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| Married couples deal with housing
issue |
Sarah Howell
Features Beat
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During her first
year at Appalachian State University, Rachel Sawyer decided to
broaden her horizons by taking drives to any area surrounding
Boone with her friends. One night they ended up in Morganton,
where they met Mark, who was just a nice guy to hang out with.
Rachel never expected to marry his best friend Tim a little over
a year later.
Marriage is a commitment and takes as much
time as any class. It also can be a challenge financially, which
is why some students choose to wait until after college.
For those students like Rachel Sawyer who do
get married, however, Appalachian State does offer special housing.
Mountaineer Apartments are strictly for non-traditional
students such as married couples or even single parents. It offers
one rent payment and the convenience of being closer to campus.
Married couples generally stay in efficiency
rooms—apartments with separate bathrooms but one bedroom.
Rent is $480 a month.
Rachel Sawyer is just one married Appalachian
student. She is currently on a leave-of-absence due to her marriage
in January but will be returning with her husband as a sophomore
next semester.
“When I met Tim, we had all gone to eat
at Mel’s Diner. I thought he was the biggest jerk. I told
my friends it would take an act of God for me to date him,”
Sawyer said.
“But one night he said something about
how he was afraid of being alone forever, and since God is very
important to me, I told him how could he be alone if God is there?
Apparently, that impressed him because God is also a part of his
life. He started calling me all the time.
“Then he called on a Monday morning at
9:30 and asked if he could come hang out; I finally gave in. Soon
after we started dating and a year later, we were married,”
Sawyer said.
“We actually were going to wait a couple
of years to get married. But one day in January Tim and I were
talking about it and decided to just to go ahead and do it.
“We had a small wedding, but it was beautiful,”
Sawyer said. “Marriage is the most wonderful thing I have
ever experienced in my life.”
The couple will be living in Mountaineer Apartments.
“Living on campus is cheaper and more
convenient because you don’t have to worry about things like
utilities, and the apartments are already furnished,” she
said.
As far as the challenge of being a student
and a wife goes, Sawyer believes having a husband can only make
school easier.
“When I was dating Tim he still lived
in Morganton—an hour away. I completely lost focus on school
because I was focused on our relationship and seeing him. Now
I don’t have to worry about that, and I can concentrate on
school,” Sawyer said.
Some students, however, may choose to live
off campus. Of course, with any off campus apartment there will
always be the usual little “extras”—utilities,
furniture and finding transportation if the AppalCART never drives
by.
Still, each couple’s situation is different.
Justin and Hollie Gomez are both seniors here at Appalachian and
have been married since Dec. 28 of last year. They will be graduating
next year.
They met their senior year of high school at
a Bible study. At the end of the school year, Hollie was Justin’s
prom date.
“Two of my friends went with two of her
friends, so they told me why not go with Hollie. We got to know
each other over the next few months and started dating the summer
before college,” Justin said.
“When our two-year anniversary was coming
up, I had been praying and fasting about marriage. I had also
been talking to some wiser older people, like my pastor.
“Out of the blue, my parents approached
me and said, ‘Your mother doesn’t wear her ring anymore
because she wears a family ring, so it’s available if you’d
like to use it.’ Doors opened one after the other and it
felt like the right time, so I did it,” Justin said.
Justin proposed to Hollie on their two-year
anniversary. Hollie, of course, said yes.
Originally, the couple wanted to live in Mountaineer
Apartments.
“We were on the waiting list, until we
found somewhere more accommodating off campus,” Justin said.
“But it probably is a little more convenient when you’re
on campus just because you are closer to your academic buildings
and the student body.”
As for marriage mixed with academics being
a good idea, Gomez said, “Marriage is a good thing, but definitely
an adaptation.
“It’s easier since you live with
the person and can see them every day, but your time management
has to be more prudent. Even so, marriage is definitely a blessing.” |
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