Some students prefer casual hookups to committed relationships

For many UNC students, a large, populous university is an open space to explore a variety of majors and interests — but also casual relationships and just “hooking up.”

Senior Ty Hodges said he enjoys the possibilities that are available in more casual dating situations.

“(Casually hooking up) is great because you get what you want immediately without getting too attached if you don’t want to,” he said.

“I guess it makes college more enjoyable.”

Sophomore Cameron Blair is currently engaged in a casual hookup situation.

“The casual hookup scene was definitely something I discovered once I got to UNC,” said Blair, who was in a committed relationship in high school.

“I feel like a lot of kids I know at very small schools date more. I do know people here that are in relationships, but in large colleges I feel like casually hooking up is pretty common.”

Blair said in these types of arrangements, sometimes it can be hard to separate the physical from the emotional.

“You’re doing something that’s very intimate, but you can’t be vulnerable in other ways to that person,” she said. “If you do, it complicates things.”

Libby Hunter, referral coordinator and therapist for UNC’s Counseling and Psychological Services said a problem she’s seen among students in casual hookup relationships is when the two involved aren’t on the same page.

“We see people who are in relationships who are wanting something out of it and the partner isn’t,” Hunter said.

“One person wants the relationship to move further in a monogamous way, and the other wants to keep it casual.”

Hodges said despite the fact that he enjoys the freedom and easy-going nature of casual hookups, they can often lead to more.

“I think all of my relationships have actually spawned out of hookups,” he said.

“It starts off as that but eventually you just get closer and closer.”

On the other hand, UNC 2014 graduate Dylan Moore — known as his stage name “Nicky Showtime” and most notorious for his strip prank in a biology class last year — said he was never looking for commitment to stem from casual hookups while he was in college.

In fact, he was looking forward to casual hookups as part of his college experience.

“Hookups can give you bragging rights, good stories — it’s usually the status quo of a good weekend,” Moore said.

“I didn’t take anything too seriously. I was just out trying to have fun.”

Hunter said these practices are not uncommon for college students in this stage of emotional development.

“One thing I would say is that emerging adulthood is a time where students are finding themselves, figuring out who they are, trying different things,” she said — it’s a period of figuring things out in every aspect,” Hunter said.

“Sexual exploration is really normative at this life stage. It can include many different things and looks different for everyone.”

For Moore, having fun turned into valuable 
experiences.

“It’s a pretty important aspect of college in my opinion because it’s not just about tests and books,” Moore said.

“I got way more out of meeting and interacting with people than in any of the classes I took.”

arts@dailytarheel.com