College Forum Focuses on 

Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups!

What happens in college stays in college. Right? Not necessarily.

The hook-up culture, rampant on many college campuses, creates unintended drama and emotional pain for many students while at school and in years to come.

The free flow of alcohol on campus (where most students are under age!) fuels sexual hook-ups and in some cases provides 'excuses' for participation. After all, "I was drunk and didn't know better."

Even when sex isn't the intent, alcohol is often the catalyst for sexual encounters, assaults or worse.

Are college students really clueless of the dangers of hooking-up? Or, are they in denial that they are in danger? It's the age-old story of youth feeling invincible plus emancipated from parents, increased sexual expectations, easy access to condoms, and besides - no one will know. Right!

Last month, Heritage Community Services (Heritage) partnered with College of Charleston's Upward Bound to offer their second Sex, Lies, and Hook-Ups forum at the Simons Center Recital Hall. Tammy Bryant, MSW and Chief Program Officer at Heritage and an alumnus delivered the keynote address to over 150 students, plus faculty and community members. Bryant addressed the physical and emotional consequences of sexual hook-ups and the negative effects of alcohol on sexual decisions and even sexual assault.

Consequences like pregnancy, STDs and HIV, regret, sadness, depression and suicide, lowered self worth and esteem, anger, and anxiety often lead to more consumption of alcohol in order to cope. All make it very difficult to meet academic requirements and enjoy the fun of college life.

Students were shocked to learn about Oxytocin, a hormone produced during intimacy and sexual activity that increases feelings of attachment and bonding. Oxytocin, by design, really ruins the whole 'friends with benefits' lie, making it harder to forget the encounter, creating obsessive thoughts about the so-called 'friend' and feelings of rejection when the 'friend' doesn't call or act like they even know you.

After the challenge to re-think sexual norms on campus, Leroy Lewis, Director of Upward Bound, hosted a panel discussion with representatives of Greek Life, Black Student Union, Student Health Services, MUSC's OB/GYN Department, Lowcountry AIDS Services, and Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. Panel members fielded questions on the consequences of the hook-up culture, provided practical advice and informed students about available resources on campus and in the community.

Lively debate ensued during Sex, Lies and Hook-Ups with many motivated to get tested for STDs and HIV. Responses were predictably mixed among the collegiate gathering, with some students obviously skeptical and resistant, while others engaged and thoughtful. Almost all admitted, by a show of hands, that sexual hook-ups result in unintended drama and negative emotional consequences for themselves and their friends.

Most college students do know better and smart students on campuses nationwide are taking a stand against the hook-up culture, demanding more options for their future than their parents' generation. One example is the Love and Fidelity Network, founded at Princeton University and now boasting a significant presence at Harvard, University of Virginia, Georgetown, Brigham Young, Providence, Columbia, College of the Holy Cross, Duke, St. Johns, University of Idaho, Notre Dame, Washington and Lee, Washington University in St. Louis, and College of William and Mary.

These college students have moral standards and are not caving into the demands of a sex-saturated culture. A recent reception at Princeton was sponsored by 40 faculty, staff and ministry leaders, up from just 4 co-sponsors 6 years ago. What a concept!

Students for a Better Yale College called for an end to Sex Week at Yale:

"We believe Yale can do better. 

We exist, therefore, to advocate

for a better sexual culture, one grounded in genuine respect and self-giving love;

to oppose campus attitudes and events that offer a degrading and trivializing vision of sexuality; and to embody the alternative

in our personal lives to the best of our abilities. We stand for a Yale where sexual objectification is unknown, where freshmen are not pressured to accept inebriated

hook-ups as the default lifestyle, and

where students' romantic lives teach them to love and respect the whole person, not just the body or particular parts thereof."

What about College of Charleston and other campuses in South Carolina? Can't we do better?

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