Kerry Cronin discusses "hooking up" on college campuses
Hannah Brencher
Issue date: 11/11/09 Section: Lead Stories
Kerry Cronin recalls going out to ice cream seven years ago with seven seniors from Boston College. A professor at the College, Cronin connected in conversation with the students over their anxieties about the real world. She eased herself into asking the question of what they thought about leaving relationships with boyfriends and girlfriends behind.
"They looked at me like I had said something in another language," said Cronin.
Of the seven students, only one of the students had ever "dated" someone.
If students are not dating then what are they doing? That is the question that Cronin became dedicated to answering since that very discussion. Her results led her to a complex, yet at the same time, very simple answer: Hooking up.
Cronin dissected the act of "hooking up" for an audience of students, faculty and administrators of Assumption College on Monday, November 2, 2009 in the Hagan Campus Center Hall. Organized by the Faith and Culture Committee, the adjunct professor of Boston College raised issues of dating, relationships and sexuality among college students. Cronin has given this talk all over the country, but found it more comfortable to be at a Catholic university because "we all have similar worldviews to address this question."
To uncover the phenomenon on college campuses that is "hooking up," Cronin went to the best experts on the subject: college students.
"I was going around to students in the quad, asking them, 'are you hooking up?'" said Cronin. Surprisingly, students were ready and willing to talk about it.
Cronin has come to define hooking up as "any physical interaction without a perceived intention of any relationship." The key is perception. Although there may be hopes and dreams of something coming out of the hook-up, one must look like they have no intentions at all.
Cronin amused the crowd with index cards that carried her findings on the topic of hooking up as if it were the best kept secret. She divided college students into four separate categories: the sliver of students that are actually dating in a functional manner; the "pseudo-married couples," those couples that look like they hate fun and act like they are a married couple; the group of people that engage in the act of "hooking up" and those who choose to "opt out" of hooking up for a variety of reasons.
"They looked at me like I had said something in another language," said Cronin.
Of the seven students, only one of the students had ever "dated" someone.
If students are not dating then what are they doing? That is the question that Cronin became dedicated to answering since that very discussion. Her results led her to a complex, yet at the same time, very simple answer: Hooking up.
Cronin dissected the act of "hooking up" for an audience of students, faculty and administrators of Assumption College on Monday, November 2, 2009 in the Hagan Campus Center Hall. Organized by the Faith and Culture Committee, the adjunct professor of Boston College raised issues of dating, relationships and sexuality among college students. Cronin has given this talk all over the country, but found it more comfortable to be at a Catholic university because "we all have similar worldviews to address this question."
To uncover the phenomenon on college campuses that is "hooking up," Cronin went to the best experts on the subject: college students.
"I was going around to students in the quad, asking them, 'are you hooking up?'" said Cronin. Surprisingly, students were ready and willing to talk about it.
Cronin has come to define hooking up as "any physical interaction without a perceived intention of any relationship." The key is perception. Although there may be hopes and dreams of something coming out of the hook-up, one must look like they have no intentions at all.
Cronin amused the crowd with index cards that carried her findings on the topic of hooking up as if it were the best kept secret. She divided college students into four separate categories: the sliver of students that are actually dating in a functional manner; the "pseudo-married couples," those couples that look like they hate fun and act like they are a married couple; the group of people that engage in the act of "hooking up" and those who choose to "opt out" of hooking up for a variety of reasons.
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posted 11/12/09 @ 6:50 PM EST
Hm, this was actually very interesting. I never realized that this type of culture leaves young people feeling unhappy and disconnected. They generally give off the perception that they are satisfied with this lifestyle. (Continued…)
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