Summer Lovin’The Temperature Rises and the Clothing FallsBy Lyzette Salway and Brianna Fountain-FennellAs the days get longer and theweather gets warmer, yourclothes and inhibitions are sureto become looser. And with summerright around the corner, there areplenty of no-strings-attached flings inyour future, if you so choose jealousfits, passive-aggressive tweets, andarguing in public are all perfectlyvalid reasons to avoid getting intoa monogamous relationship. Infact, college students are known togenerally favor casual hookups overold-fashioned romance.But what exactly is a hookup?Everyone has his/her own idea ofwhat constitutes as a hookup (BillClinton, I’m looking at you), but for thepurpose of this article, a hookup is anyphysical contact between two people,commitment-free of course.With more free time, students havethe chance to partake in the usualsummertime activities, like loungingon the beach, socializing at bonfiresand parties, and taking road trips torandom destinations.Cal State Long Beach lecturer MarcelMorales, who teaches sociology ofsexuality, said people hook up all thetime, regardless of the season, butsummertime provides an environmentthat fosters sexual exploration.“Sexuality is more omnipresent [duringthe summer]” Morales said. “Peoplewear less [clothing], the heat goes up,and people have more free time.”Avoiding emotions at all costs is thefirst rule of casual hookups. Thingsmay quickly turn sour the moment oneperson starts to catch feelings.Before moving to Long Beach,communications major Shene McCoyhad a summer fling with a guy fromback home in Oakland. She eventuallyrealized that they didn’t have the sameintentions.“Feelings came on fast,” McCoy said.“He couldn’t let go, but I was happy toleave him back home.”McCoy admitted she’s looking forwardto where this summer may take her.But she had one bit of advice.“Know what you are getting into sofeelings won’t get involved,” McCoysaid. “[And] don’t limit yourself to oneperson.”Alcohol is another way to complicateyour sexy time. Yes, beer pong andMonday-through-Sunday fun-days area big part of summer festivities, but abad case of beer-goggles may haveyou pillow talking with someone whoisn’t even your type.Kinesiology major Kenny Famuyiroadmitted that alcohol was involvedwhen he hooked up with his co-workerone summer during a party.“I drink way more in the summer. Peopleseem to be more relaxed and social,”Famuyiro said.You should always try to limit alcoholto just one or two drinks. You willremember more of your summer,and more importantly, more of yoursummer hookups.Famuyiro’s fling ended up lastingthroughout the summer, until workended. “It’s still cool to see her everysummer, but it was a fling and nothingmore,” Famuyiro said.Morales said that alcohol consumptionand sex is a risky combination, andeven puts your safe-sex practices injeopardy.“One thing you need to ask yourselfis, ‘would I normally do this?’” Moralessaid.Casual hook ups aren’t supposed tobe stressful, but you should alwaysremember the possibilities of contractinga sexually transmitted disease.According to the California Departmentof Public Health, STDs are mostcommon among men and womenin Long Beach who are between theages of 15 and 24 years old. CSULBStudent Health Services provides STDtesting and treatment for students.Lectures aside, summer break is intendedto give students a few worry-freemonths that include sleeping in, justmake sure you’re okay with who you’rewaking up next to.14
Summer School (Yes or No?)By Chie UrakiAre you ready for summerbreak or summerschool? CSULB offersmore than 700 day and eveningcourses during SummerSessions. CSULB students andnon-CSULB students can enrollthe class and earn up to 13 unitstoward a degree. While somestudents like summer courses,other students are not willinggive up their summer freedom togain a few units. There are manypros and cons when choosingwhether to take summer classor not.Smaller classesSince most students are onvacation and usually fewerstudents enroll the summer class,students will experience a smallclass atmosphere. This couldhelp them to participate in theclass and might be easy tointeract with the professor. Juniorinternational studies and politicalscience major Jonathan Floressaid he prefers smaller classesduring the summer. “Smaller sizeclass makes everything a littlebit more personal, especiallybetween the professor and thestudents, as well as it is morehelpful since everyone wouldfeel the need to participate,”Flores said.so professors sometimes arenot able to cover all materialsthat students are supposed tolearn during a regular semester.Some students like it becausethe material is condensed inorder to finish quickly, but otherstudents feel as if it is too rushed.“The short term class is a littlebit difficult since we sometimesneed to learn what we see in asemester in a couple of weeksand can get stressful,” Floressaid.Class expensesThe enrollment fee is the bigconcern for both parents andstudents during the summersession. This can be a dealbreaker because of the $299per-unit fee, an $85 parkingfee and additional UniversityStudent Union fees.Eliminating summer plansEnrolling in a full summer sessionmeans you might sacrifice yourentire summer break. SeniorEnglish education major DaleGima takes her vacation timeseriously: “I believe that anybreaks that a student can takewill greatly improve their mentalhealth, and allow them toperform better during the regularschool year.”Senior theater arts major Miho Nakamura studies at Belmont Pier. Photo By Chie UrakiShort-term classSummer classes run fewer weeksthan that of the regular semester,15
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