Katie Jill Herchenroeder

Previously published by The Campus

“It honestly happened pretty suddenly in a back stairwell of the NAC after our class. I had no clue how we got there and I still couldn’t tell you exactly where it was, but it was fun,” RD, who preferred to tell their story safely behind initials, quipped.

Whether it is a base hit or a home run, hooking up in college can be tricky, especially at a commuter school. With over 95% of students living off campus, it is no secret that, on occasion, the heat of the moment cannot wait for the 45 minute train ride, should the MTA comply at all. In these moments of desperation, what a better place on campus to find seven minutes in heaven than the North Academic Center?

Before expounding upon the subsequent tips and tricks for an afternoon rendezvous in the NAC, it is beyond imperative to divulge the first rule of the game, one so colossal that all other requirements and suggestions pale in comparison.

Rule #1 to hooking up in the NAC: There must be consent. Without consent, it is not hooking up, it is sexual assault. Therefore, when “hooking up” in the NAC is mentioned, it is only referring to consensual activity between individuals. Nothing less. If this is confusing, consult the following definition established in California’s 2014 “Yes Means Yes” legislation: “consent is a voluntary, affirmative, conscious, agreement to engage in sexual activity, that it can be revoked at any time, that a previous relationship does not constitute consent, and that coercion or threat of force can also not be used to establish consent.”

Once rule #1 is met, as was in RD’s story, the world is your oyster. World, here, is used as a euphemism for the NAC. 1605 Amsterdam Ave is overflowing with locations to meet up with a significant other when distance fails and passion takes the steering wheel. While some opt for the “private” study rooms in the library, others utilize open classrooms or deeply tucked away stairwells, like RD.

The NAC is a place for old flings, new crushes, or anything in between. “I really didn’t know him that well, at all! We met in class and got along decently well enough to start talking outside of class. I wasn’t hugely interested in him but it was fun enough when it started happening that we kind of went with it,” RD recollected. With this noted, they gave that this was not the ideal situation. “Of course, hooking up in the NAC was definitely not on the list of things I was looking for,” RD joked. At an institution with gothic architecture reminiscent of a more romantic time, one must wonder, “Why the NAC?” RD answered, “We decided to stay in the NAC because it was a really last minute, caught-in-the-moment type of thing that we wanted to do right after class.”

Do not despair, however, there are several places on campus to utilize. RD has tried out different locales for being intimate. “I’ve hooked up in the practice rooms in Shepard and also in parts of the Cohen Library. It’s mostly out of convenience; like, you’re both already on campus all day, it’s easier to do than going back home,” they shared.

A warning should be given. This action is not for the faint of heart, for just as finals are right around the corner, so are public safety officials and other unknowing bystanders. RD admitted, “I absolutely was [afraid of getting caught]! It was the most compromising situation to be stuck in, and that was definitely at the back of my mind the whole time.” They recalled, “I’m pretty sure people walked through the stairwell and we had to pretend nothing was going on, but we ended up not being caught.”

So, how do college students quench their consensual desires, not get caught along the way, and still make it to Orgo 2?

RD advised that if one is looking to hook up in the NAC, “try not to.”

Yet, they continued, “But if you’re going to anyways, get creative and be on the lookout! The NAC has so many nooks and crannies within it that there’s always somewhere to go.”

During these trying years, with the weight of college soundly on your shoulders, the real world lurking at your resume, and that special someone flickering in the back of your head, hold RD’s closing advice near to you, “We’re here for a good time not a long time.”

Design by Loretta Violante