What sexual acts have you engaged in?

How often do you engage in some form of “hookup” activity?

Masturbation by gender

Virginity by school

We all wish that there were a universal understanding of what a “hookup” actually means, rather than perpetual mystery surrounding the subject.

For students in the class “Hooking Up: Healthy Exploration or Harmful Exploitation?” the term “hookup” is given a more tangible meaning. Taught by Professor Susan Stiritz, the course examines the contemporary cultural phenomenon of hooking up by looking at the historical and political implications of hooking up as well as personal consequences.

As students, we always hope that the material we are learning in the classroom can be applied to real-life settings and has significance beyond our transcripts.

“I believe that courses like [Stiritz’s] offered in the Sexuality Studies Department are essential since they afford individuals the experience of exploring their own sexuality and help them to become more comfortable with themselves,” junior Daryl Steiger, a student in Stiritz’s class, said.

The focus of the course is each student’s own experiences and how each can better understand his or her own values about hooking up. At its foundation, the class is structured around pre-determined readings; however, the students’ ideas and experiences are the greatest authority in the class. This is what has made their participation in the class so unique and meaningful.

Stiritz inspires her students to interact and engage with the material on a distinctively personal level, thus providing a more in-depth learning experience. She encourages this discussion by promoting collaboration among students and fostering a trusting environment. The unique bond that the students of the class have formed with one another, and with Stiritz, is palpable.

Students expressed genuine appreciation for the course and, most importantly, respect for one another.

“We get together to discuss personal experiences in a trusting environment, learn from one another and apply what we have learned to our day-to-day encounters,” senior Sheyna Ezrapour said.

It is evident that Stiritz has not only created a bond among her students, but also has empowered each individual voice to direct the class discussion. The openness of the class allows for in-depth discussion and real-life application of the material.

Each of us has our own rules and thoughts about what constitutes a hook up. Ranging from kissing to sex, a hookup is a vague description of what actually takes place and doesn’t account for any emotional responses to what can physically transpire between two people.

We have all partaken in that frequent conversation with friends, trying to make sense of recent hook ups and decipher what the other person feels—or if feelings are even involved. All too often, we wish for a universal glossary to make sense of it all.

Stiritz’s course breaks down this confusion and helps students define their romantic and sexual experiences in a way that is meaningful and logical to them. The course turns this frequent conversation with friends into a subject worthy of stimulating academic debate.

“We hooked up.” Yes, it’s ambiguous, but those three small words do cover some common ground—they have become a trademark phrase of college culture and of daily life. The students in Stiritz’s class are happy to finally open up this conversation because, let’s face it, we’re all having it.

Opinions on and perceptions of formerly hot topics, such as “hooking up,” are also quite different between the two institutions. “It’s much more laid back,” an anonymous freshman said. “In high school, if you hooked up, it was big news, and it traveled around. Now, it’s not such a big deal.”

Even behaviors such as one-night stands, something that was certainly unheard of or at the very least taboo in high school, are not novel. While not nearly as commonplace as hookups, they definitely exist and are by and large accepted as part of the “college experience.” This is made easier by the adoption of informal “sexiling” agreements between many freshmen and their roommates, providing a location for said encounters.

Why does this happen? It could be due to a plethora of things: The first time away from home, some sort of attempt to “break free” from parents and family, a release of pent-up frustration (sexual or otherwise) or even an attempt to create a fresh start for themselves after high school.

There appears to be one common denominator upon which everybody agrees, however. “The alcohol plays a big part. When kids get drunk, they’re more likely to do it,” a sophomore said, “Also, there are a lot of frat parties.”

To be sure, fraternities appear to foment this type of atmosphere, throwing parties almost every weekend, allowing numerous freshmen inside—in essence, giving them free reign.

This culture exists parallel to and in uneasy conjunction with the numerous freshmen who have retained significant others from high school. They obviously do not partake in said lifestyle, instead traveling to visit their boyfriends or girlfriends on weekends. They are not truly an exception, however, as the time afforded to them by their significant other is certainly free from oversight by authority figures—within reason.

One cannot truly pass moral judgment on the casual hookup culture, however, as it is neither a positive or a negative force. College is the first time most people are able to be truly independent, and being able to hook up or have one-night stands is a facet of that ability that many students take advantage of.

Coupled with this is the fact that the college environment causes a big push in that direction. It’s just like when you are first introduced to something—you do it a lot and gradually taper off. For some people, college is that introduction (to sexual freedom), and the rest of their life is the attenuation.

“Studying them can help us negotiate the tricky terrain of today’s sexual culture as well as give us insight into the social construction of sexuality and of gender,” she said.

According to junior Mythili Sanikommu, a member of the group in the class “Hooking Up: Healthy Exploration or Harmful Exploitation?” which studied juniors’ hooking up practices, upperclassmen’s sexual activity differs significantly from that of freshmen and sophomores in that it often involves more commitment.

