With prom just around the corner, students are running around to buy dresses, rent tuxedos, and find dates.

Students spend hours preparing for the big night scheduled for May 2, but what actually happens while they are there?

They talk, eat, take pictures, and, most importantly, dance. One popular dance “move” is grinding.

But can grinding even be considered a type of dance?

For most of the night, students cram into a grind circle in the center of the dance floor, while girls rub their butts against their dates’ fronts in a sexual manner.

The grind circle is hot, sweaty, and not enjoyable to be in.

Junior Andrew Edwards has been in the circle, and did not like how close everyone was and how certain couples were acting.

“I can’t be a hypocrite, but that mosh pit in the middle is really disgusting,” Edwards said. “But I feel like it is OK in moderation.”

Sometimes grinding can be fun and playful, but unfortunately some students take it too far.

Grinding is not inherently a problem, but some students make it one.

They make it inappropriate, like something that belongs in a club rather than a high school gymnasium.

At every dance, I see dozens of couples all over each other.

Students rub against each other a little too violently, grabbing at each other’s private parts, while boys sneak their hands up girls’ dresses.

This is unacceptable, especially in public.

At the Sadie Hawkins dance, my date and I were one of the unlucky couples who were stuck next to one of the “overly affectionate” couples.

This made my date and I feel very uncomfortable.  It was like dancing next to a pair of monkeys that did not know the definition of personal space.

Be respectful to the people around you. You can grind, but do not go too far. It’s gross and annoying to have to dance next to couples that are acting overly sexual and inappropriate.

Junior Claire Zuwala believes grinding is “gross” and unenjoyable.

“I don’t see how there is any fun in grinding,” Zuwala said. “You don’t even get to see your date’s face.”

Grinding has become so socially acceptable that instead of it being an intimate act, it reflects a person’s lack of boundaries.

Don’t get me wrong, grinding can be a lot of fun, but it can also be tasteless and degrading.

While some students think grinding is a disgraceful act, other students like seniors Jalen Gallery and Sydney Owens enjoy it.

“I really enjoy grinding,” Gallery said. “We (Sydney and I) both personally think it is a lot of fun.”

Gallery, along with other students, have been raised in a generation where grinding is a normal thing. A lot of students do not find anything dirty about it.

High school students of this generation have all been raised in an era where sexual acts are shown regularly on TV, and things like swearing are normal.

As part of Gallery’s generation, I understand where some students find it normal and as nothing serious. But, unfortunately, some students are too vulgar with what they do when they are grinding.

Principal Brian Wiskur said there is a line that dancers should not cross when it comes to being too suggestive when they dance.

“I understand they’re adults, and it is prom,” Wiskur said. “I will tolerate a little bit more, but I will not tolerate a girl turned around with her hands on the floor with a boy behind her, bottom line.”

My advice to students is to make sure things do not become X-rated. Go ahead and have fun grinding, but make sure you keep it appropriate.

Also, don’t be afraid to be silly and dance in a playful way. Don’t feel pressured to grind the entire dance. Just focus on having fun.