From what Vox has gathered about college hookup culture in general, Georgetown is pretty average when it comes to sex. According to the Voice‘s super-scientific survey, 72 percent of Georgetown students are sexually active. 52 percent of students said that Georgetown’s student culture encourages sex, but a large portion, 33 percent, neither agreed nor disagreed. And, despite what certain obtuse radio hosts would have you believe, the survey showed that a full 64 percent of Georgetown students are either “often” or “always” in a committed relationship with their sexual partners.
At the same time, many relationships begin as a series of drunken hookups. The main ways people find partners, either romantic or sexual, are through acquaintances, student groups, or class. Vox suggests going a little outside your main group of friends (which, in all likelihood, will be your floor) to find someone to date. When things end (oh, I mean “If”), you don’t want hurt feelings ruining your other relationships.
While many students bemoan the lack of a real dating culture on campus, most are okay just hooking up. It’s true that most students aren’t looking to date, but there are enough people willing to date you to give some credence to the persistent myth that 70 percent of Hoyas marry other Hoyas.
Most students use contraception, despite the University’s policy against selling it on campus. What follows is lifted from former Vox Editor Nico Dodd‘s version of this guide, since yours truly has not collected adequate data on the subject.
The D.C. Department of Health has one message for you: Use a rubber, kid.
That’s been the message for years, though now the department is using a glitzier ad campaign to get the idea across to us young folk. In a commercial that premiered last night, a group of elegantly-dressed men and women roll up to a club in a stretch limousine and, through winks and stolen glances, proceed to start hooking up. But they forgot the condoms! Not to worry, they order some fine government-issued durexes with their slick iPhone 5s! (apparently since they couldn’t afford trojans after they bought the limo).
The commercial is part of an effort to reduce the rates of STD infections and unwanted pregnancies. There are four ways to get free condoms: Text DCWRAP to 61827, find a distribution center online, call 311 and ask for free condoms, or use an online form to get condoms delivered. D.C.’s HIV-infection rate remains around 3 percent, which are considered epidemic levels.
Although the sex lives of Georgetown students have received more national attention than anyone would have liked, we at the Voice would like to find out how much you all are, so to speak, getting V-nasty.
The link to the survey is here, which takes about 2 minutes to complete. Of course, all information collected is anonymous. And remember to pick up next week’s issue to see the results!
For this edition of Prefrosh Preview, we’ll be tackling various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking. As a disclaimer, Vox isn’t advocating underage drinking or the use of illegal drugs, and most of this information comes from outside sources, not firsthand experience.
Drinking
Despite what some tour guides reassured your parents, drinking is a sizeable part of social life at Georgetown for many people. If you look for a party on the weekend, you will always find one.
During New Student Orientation, many freshmen will wander the neighborhood in packs listening for noise that might signal a party. We advise freshmen who find parties to avoid inviting their entire floor or drinking everything as soon as they can.
If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, here are some of the more popular nearby options:
Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and is usually occupied with doctors from the hospital.
Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks, good barbecue; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy, but good wings and a good chance of spotting Real World cast members or Kobe Bryant.
Rugby (1065 Wisconsin Ave): As part of a Ralph Lauren store, very, very preppy.
Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap, lots of dancing; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and filled with students, but also the strictest with IDs.
How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer. Last spring, a number of fake IDs were taken from Third Edition, so be aware that it could happen to you. Generally, Vox would discourage you from trying your fake at Third Edition or Tombs.
Every weekend, it’s easy to see the prevalence of the hookup culture at Georgetown. The number of hookups—and subsequent hookup horror stories—even led to three Georgetown students creation of WorstHookups.com, where students can share all the details of the encounters they’d rather forget.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s recently published, 141-person survey presented undergraduate respondents with a hypothetical scenario about their friend “Jane.” In the situation, Jane is drinking at a bar with her friends, then begins to drink with a guy at the bar who eventually invites her back to his place.
It broke our hearts when we learned that Georgetown’s resident blog queen, Venus Fly Trap, shut down her site this summer.
So, we invited her to join Vox.
Starting in two weeks, VFT will post bi-monthly advice columns about sex, dating, and anything else that’s inappropriate for polite conversations. But, there’s a catch—she needs your questions.
Here’s our request to you all: Dig down into your sexual psyche, then email questions to georgetownvenusflytrap@gmail.com. Anything related to relationships is fair game. (And we guarantee anonymity, so feel free to use pen names at your leisure.)