“There’s a lot less random hooking up, and people are more careful about hooking up with their friends,” Sanikommu said. “They’re more often looking for relationships.”

Sanikommu’s group, which surveyed 137 students, found that 41 percent of juniors had not hooked up at this point in the semester, in contrast to a separate survey that found that only 22 percent of freshmen had not hooked up.

Juniors in the survey also said that they had different definitions of hooking up this year than they did as freshmen.

Of the juniors, only 11 percent said that “making out” was as far as they would go during a hookup, compared with 21 percent who set the limit at “genital touching,” 19 percent at “oral sex” and 38 percent at “intercourse.”

Looking back, however, some 20 percent of juniors said they would have only gone as far as “making out” during their freshman year, compared with 23 percent who responded with “genital touching,” 21 percent with “oral sex” and—in marked contrast—20 percent with “intercourse.”

The junior research group concluded that a multitude of factors influenced these trends in juniors’ hooking up, including solidified friend groups, moving off campus, creating an identity away from home, being 21 years old and studying abroad.

With regard to all but the studying abroad factor, juniors share many characteristics with seniors that influence their patterns of hooking up.

“Juniors and seniors are pretty similar,” Sanikommu said. “By the time you’re a senior you don’t really want to hook up randomly. You’re looking for something stable.”

According to junior Ashley Johnson, a member of the group in the class that studied seniors, seniors’ relationships also tend to move at a faster pace than underclassmen’s.

“It’s very different to be in a relationship as a senior than as a freshman, when you’re not quite comfortable in your own skin or in college,” Johnson said. “Relationships move faster with seniors—both emotionally and physically.”

A number of factors, including the imminent approach of graduation and the oncoming “real world,” were listed as factors contributing to seniors’ desire to pursue deeper relationships.

Concerning seniors’ hooking up, Johnson said that one of the defining characteristics of seniors’ sexual culture is that it lacks any defining characteristics.

“I think that the main point that we found in our research was that there is no trend, there is no pattern,” Johnson said. “Unlike the other grades—where you see different milestones that affect hooking up—there isn’t anything like that senior year.”

Instead, Johnson’s group found that seniors are more likely to have varying conceptions of hooking up.

According to the group’s survey of about 40 seniors, for example, definitions of hooking up ranged from “tongue in other person’s mouth for more than 10 seconds” to “making out and beyond—anything horizontal” to “anything sexual between two people, from kissing to sex.”

Ultimately, though, the class as a whole identified one characteristic common to hooking up among seniors, which seniors also share with the rest of the student body.

“The perspective that has emerged in the class is that hooking up is not intrinsically bad or good—it’s how the practice is used that makes hooking up a positive or negative experience,” Stiritz said.

“When hooking up is used as a form of sexual conquest, it is a potentially hurtful and destructive behavior,” she added. “When hooking up is used considerately as a form of mutual enjoyment and exploration, it has the potential to be developmentally helpful.”

This article is the second in a two-part series on Professor Susan Stiritz’s Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies class, “Hooking Up: Healthy Exploration or Harmful Exploitation?” Last week’s story discussed hooking up patterns among freshmen and sophomores.

Most people are not qualified to tell others what to do in the bedroom. Everyone has different styles, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. But just like that show “What Not to Wear,” there are definitely acts that fit under the category of “What Not to Do While Hooking Up.” So here is the Wash. U. Guide to Hookup Don’ts:

Don’t hook up in your roommate’s bed. You might have gotten away with going at it in a friend’s bed at a party in high school, but that’s not very nice either. You have no excuses now, so stay on your own side of the room.

Don’t give in to the convenience of floorcest. You’ll hear this over and over because it’s that important. If that means hooking up with a semi-random person instead, so be it. It’ll probably be less awkward in the end.

Don’t leave your socks on. It’s just weird.

Don’t say “I love you” for the first time while your partner is…pleasing you. It’s just about as genuine as typing “ILY” on AIM. And don’t say it if you don’t mean it.

Don’t break out the fuzzy handcuffs for the first hookup. Those are for special occasions with someone who already knows and is comfortable with how freaky you are.

Guys: Don’t ask how you compare to other guys that a girl has been with, especially in terms of size. It will undoubtedly make her uncomfortable and make you look like you need to affirm your masculinity. Be proud of what you’ve got!

Girls: Don’t steal a guy’s shirt the morning after, unless he takes yours, in which case it’s totally fair game, but you might want to end things with him anyway.

Don’t hook up on the Bunny. Not only is it dangerous, but the Bunny is also not into threesomes.

Don’t hook up in the common room. You may be an exhibitionist, but not everyone is prepared to be a member of the audience.
Well, there you have it. There are probably many other things that you can do wrong, but at the very least, people won’t be telling stories with you playing the role of “that guy” or “the crazy chick.”