Whilst attending college she befriends another college freshman, Che. Che is an environmentalist and Summer joins him in an attempt to take her mind off the death of her best friend, Marissa Cooper. She attends protests, stops shaving her legs and rearranges her dorm to fit her new lifestyle. After some time, she tries to return to her former self, but realizes that she prefers caring about the environment, attending protests and other political pursuits to reading tabloid magazines and watching television such as The Valley. She decides to balance her personality between her two sides. However, her environmental activism creates trouble for herself, when she and Che release lab rabbits from a science lab. When Brown officials investigate the incident, she remains truthful aside for not naming her accomplice. Unfortunately, Che blames her for other protest crimes that have occurred at the university, believing himself fundamental to the environmental movement at Brown, which results in Summer's year-long expulsion. Summer has moved back into her old Newport house with the Coopers and Taylor. Upon hearing of her expulsion, her boyfriend Seth decided to put off college plans until next Fall so they could return to Providence together. Close to New Year's Eve, Summer had a pregnancy scare, which ultimately caused Seth to ask her hand in marriage. Although the newly engaged Summer found out she was not pregnant, plans for their marriage stay the same.