Let’s see what you’ve got, Georgetown. Venus Fly Trap is waiting.
Below, we’ve republished Juliana Brint’s August 2009 post about “all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking.” And here’s our disclaimer: Vox isn’t endorsing any of these activities. (And most of the advice and information came from outside sources.)
Alcohol
Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.
At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact that will doubtlessly shock your friends who visit). However, if you find kindly upperclassmen who frequently supply you with liquor, it’s generally a good idea to reimburse them.
If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, you have plenty of nearby options. Here’s the run-down:
Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy and crowded on weekends, but sells good wings
Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.
How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally avoid trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.
If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; but don’t even think about using a fake at Dixie). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.
If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is also a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight. Read the rest of this entry »
Members of Plan A Hoyas met with administrators on Tuesday to discuss Georgetown’s sexual health policies. Although they promised to meet with Plan A again, the Georgetown administrators who were present at the meeting do not seem to have committed to altering any University policies in response to pressure from the group.
Plan A members have not responded to several requests for comments about the meeting, but Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson described the meeting in an e-mail to Vox:
“We had a productive and frank conversation with the students, and we plan to meet with them again in the near future. I reiterated to them that as a Catholic and Jesuit university, we hold fast to our core values, and we remain committed to policies and approaches that reflect our identity.”
The University had agreed to this meeting following two high-profile GAAP weekend protests on Friday and Saturday where members of Plan A and other groups protested for student access to contraceptives on campus, changes to the University’s student insurance plan, and expanded space for dialogue about positions that the University considers antithetical to its Catholic identity.
The group netted especially strong coverage from their protest on Saturday, where three Plan A members chained themselves to the statue of Georgetown Founder John Carroll, which any number of outlets from the local NBC network to Feministing picked up.
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Updated 8:10 p.m.: After receiving a letter from Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson, the protesters unchained themselves from the statue. Plan A would not release the letter, but said they will be meeting with the administration “as soon as possible.”
Update 5:15 p.m.: The protesters are demanding that President John DeGioia respond to them by 8 p.m. tonight.
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On Saturday afternoon, as hundreds of prospective students visiting Georgetown for GAAP weekend strolled by, three students from Plan A Hoyas taped their mouths shout and chained themselves to the statue of John Carroll in Healy Circle in their most high-profile protest yet of the University’s refusal to acquiesce to their demands.
About fifteen members of Plan A, the coalition movement started by H*yas for Choice and United Feminists to demand more dialogue about and access to sexual health care, participated in the demonstration at Healy Circle, stating the organization’s demands and singing chants. Plan A caught the attention of dozens of prospective students and their parents, despite the best efforts of GAAP tour leaders to avoid lingering near the protest.
“You need to know what’s up. Your sexual health is in danger!” a Plan A member shouted at a nearby tour group.
Local TV news channels filmed their activities, where members of Plan A were joined by representatives from two other on-campus organization, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana de Aztlán) and Georgetown’s chapter of the NAACP.
“Reproductive justice would benefit the female community of color because it’s usually women of color who can’t afford contraceptives and don’t have access to information. That’s the history of our community. Plan A really brings that to the forefront,” said Frances Davila (SFS’ 10), co-chair of MEChA.
We’ve seen what Georgetown University President looks like as a Jack-o-lantern—but what if he were a leprechaun?
Seems he’d be sporting a green fedora and prancing around Red Square, telling passersby and angry members of Plan A Hoyas, “You’ll never get my pot of condoms!”
At least that’s how members of Plan A Hoyas, the controversial group pressuring the University to provide contraceptives, comprehensive sex education, and expanded free speech about sexuality on campus, chose to interpret his Irish side. Frustrated that DeGioia has not responded to the letter they delivered to his office on March 4 following a rally in Red Square, which Plan A Hoya leader Marion Cory (COL ’10) said asked him to respond by March 15 to their demands, members of Plan A Hoyas turned today to ‘guerrilla theater.’
Their brief performance around 1 p.m. featured students mimicking ineffective contraceptive methods, like pulling out, as a student dressed as ‘Jack O’Gioia’ hugged a pot of condoms and played keep-away, condemning heterosexual and gay sex. Plan A Hoya members circulated a petition for their demands to students who were watching.
The scene concluded when a Plan A member snatched away O’Gioia’s cache and held it up triumphantly. “Condoms!” he exclaimed, before showering Red Square in prophylactics.
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's weekly newsmagazine. Opinions expressed in posts are those of their author alone unless otherwise stated.
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