In my opinion, I don't think a relationship can truly survive without some form of dating. But the phrase that dating is a "practice for divorce" is completely fictitious. For a relationship to thrive, to develop, a couple needs to date. They need to date for many reasons (especially if it's to lead to a serious commitment like marriage). A couple dates to get to better know the each other, themselves, their needs and wants, and if they're even agreeable with each other within a greater time span of a few hours a day. I don't think I need to bring it up, but we all know that Kim Kardashian's sham of a marriage was partly due to the lack of the two getting to know each other (date) properly. If anything, their lack of dating was their way of "practicing for divorce."
However, despite all of my ramblings, I do think that the media (and how the Busted Halo article mentions it) has put a blasé spin on what dating is in college and universities. Dating, especially in college, doesn't stir an emotion that it's ever going to be long term or serious. I've even heard people use hooking-up interchangeably with dating. Either way, whether dating is good or a "practice for divorce" it's ultimately up to the people involved but if they asked for my advice, I'd tell them if the want something (possibly) long-term with their significant other, they should try dating for awhile to see if they're really compatible.
