“Get a Room,” But Don’t (first version)

Have you ever heard the phrase “PDA?” You are well aware of what the letters stand for if you have heard of this before. If not, it is short for “public display of affection,” and is usually said in distaste. The reason for distaste and usage of the phrase depend upon the location where the affection is being displayed, or the evocation of past memories. I will be focusing on the first reason; “Location, location, location!”
While certain acts of love are common in parks and others are more acceptable in a bar, many are not welcome at Brigham Young University. I am specifically speaking of the lobbies in dormitories. Lobbies are generally places of gathering, chatting with friends, studying, watching TV, etc.; not for laying together, making out, or cuddling. Maybe it is appropriate in lobbies of other schools, but at Brigham Young University there is an honor code that each and every student agrees by signature to follow. This honor code includes a section titled “Live a chaste and virtuous life” and says, “A chaste and virtuous life encompasses many principles, including respect and self control as well as reserving sexual intimacy for marriage.”
There is not a problem with sexual intimacy being displayed in the lobbies at BYU, but I ask these lobby lovers if their respect and self control for each other and others around them is evident in public areas. Most people I know who stumble upon these displays of affection feel awkward and uncomfortable. Those types of activities should only be shared in a private setting between the two participants. If someone else wanted to be included he or she could, of course, just watch, but I would hope that most people entertain themselves with chick flicks or dramas instead.
There are not many places for private activity for these couples, though, and I think there is a reason for that on the campus of BYU; the administration does not want to find its students in situations where temptation to break the laws of chastity could prevail. Nevertheless, people are still attracted to one another and end up in romantic relationships, so PDA is displayed anywhere by those couples who are comfortable being affectionate in the sight of others. Some other people are able to find more private areas on campus. Unfortunately, for those students who stay on campus, most of those spots are only available in the warmer seasons. That is unless they do not mind the brutal chill of winter. Most dislike the cold, though, so all those cuddling couples flock to dormitory lobbies. This makes awkward scenes for residents who prefer to hang out there when there are not visiting hours. Plus, these couples take up space in the lobby when they use a whole couch (made for three or four people seated comfortably) for themselves.
Now, your argument could be that it is better to have affection displayed in public by those who are not married rather than in private so chastity laws are not broken, but if there is even the slightest chance that they will tempt themselves, they should not be doing it at all. It is indeed better than “getting a room,” but if certain affections are more acceptable in private, they should only be done in private, and since those private activities are acceptable for married couples, unmarried couples should be going on more productive dates getting to know each other better in other ways than physical.
I do not know what the true intentions of a couple are if they want to have a stable marriage when they spend a majority of their time gazing at each other. You can only learn so much about a future spouse by staring at them and whispering intimate phrases.
It is not that I am saying physical attraction is not important in a relationship because it is important that someone is attracted to the person they marry. One also needs to be attracted in multiple other ways, and I am not sure how they will love more of each other if they spend all their time in a lobby. A continued steady relationship will not be a life of sitting in a lobby. Nor will that physical appeal exist for life. It will fade eventually and the relationship will fall apart unless other reasons draw the couple together. They need to go on more dates that reveal who they really are.
Also, these couples are being anything but productive when they spend several hours lying on the lobby couches. How does anyone get homework done or make it to classes when one is in the lobbies for hours during the afternoon and/or evening each day? I barely have time for any leisure activities during the week days, let alone around $10,300 (Total estimated cost for tuition and housing at BYU) to risk wasting.
When the applications for BYU pour in there are only so many students who receive the golden ticket of admission while others are rejected or put on a waiting list. In 2008, of those who were admitted, only 78% enrolled. This means that not everyone accepted their admissions and some of those lucky students on the waiting list had prayers answered. The others on the waiting list had to find another option. And why do I connect this to the unproductive lobby lovers? They are like any other lazy person who has stolen the spot of a prospective student who could have reached greater potential if he or she was only admitted into BYU (assuming this student obviously filled the admission requirements).
There are better, more productive, and more appropriate ways of spending time together. There is a certain place and certain time for certain activities, and my lobby is not a location for “People with Distasteful Affection.” These students need to reread the honor code they signed and show more “respect for themselves and others.” The last time I checked, the BYU dormitory lobbies were not bedrooms.