It's summer -- the season of sunshine, sweat and skimpy clothing. Only this time around you're at Dartmouth, land of hot hookups and quick goodbyes where connections are formed as fast as pong balls flying across the table. These bonds are often broken in the time it takes to chug a beer, but sometimes, with a role of dice, people fall for each other after falling on each other. But are these patterns of Dartmouth firmly cemented year-round into our culture, or do they change with the weather? Love is in the air -- or is it?
From a scientific standpoint, the potential steaminess of sophomore summer results from the intersection of the x-factor. For those less socially aware, the x-factor reveals that the appeal of guys increases steadily as they grow older, while the appeal of girls drops at the same rate: thus the eminent X.
"The cross of the X is supposed to occur at sophomore summer when the appeal of both men and women is equal and everyone is sort of gung ho," Lydia Chammas '09 said. "People that I would never have thought of together are now meeting each other and getting together. People are just being more social and the possibilities are getting larger."
While many students have mixed reactions about the intersection of the X, for some, its mythical status has become a reality. "It's far more promiscuous than any other term I've experienced at Dartmouth," an '09 male, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. "I've got a girlfriend, but my friends hook up every night they go out. In the first two weeks, guys who never got any were losing their V-cards."
Jessica Lane '09 points to a reason for such a rise in hooking-up. "I would say people hook up more often in the summer because there are fewer people on campus so everyone knows one another and it feels more comfortable," she said. "However, if things don't work out it seems like everyone finds out a lot sooner and it is more awkward."
For all the students who attribute their sexual satisfaction to the looser summer vibe, many others feel that the difference sophomore summer makes in terms of relationships is minimal. "The people that generally hook up a lot still hook up a lot," Alex Vespoli '09 said. "And the people who don't hook up that much, still don't."
This same belief is echoed by other Dartmouth males. "It hasn't changed at all," an anonymous '09 male said, as I questioned him and his friends at the Hop. "It's the same old Dartmouth. Girls love TDX."
His three friends sitting next to him nodded in exasperated agreement, before one of them leaned over and with a glint in his eyes said, "I'll tell you one thing and this is a fact. I know girls who have actually made lists about who they want to hook up with during sophomore summer," he said.
I couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness with which he said this, but all of his friends looked at me and one exclaimed, "No, no he's telling the truth. We know girls who have done that." They looked at each other with bemused expressions as if they were trying to ponder what they saw as the craziness of the female sex.
While I don't know any girls who have made such lists, some girls do know how to go after what they want. For Katie Miller '09, the patterns of Dartmouth remain unchanged from the rest of the year. "I think it is exactly the same. You see a hot guy, you think he's attractive, you go after him," she said. "If something happens, that's great. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen." She then smiled to herself. "If we have a connection and go get dinner at food court, well then that's great. Maybe I'll even say hi to him if I see him on the street."
Other girls have a completely different philosophy for the summer. Two girls -- who wish to remain anonymous in case they change their minds about the following statement -- told me of a solemn pact they had made for this summer. "After finishing off some residual flings, we are committed to a celibate summer."
They didn't really give a reason for this resolution, but I could see the disenchantment with Dartmouth dating in their eyes as they smiled to each other in encouragement.
If opinions are so mixed on the myth versus reality of sophomore summer loving, how does it keep its legendary status from year to year? "You always hear about that magic of sophomore summer, but so far I feel it has been craziness," Anne Megargel '09 said. "Then again, two of my friends finished their Dartmouth Seven over their sophomore summer. It's a good time to get some of those outdoor ones done."
Overall, differing objectives when hooking-up can lead to potentially awkward situations. "It's weird," Bret Tenenhaus '09 said, "I think it's a time when half of the class is sick of the randomness of the last two years and want something more substantial and the other half of the class is looking to have a bunch of random times."
While not necessarily pursuing said "random times," Angela Monafo '09 questioned the appeal of starting relationships in the summer. "I don't understand why people want to start a relationship over the summer when the D-Plan changes everyone's schedule for junior year," Monafo said. "But I guess I can't talk because my parents met over their sophomore summer."
The idea that a sophomore summer fling could lead to marriage and a future Dartmouth legacy is a scary idea. It's unnerving to think of Dartmouth relationships as having the potential to last and that we are building ties that could reach into our futures. I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift." Who cares if we don't know what is going to happen, if we don't know the future of our relationships or hook-ups, or if we can't define our affection for a person in Dartmouth terms? Let's cherish the summer and enjoy it with people who we like, in whatever form or direction that may take us.
