College, when you think about it, is quite an amazing social experiment. Hundreds of young adults, no parents, lots of freedom and alcohol. What could possibly go wrong? 

College is a place where, for those living with a “what happens in college stays in college” mentality, you can live without much accountability. Though the merit and success of such mentality has yet to be proven, there’s no doubt such people exist among our peers. Regardless of whether or not you totally embrace such a lifestyle, traces of this train of thought can be found in Colgate’s hook-up culture. 

In our hook-up culture, it’s possible for one to navigate the social scene without thinking much of the repercussions. Add to this dimly-lit, crowded environments and alcohol, and who really knows what sort of debauchery will occur. We tend to have lapses in judgment – is it really smart to hook up with multiple people at the same party in a span of two hours? Maybe not, but that might be your judgment call. In the heat of the moment, most just go with it and don’t really think about possible consequences until the morning. 

As a result, we have to learn how to look our hook-up in the eyes without having flashbacks to what happened at last weekend’s party as you run into them in class that Monday. Or learning to not totally veer off the path you are walking on as you head to the library in your best looking grunge, accepting that inevitably, they will see you when you are looking your worst. This is practicing an uncommitted sort of carelessness and an uncanny ability to draw a veil over whatever it is that we choose to forget. We pretend those mistakes never happened. And it’s fascinating just how good we get at it. 

But in the end, can any sort of college hook up actually stay quiet? People see, and people talk. In a small environment like Colgate, you’ll see everyone – even the ones that you would rather forget. Though after a while, there might be a point when you’ll want to remember. And finding someone worth remembering just might be the end goal of this game we call college.