Here at Wake Forest, our seasons may not be very clearly defined, but they are definitely apparent ¯ even hunting season!

You know, the month of August when upperclassmen steal as many freshman look books as possible in order to begin stalking their prey.

I propose that in addition to the spring, summer, fall, winter and hunting seasons, we add another season to our annual calendar. Formal season.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again. A time of sorority formals, fraternity mountain weekends and all the stress that comes with them.

Formal season is a time full of the same rules I discussed in previous ramblings. You can't just ask someone to one of these functions anymore. First you have to make sure that the person you're going to ask is available.

You send out spies to find out if the guy or girl is free before you ask, that way your chances of rejection are lessened. Without taking these precautions you risk the piteous looks and responses of, "Oh, I'd love to, except I'm already going to so-and-so's mountain weekend. I'm sorry!" Maybe you'll get a pat on the arm if you're lucky.

That's not even the worst situation. What do you do if you're currently hooking up with someone, but you don't want to take him or her to your formal? Do you invite your hook-up out of guilt or do you take the person you really want to take?

Some of you are lucky in that the person who you're hooking up with and the person you're taking to formal are one in the same. Others of you are going to find yourselves in quite a predicament when formal season is over!

You also have to take into consideration the baby-sitting factor. Does your date have friends in your organization? The chances of this happening increase if you take a blind date, someone you hardly know, or the hot guy who looks good in class, but has the personality of a wet towel.

Formal season is not exclusive to members of the Greek population. It irritates everyone. There is nothing more annoying than to listen to women complain about having to ask someone to formal; it's even worse when you overhear guys sitting around talking about their dates.

They always talk about it with a smirk on their faces, too. It starts with the, "Hey man, who are you taking to mountain weekend?" and ends with a name and conspiratorial wink. That kind of behavior is going to repulse everyone, not just the Greeks.

Then again, it is extremely frustrating to listen to girls incessantly talk about who they're taking or how they can't find anyone to take, only to realize that this particular female has been given plenty of good suggestions, but has been too picky to settle on one. The whole formal season is absolutely ridiculous!

I feel that I have focused too much on the Greek population this week and for this, I apologize. I just feel that this is an issue that affects the "sexual climate" on the entire campus.

But of course, I cannot tell a lie. Formals are a great time and are always filled with great stories.

They also give you something to look back on during the worst season of the Wake Forest school year: the hell of examinations.

"Sex and the Campus" is a regular column exploring the sexual climate at the university. The column is written by senior under a pseudonym in order to maintain her sexual anonymity.