While I have long believed that relationships can actually last while in college, my belief is slowly drifting far, far away.
Surviving college is hard enough, but having a healthy relationship may be compared to the Holy Grail. There is enough temptation that even the most innocent people might start to think twice about their beliefs in monogamy and fidelity.
A recent poll of users of AshleyMadison.com — a site that “assists those who find it difficult to uphold their wedding vows and are actively looking to cheat on their significant others,” according to those wise frat dudes at TotalFratMove.com — surveyed 10,000 clients to find out which universities across the country boasted the highest rates of cheaters.
Fear not, my friends: In true ASU style, we made the list. And by making the list, I mean we placed second in the nation for this dubious honor — 7.4 percent of AshleyMadison users hailed from ASU. The University of Minnesota was the only school to beat us.
I’m not sure if I should be depressed or disgusted. I want to say I’m shocked, but the truth is, I’m really not shocked at all.
When you go to college, it seems people may start to forget that while the mistakes you make in college will make great stories later, they can also follow you for the rest of your life.
You grow up in college and habits you develop during your stay in college may very well become lifetime habits.
Do college students forget that they actually are in the real world? That life isn’t about the party scene? That when you say “I do,” or when you enter into a relationship, the vast majority of the time the other person is not down for bringing other people into the relationship? Apparently, they do.
Maybe our student body needs a wake-up call. If you are so unhappy that you need to cheat on your partner, perhaps they simply aren’t the one. Maybe you aren’t meant to be in a relationship, and maybe you should have figured that out about yourself in the first place.
If you feel like cheating, just break up with that person. You cannot have your cake and eat it, too. While the habits you make in college may not necessarily affect you now, they will undoubtedly come back to bite you in the end.
Being faithful should not be difficult. It should be second nature, or even, if you will, first nature. And if you even think about joining a site like AshleyMadison.com or think that cheating is OK, you might want to rethink your life. Look at your life. Look at your choices.
Reach the columnist at tweerasi@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @tishnii
