as “making out.” A common misconception, however, is that hook-ups can imply sex as well and that everyone is having it. Hamilton’s Senior Counselor of Counseling and Psychological Services Jan Fisher corrected this misunderstanding when she asserted that “a lot of students have had sex [and] a lot of them have not.” According to Fisher, those who have not yet had sex “tend to think they’re the only ones [who haven’t].”

Furthermore, the survey results revealed that most students are indeed “single,” hook-up “zero” times a week and have sex approximately “never.” Regardless of how accurately these findings portray the campus at large, they do manage to dismiss certain stereotypes students have held about the sex life on campus.

One of the most anticipated questions on the survey was that regarding student’s post-hook-up experience—the feeling of running next to their “hook-up” on the treadmill or passing them on Martin’s Way. According to the majority of students, most perceive the hook-up experience as well worth the risk of such inevitably uncomfortable encounters. Most students reported that they think of hook-ups as a “confidence-booster,” high-fiving instead of hiding from one another while standing in the egg line on a Sunday morning. Nevertheless, not everyone benefits from the feeling of post-hook-up confidence. Others deemed the after-experience “awkward” and the second majority dubbed it “awkward, but not shameful enough to stop.” These findings beg the question, why are students hooking-up in the first place?

According to Fisher, “there are definitely differences in the quality of experience between those students who engage in sexual behavior that have been drinking and those [that do not].” Fisher asserted that “no one really knows how to relate [after hooking-up], especially when alcohol is involved.” Hamilton’s Director of Student Health Services Chris Merritt confirmed this observation, citing the post-Spring break and Senior Week period as their busiest time for student check-ups of a sexual nature. The Health Center staff “can almost always tell when there’s been a big party weekend.”

Still, with only a minority of students drinking excessively each week, there must be other determining factors that induce hook-ups. Fisher suggests that students also hook-up as a means of confirming their attractiveness. “When girls haven’t had boyfriends or many relationships, [their inexperience] can affect their feelings about themselves.” Perhaps this would explain why, although the majority of students prefer long-term relationships, short-term relationships are ultimately the most prevalent on campus.

It’s generally not until students become upperclassman that they begin to loose interest in the hook-up scene. “They become more aware of what they need and what works and what doesn’t,” Fisher explained. She added that “[students] tend to realize after the first couple years that that hook-ups aren’t great and [leave them]… feeling empty.”
So what, exactly, does the “Sex Survey” reveal?


55% of students list their relationship status as “single”

56% of freshman women are in a relationship
24% of senior women are in a relationship

90% of females and 73% of males prefer relationships to random hook-ups

44% of students define a hookup as “more than making out”

85% of students have never cheated
9% of students have cheated
7% of students have “sort have” cheated

65% of students who cheated on their significant other confessed

48% of students have sex at least once a week

35% of hookups never lead to other hookups

2% of students have an STD

44% of students think relationships typically start out as friendships

30% of students think Hamilton could do a better job at promoting safe sex

-article and statistics compiled by dani alfano '09