MELISSA O'NEAL/Arizona Daily Wildcat Elementary education sophomore Kara Morrow, who is currently in a long-distance relationship, holds a photo of her boyfriend, who lives in Connecticut. According to survey data, only 36 percent of students are dating exclusively.

Spring might be the season of love, but for most UA students, it's just the second semester of the year.

In the busy life of UA students striving to graduate on time, there seems to be no room for a serious romantic relationship.

While pursuing a double major, interning, working, maintaining a social life and attending school full time, Danielle Demirjian, a business economics and finance senior, finds exclusive dating too much of a commitment at this time in her life.

"Something in my life would have to be sacrificed if I wanted to maintain a serious relationship, and right now I'm not willing to do that," Demirjian said.

Like Demirjian, many other students refrain from exclusive dating.

More than half of UA students are casually dating or single, leaving 36 percent who are exclusively dating and 9 percent who are engaged or married, according to the Campus Health 2002 Health and Wellness Survey.

"Relationships take energy and work. Some people just want to have fun in college, and this is the time to do it," said Lee Ann Hamilton, health educator and co-author of Sex Talk, a Campus Health-sponsored advice column on relationships and sex.

"College is a time to re-invent yourself and try new things; many people don't want to be tied down," she said.

The time factor involved in nurturing a relationship can often add additional stress to the sometimes overwhelming life of a student.

"Relationships take a lot of time to grow," Hamilton said.

She added that the most common issues in casual dating are communication and patience ÷ reasons why many new relationships fail.

"There is often a difference in expectations between two people, causing confusion and the potential for one to get hurt," Hamilton said.

"Communication is key, if you can't communicate your feelings, the relationship will not work."

Despite the complications of dating and busy school schedules, many students still opt to have a special someone in their life.

John Bruce, a pre-computer science sophomore, has been dating Amelia Snell, a freshman majoring in English, for two years. The couple met over an online video game and decided to attend the same college.

Switching from a long distance relationship to a college relationship, they both say they have to remember to keep their priorities straight.

"It's important to get everything done first and still have time for each other," Snell said.

Bruce added that they see each other throughout the day by getting lunch or hanging out after they've finished studying.

"We need to do what we need to do in college, but we don't want to miss out on each other," he added.

Long distance relationships are not unusual on a college campus, and some students say they're not as difficult as they might seem.

Maintaining a relationship with her boyfriend in Connecticut, Kara Morrow, a pre-education sophomore, has found that the advantages of a long-distance relationship outweigh the disadvantages.

"I have the freedom to do whatever I want with my time without worrying about fitting him into the equation," Morrow said. "It has made me find a lot of friends because if he was here, I would be with him all the time instead of fully experiencing college on my own," she said, adding that their relationship takes a lot of trust.

"We've defined our limits to what we can and cannot do, so we don't worry about what the other one is doing."

In addition to trust, long-distance relationships, as do other types of relationships, take a lot of work and understanding, Hamilton said.

Sex Talk receives a large variety of questions ranging from concerns about the right time to have sex in a relationship to why only one partner seems to being enjoying intercourse.

In writing the column, Hamilton receives questions about long-distance relationships and relationships in general, but most of the questions, she said, are sex-related.

"The biggest problems in established relationships, both casual and exclusive, seem to be about sex," Hamilton said.

Of the more than 50 percent of UA students who are single or casually dating, only 30 percent are abstaining from sex, she said.

"It comes back down to communication again," which is crucial in both mental and physical relationships, Hamilton said.

Sex Talk previously required students to come in and speak with a counselor to receive direct answers to their questions. Last week, however, the service introduced an e-ticket confidential reply that allows students to access answers to their questions using their student identification number and their personal identification number, Hamilton said.

In addition to the free advice available through Sex Talk, students with questions about sex, relationships or dating in general can speak with trained counselors at the UA Counseling and Psychological Services.