By Jill Campbell

“Thou shalt hook up.”

It is one of the unofficial Commandments of college life, right next to “Thou shalt wear a hoodie” and “Thou shalt eat Easy Mac.” Some statistics would have the world believe such is the case on most college campuses.

A study by the Society of Adolescent Medicine revealed that 56 percent of college students report that they have had sex, and 73 percent of those who did had done so unprotected at one point.

While the numbers may seem high, it doesn’t represent everyone. For various reasons, even at a time in their lives when many of their peers are sexually active, some students are virgins and proud of it.

Some virgins view sex as something that should be shared only by married couples who have less of a chance of breaking their relationship.

“I believe when you have sex, your hearts get united,” said Natalie Lane, a sophomore psychology and American Sign Language major. “Tearing apart that relationship is like tearing the two people apart, and pieces of you get left with each other, and you’re never completely whole again. I would never want to take that risk.”

According to recent statistics, however, colleges are not as sexually active as they once were. The Center for Disease Control found both college sexual activity and college-age pregnancy have decreased in recent years. Some college students are getting smarter about sex.

“There’s a lot of potential for damage if you have sex in a relationship that’s not backed up by a lifelong commitment,” said Nathan Chase, a middler civil engineering major. “It cheapens the value of sex. It makes it less beautiful. And remember that there’s always the risk of getting STDs.”

But the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is not the only reason some hang on to their virginity. Some virgins on campus cite religion as their primary reason for abstaining.

“It’s because of my relationship with Christ,” said sophomore nursing major Caitlyn Craft. “The bond that comes from sex is forever. Marriage is the unity of a man and a woman as well as their unity with God, and I’m waiting for that.”

But a virgin does not necessarily remain a virgin for only one reason; often young adults have multiple motives for waiting. Both Lane and Chase mention other reasons for waiting, but both are members of the Agape Christian Fellowship on campus and have religious beliefs that also affect their decisions about sex.

“I think it’s about unity,” Lane said. “But here’s my religious spin on it: God makes rules to protect you. God’s reason for saying, ‘No sex before marriage’ is because the potential for you to get hurt is so huge and God doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

Chase said he takes a more traditional stance.

“I believe that sex is something God has created specifically for marriage, to be shared by a husband and wife,” Chase said.

Still, for other student virgins, abstinence is not related to religious beliefs but to personal beliefs about the right time.

“It’s not for one particular reason, really,” said Nick Sturm, a middler computer engineering major. “There’s just no need to rush it. When the time is right, I’ll know. It’s no race.”

Sex happens, but for some Northeastern students, it is not nearly as important a part of life as their favorite hoodie or the ever-present Easy Mac. In fact, for virgins on Northeastern’s campus, sex is not something they need or want to have on the brain.

“I have wonderful friends, and I have a wonderful life,” Craft said. “Sex is just not important to me right now.”