How I love the sweet smell of stale beer and Axe-suppressed sweat the morning after.

Oh, wait – it’s not me who enjoys that experience, it’s the shacker walking home from Greek Row at 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday who likes that. Sitting in class a few days ago I heard one such weekday walker, she was complaining about the side effects of Plan B and recapping the events of the night before for a friend. “And then I woke up and realized he was the fifth guy from that house I’ve slept with,” she said. “Do you think that makes me slutty?” Seeing as how her equally classy friend only shook her head and mumbled something about woman empowerment, I hope to take this time to address her kind personally and honestly. Dear Frat Rat, When you have to use your fingers to count off the number of guys you’ve slept with in one fraternity, you may have crossed over into the realm commonly known as “slutty.” If you’re not worried about your reputation, worry about your health. STDs are a common occurrence on college campuses and statistically speaking you probably have more than one by now.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 19 million new sexually transmitted diseases are reported every year. Nearly half of these cases happen to young adults between the ages of 15 and 24.

Think about it.

The Frat Rat species, unfortunately multiplying as new spawn emerges, does not exclude women unaffiliated with a Greek chapter. Through personal observation, the female apartment land and residence hall occupants are spotted trekking through their territories in rumpled party dresses and smudged eye-liner too. However, where the Frat Rats emerge from when nightfall comes is irrelevant. It does not matter if they scurry from their house two blocks away or if they make the long journey from the mass of apartments a mere 15 minutes away.

What is important are the hunting grounds at which they gather at and feed. Admittedly, boys will be boys, and boys’ intentions will often shine through. Blame needs to be laid where blame is due, and it is not entirely the boys’ faults when a Frat Rat is on the prowl for the fifth victim for her frat collection.

Hearing the young woman admit to her astonishing list of “accomplishments” from the night before only reminded me of one thing I hope to relay.

We are all given an opportunity to make an impact here at WSU, and I hope the Frat Rats of Pullman make their mark on more things than just the bedposts of sleeping porches.