It is no secret that UCSB has maintained an unceasing stigma for being a major “party school.” In its origins, UCSB stood for University of California, Santa Barbara. Today, UCSB stands for U Can Study Buzzed, U C Sleazy Blondes, University of Casual Sex and Beer, and countless others. Although we are an outstanding academic school, currently beating out some of the most prestigious private and public universities on Forbes: America’s Top Colleges, our reputation of an undying party scene and perpetual promiscuity remains. While college is the designated time to stay out all night, meet new people, and have those alleged one-night-stands, UCSB seems to overindulge in these activities too casually.
The sex culture at UCSB seems to be radically different from that of other universities. After talking to numerous friends of mine who attend great schools in Texas, Washington, Oregon, Washington, D.C., New York, and neighboring schools in California, I found that the type of sex that continuously occurs at UCSB is vastly different from that of my friends’ schools. In fact, they were shocked to hear what regularly happens in our small, quaint town of Isla Vista. I found that at other universities, of course, there are one-night-stands, but they are few and frowned upon. Students attending these other universities indubitably indulge in alcohol and hook-ups; however our school’s definition of “hook-up” is generally meant as sex, while their definition carries a different, much more innocent connotation. Such information made me take a closer, introverted look at the behavior that goes on at our school—more particularly, the behavior that occurs in Isla Vista.
It is inevitable that when you go to a party in Isla Vista, you will see multiple people hooking up; and it is more common than not that you will see those two people leaving the party in a beeline formation, darting to one of their two houses. I’m sure if you were to walk by one their houses in the morning, you would see one of them leaving the other’s house messy-haired and wrinkly-clothed…oh, and quickly. “Shacking it,” one-night-stands, casual sex, friends with benefits—these are all terms synonymous with I.V. sexual behavior.
In Isla Vista sex culture, it is clear that girls are the gatekeepers of sex. However, guys are the gatekeepers of relationships. Girls decide whether you two will engage in sex, but guys decide whether you two engage in a monogamous relationship. In I.V., two people could be having consistent sex with each other for a year, yet not be in a relationship and still be hooking-up with other people.
The idea of just casual sex, undefined relationships, and a carefree attitude seems foreign to other universities, while this is the norm at UCSB. The idea of casual sex is strongly rooted in the foundation of Isla Vista sex culture, providing girls and guys with carefree, easy sex at any time of the day or night.
So I must ask, is this normal behavior or are we UCSB-goers too casual?