Cheating: Is it a do or a don’t?

A Cosmopolitan magazine poll found 30 percent of men have been busted by a friend for sleeping with his girlfriend and 11 percent of women have hooked up with their roommate’s boyfriend. Despite these percentages, Glamour magazine found that 70 percent of men and women polled said cheating is a don’t. About 85 percent said cheating “just because you can” is also a don’t.

How exactly should cheating be defined?

Natalie Morrissey, a history major, said, “The definition of cheating is different in every relationship. It’s something that needs to be decided between the two people.”

Bianca Balassone, a nursing major, said, “My definition of cheating is anything you do outside your relationship that you would feel guilty about having to tell that person.”

Anthony Albano, public relations major, said, “Cheating is kissing with tongue.”

Steve Moylan, a history major, said, “Kissing more than once in any given encounter or on more than one occasion is cheating.”

Rob Mugno, public relations major, said, “Any sort of extracurricular activity with a different girl other than your girlfriend is a form of cheating.”

Morrissey said, “I think if you plan on cheating on someone you shouldn’t be with them. What is there to a relationship besides trust and only being with that person? I just could never imagine hurting someone I loved that much by hooking up with someone else who doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Morrissey’s high school boyfriend cheated on her with one of her friends. She said she could not believe that two people who were supposed to care about her could hurt her so much.

“I think the worst part was finding out someone who I loved could hurt me and then lie about it. I’m not as easy to trust people now,” she said. If it weren’t for that experience, she wouldn’t appreciate her current relationship, she said.

Stefanie Avery, a media studies major, said people should not get into a relationship and get out of one if they are going to cheat. She said her high school boyfriend cheated on her by kissing another girl while intoxicated.

“It made me angry and hurt and look at relationships in general differently,” she said.

Balassone said people who cheat have a weakness.

“I think people who cheat are scared of communication and if they can’t make a full commitment, they shouldn’t be in a relationship in the first place,” siad Balassone.

“Cheaters suck,” Albano said. He said it is horrible to cheat and there is no reason to do it. “If you want to cheat, then get out of the relationship,” he said.

Moylan said that people who cheat once just made a mistake. “People who are habitual cheaters are just wrong,” he said. He said he has a friend who cheated on his girlfriend and didn’t realize until afterwards how much his actions hurt his girlfriend.

“Cheaters aren’t bad people. They’ve just made a mistake,” Mungo said.