Hook Ups On Campus: Perhaps the name communicates how non personal and fleeting these relationships are in the minds of most students. The term has been common for over a decade, but only recently has research confirmed the prevalence of the behavior on campus. In 2000 Elizabeth Paul published the first academic look at the ritual of the college hook up. Her research is startling. In a survey of 555 undergrads, she found that 78% had "hooked up" - a term defined as a one time sexual encounter the could range from making out to intercourse, in which the two partners had no plans to pursue a relationship - or perhaps even talk again. 77.7% of women and 84.2% of the men reported having hooked up. Of those 60% said that their hook up included more "genital touching" than "meaningful conversation." The vast majority involve alcohol. A "good hook up" is defined as one about which no one finds out or talks about later. Some researchers feel that this generation may learn a lot about sex in college, but come away with very little knowledge of how to build a meaningful relationship. (MSNBC.com October 4, 2004)