Last year, I found myself sitting between an elderly couple at a scholarship reception dinner. Out of good will, the pair had graciously formed an award for a student who worked at the Daily Collegian while balancing a full load of schoolwork; the majority of the Collegian staff was (and still is) more than qualified for this award, but last fall semester I was grateful to have been chosen as one of the recipients. As we talked over under seasoned chicken and potatoes, I learned that they had met at The Collegian; the husband was the sports editor, the wife the arts editor. They married after graduation and remained so after some 60 years of happy matrimony.

This is clearly the newspaper version of the star football player and cheerleader captain falling in love and living happily ever after. And they were very happy, forming scholarship awards together through the College of Communications and holding football season tickets with prime parking spots for tailgating. Now a senior and still single with no prospects in visible sight, I am still mystified over how they did it. Fate? The right place at the right time?

It seems to me that for past generations of Penn Staters, and colleges throughout the nation in general, it was highly likely to find that supposed soul mate during the four years. Every football weekend, I'm reminded of this by parents who flash around children who sport the blue and white football or cheerleader uniforms. I'm not saying that I want to spend the rest of my life together with someone just because we share blue and white as a common denominator, I'm just stating that it seems ultimately impossible in the valley where Natural Light and Vladimir vodka reign and partying hard takes high priority over dating.

Obviously, it has to be taken into consideration that our generation is deliberately slower when it comes to serious relationships and instead opts to put careers first, dissimilar to our parents and parents generations. This more than often than not takes college dating right out of the picture.

I believe, however, that there's no denying our highly single and very lively student population that has put us at the #3 spot for top party schools; ti's undeniable that everyone here just wants some ass before graduation and future relationships are hardly ever given a second thought. Maybe its only after our four years here and living outside of the Happy Valley do we allow something to flourish with a significant other, Penn State alum or not. There's just too many great bar specials and good times to be had to worry about "looking."

Half a century later, would my scholarship donors still find each other today, surrounded by endless temptations and an undying fervor for partying? One can only guess.

---Nikki