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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1986)
College is a time for commit ment. At Texas A&M you will find 98 percenters committed to tradition, study-hound types committed to their books, and eighth-year seniors committed to procrastination. And then there are those who have made ,a life-long commitment. They are, of course, the married stu dents. In sickness and in health, through midterms and finals, these students have and hold more than the typical student’s load. In many cases the Mr. and Mrs. have said “I do” to classes, jobs, and perhaps even chil dren. The University keeps no ac curate statistics on the number of married students enrolled at Texas A&M, according to Don Carter, associate registrar. But wedded Aggies can be found in all areas of campus, blending easily with their single class mates. Fr. Leon Streider, pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, says that he assists a large num ber of students who are plan ning marriages. “Here at St. Mary’s, we help prepare close to 200 couples every year,” he says.The church’s regular membership of 6,000 active members includes approximately 200 married stu dents. Dr. Jon Alston, a professor of sociology who teaches a class on the marriage institution, says life will not be easy for new lywed couples. Financial strain, conflicts with in-laws, and a lack of indepen dence contribute to the difficul ties of married living, he says. However, after nearly three years of wedded bliss, one stu dent couple says they have no regrets about their decision to get married while still in school. Tony and Mindy Casper have been married for much of their college careers. “Two years, eight and three-fourths months, ” Tony cites exactly. Mindy was a sophomore and Tony was a freshman when he popped the question. A year and two months later, they tied the knot. Now they are both se niors who plan to graduate in December. They say there were few ma jor adjustments to make in the transition from single to married life. Two apartments were con densed to one and financial concerns became a shared bur den. “The only adjustment we really had to make was all of the sudden we were both poor together,” Tony says with a laugh. “Before we got married we kind of pooled our money a lot anyway . . . helped each other out,” Mindy adds. The Caspers talk about the hectic schedules that accom pany student life, but agree that their lives have become more structured since they wed. “Your groceries change too,” Mindy says with a laugh. “When you’re single you buy pizzas and frozen waffles. Now we buy broccoli and carrots and potatoes . . . typical Mom and Dad stuff.” Tony was in the military be fore entering college and the pension he receives goes a long way toward relieving their fi nancial burden. Additionally, they are both on staff at The Battalion — Tony as photo edi tor and Mindy as staff artist. The newspaper staff pre sented the Caspers with the Ward and June Cleaver Award at the Student Publications Banquet last spring. Although the couple’s life style seems as ideal as the Cleaver’s, Mindy says her par ents did have some reservations about her wedding since both the bride and the groom were in the midst of earning diplomas. “They were wondering if we were going to make it, being in school.” Mindy remembers. So far its been smooth sailing for the duo. They offer constant support to each other and ap proach their studies as a team. Mindy even says that marriage has helped her grades. “My GPR shot way up be cause I settled down, ” she says. Both Tony and Mindy talk enthusiastically about the relief from peer pressure that fol lowed their vows. They say the “pressure to party” has been al leviated, and they no longer feel the need for acceptance that ac companies single life. Life isn’t always a bowl of cherries in the Casper house hold, but they are living proof that wedding bells and school bells can peal in harmony.