The campus group called “Unhooked” held an event discussing the matter of marriage. It was promptly called “Is marriage a thing of the past? Is marriage a thing of the future?” This event held on Nov. 2 was open to all students and was a great opportunity for them to speak their mind and listen to what others had to say.

The discussion touched upon theological, philosophical, and social science aspects of the topic. Father Benedict Guevin, O.S.B., Ph.D., professor of theology, and Dr. Dale Kuehne, professor of politics, lead the discussion. Father Benedict took the side of marriage being from the past and Kuehne said it was a thing of the future.

The discussion started off with Kuehne’s presentation of marriage being a thing of the future. He feels that a good society cannot be built without family. In this day and age, people sometimes feel that they will be in love two to three times, rather than the traditional way of just having one soulmate in a life time. This may be because people are losing faith in marriage. Kuehne felt that the students were engaged and very honest. “I was impressed at how civilized and mature the students’ debates were; and I am not easily impressed,” said Kuehne.

Father Benedict’s presentation was that marriage is a thing of the past. He says that if you look at statistics, more people just live together rather then get married as well. The average age for marriage in 2016 is 27-29 whereas in the 1960s it was 20-23. Father Benedict also said that there is a decreasing amount of marriages being celebrated in the Abbey Church than there ever has been. He also feels that married people are happier, healthier, and tend to live longer.

Both Father Benedict and Kuehne felt that the event was very successful. About 40 students were present. Afterwards, there was an opportunity for students to ask questions and voice their opinion for about 25 minutes. Even after that ended, students continued to discuss one-on-one with the presenters as well as with each other.

Unhooked is a fairly new club on campus, having been founded in 2012, that is open to all students. Their goal is to produce new friendships, promote healthy relationships, and host fun events throughout the year. They also focus on issues with marriage, family, and sexual integrity. Their events tend to be discussions about how people connect with one another and the hook up culture today.