Friday, February28,1997
Editorials
“Everyone’s getting married but me”
Sarah Rogers
Campus Life Editor
My mother is a very realistic
woman. When I was a child, she made
the courageous decision not to fill my
young mind with hogwash. When story
time rolled around every night, I was
listening to excerpts from Women Are
as
opposed to the Grimm Brothers’ fairy
tales. No doubt, from the very
beginning, I was conditioned to be a
self-reliant and self-sufficient gal. But,
don’t get me wrong here. I am not anti
male or anything. I deeply care about
all of my boyfriends. But as I get older,
I am constantly faced with a very scary
thought. Everyone I know is getting
married but me!
The first person that I am terribly
close to who achieved the holy status of
engagement was my sister. She
informed me last year that she and her
boyfi-iend will be betrothed sometime
late next year. The news made me
immensely happy because, as sister of
the bride, I know I will play an
important role in her special day and
look terribly forward to meeting all of
her “soon to be husband’s” friends.
Yes, I have no problem with my sister
getting married. She is five and a half
years older than me, and people who
are twenty-five get married all of the
time. But, as soon as she broke the
news of her engagement, all sorts of
trouble began.
Within weeks, my roommate
became engaged. After scraping her
ring across glass to make sure the
diamond was real, I listened to the story
of her wedding proposal. Her fiance
took her to the Biltmore Estate and
proposed to her in the library. It was so
cheery I felt totally nauseous. Next,
my best friend from home called to drop
the bomb. She and her boyfriend
decided to get married, too. Suddenly,
these engagement spurts did not excite
me. As a matter of fact, I felt rather
depressed. Everyone seemed to have
someone wonderful in their lives but
me. I was ready for a girl’s night out.
But, as luck would have it, my next
girl’s night out happened to in
celebration of a bachelorette party. I
realized that I would not be escaping the
marriage plague anytime soon. As I
climbed into the limo, I started to sweat,
and a huge lump formed in my throat.
My friend from Brevard College would
be getting married in a couple of weeks.
I had seen the ring for a while, but I did
not really think that she would follow
through. I felt wrong the whole night.
No one my age should be getting
married. Then, an especially harsh
thought occurred to me. I was totally
alone in the world. I was a loser.
Grading needs facelift
George Spitzer
Design/Layout Editor
While looking at my other friends’
grades this past semester from othet
colleges, I have found out that we are
being cheated.
Grading at most universities consists
of A, B+, B, C+, etc. For instance, a
class equal to 3 credit hours, an “A,”
would equal 12 points just like here, and
a “B-f-” would equal 10.5 points. A
“B" would equal 8 points, and a C-l-
would equal 6.5, etc.
The grading system used at bigger
universities gives their students an unfair
advantage. We work just as hard as they
do, but yet they are actually given
something back in return.
Also, if a student had a GPA of
approxunately 3.4 and wanted to join
groups such as Phi Theta Kappa, the
new grading system would give those
students a better chance to be a part of
the groups.
The grading system at big
universities also gives their students a
competitive edge when they are planning
to transfer to a different school or are
going to a graduate school.
I feel the system we use is archaic.
I cannot fathom what the big deal would
be with changing the grading system
here. It would not do any harm to this
school, and it would not be a painful
transition. Don’t the students deserve
something for their hard work?
The work involved in changing the
system would IMPROVE this school’s
standing between other similar sized
colleges. More-than-likely people would
like to know that Brevard College can
be just as competitive as any other
school.
For approximately $13,000 per
year, I think we should be treated just as
equally as anyone else at a big
university.
If the slogan of Brevard College
states “A Better Beginning,” then the
grading system should be changed to
prove it.
So, I ran to safety at my grandma’s
house which is where I usually go to be
told that I am the most special person in
the world. But, when I arrived there, I
encountered my cousin who had a smile
on her face that seemed vaguely
familiar. She informed me that her
boyfriend of two years had asked her to
marry him next June. So, not to ruin
her day, I kept my problems to myself.
Suddenly, I realized exactly what
my problem was. Everyone had a fiance
but me. I assumed that everyone else
was just jumping the gun, but then I
started to wonder if maybe I was just a
step behind everyone else.
On the verge of an emotional
breakdown I decided to act fast. I
picked out an engagement ring, chose a
wedding gown, and made a quick list of
necessary finger foods. Alas, there was
a major problem. I HAD NO GROOM!
That was the only thing stopping me
from having a wedding. Unfortunately,
that would be a pretty big hurdle to
overcome. Sure, I had plenty of
boyfriends, but it is not like I would
marry any of them!
So, I began to rethink the institution
of dating. It didn’t seen fun at all
anymore. I decided that dating was
nothing more than a polite way to say
“process of elimination”. I started
inspecting and interrogating people
about their financial, emotional, and
physical states. But, that was not
netting me any possibilities. Something
had to be wrong with me . Why else
would no one ask me to marry him?
Then, one day my roommate went
to take a shower and left her
engagement ring on the desk. So, I
tried it on. When I slipped the ring on
my finger, it felt like a big, mean snake
sucking the life out of me. Something
hit home in my mind and in my heart.
I saw the light. Wearing the ring
felt wrong because it was not mine.
Then I started wondering why I ever
wanted to get engaged in the first place.
Because everyone else was? What a
stupid reason! I realized that if I was
engaged, then it could be potentially
difficult to date other males. What a
rotten deal!
Once again I learned another
valuable lesson. One day the perfect
guy will ask me to marry him, and I
will. Then I will be in love like
everyone else I know. There is no need
to rush things now. I am yoimg, and
now is the time to have fun.
So, congratulations to everyone who
plans to get married any time in the near
future. I hope that your marital bliss
doesn’t end prematurely in divorce. I
will be waiting patiently for JFK, Jr. to
leave his “gnarly” wife and come home
to me.
The Clarion Editorial Policy
The Clarion is the student newspaper of Brevard College. Our editorial
pages do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Clarion staff, faculty
advisor, or the Adminisfration or staff of Brevard College.
Letters are welcome and appreciated, and all letters must contain
author’s name and signature.
Letters can be deposited at the Clarion office, MG 104.
The Clarion Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Rhonda L. Parker
Asst. Editor
Rick Call
Design/Layout Editor
George Spitzer
Campus Life Editor
Sarah Rogers
Sports Editor
Scott Wolfe
Sports Writer
Jay Smith
Photography
Autumn Day
Advisor
Rhuemma Miller