Hookup culture is fine: Hooking up has never seemed to interfere with my abilities to be in a relationship. Hook ups are just a natural occurrence in life, and they say nothing about who you are as a person. Just because someone can enjoy their random hookups does not mean they cannot find someone to be in a relationship with. Sometimes people need a break from dating, and that does not mean they have to stop having sex too. People can even find relationships or friendships that start as hookups. One of my best friends and I met because we had sex and then continued talking. For a while we were friends with benefits, but then he found a girl he wanted to get serious with, so now me and him are just friends. Sex is not supposed to always be a special thing that happens between two people who share a connection. Sex is a natural instinct in all creatures. We need to stop shaming people who do not want to always be in committed relationships, but still want the sex. It is that person’s choice if they want to put out or not, and other people shouldn’t have a say as to how active or not active another person’s sex life is. Some people can go their entire life and only sleep with a couple people, and that is their choice. The body count does not matter whether it is 1 or 30, the only thing that matters is that people are not being stupid about the sex that they have. Just wrap it up, have the awkward 30 second STD talk with the dude and continue. Sex is supposed to be fun, so don’t ruin it by turning it into this magical idea that it means something so much more than what it is.

-Aubrey James, Freshman

Hookup culture is not fine: It seems to me that in 2016 we are in a time where the words “freedom” and “choice” are used liberally. We get it in our heads that “I can do whatever I want and it doesn’t matter who it affects because it is my freedom to choose”. I have the freedom to go out and get drunk tonight but will I still be able to make it to class tomorrow? I have the freedom to not do my homework and watch Netflix all night but will I get an A on my test? I have the freedom to hookup with any guy I want but will I still feel good about myself in the morning? No. In my personal experience, most of the things that we are free to do, end up enslaving us instead. The hookup culture is one of destruction and it degrades the value of BOTH men and women. When we hookup, we are using the body of another person for pleasure. That doesn’t sound right, does it? And by doing so, we not only debase ourselves, but take away some of the dignity of the other person involved. Why do you think they call it the walk of shame? One certainly isn’t proud to be walking home in last night’s clothes. The hookup culture has gotten out of hand. Our society needs is a little less freedom and a little more respect.

-Emily Faulkner, Senior

Next Week’s Topic (9/27): Eating meat has been a staple of human existence since the dawn of mankind. In modern times, factory farming has proven to be an efficient way of putting large quantities of meat and much-needed vitamins and minerals into people’s bodies at a cheap and efficient rate.

At the same time, factory farming animals is often done in brutal and morally questionable ways, often leading to mass suffering and harsh conditions for many animals.

Should we, as a society, continue factory farming as practice or abolish it entirely?