Column by Robyn Honeycut

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Send mail to The Voice Don't assume too much about the opposite sex Assignments pervade college life. Like a needy friend demanding attention, there will always be a test to study for or a project to complete. What we are told and what people expect of us become very important to the survival of the student. Academic achievement, however, pales in comparison to the heart assignments some unmarried MBC students aspire to complete. There appears to be a group of guys on campus who are dissatisfied with MBC women. The men's feeling is that the women's primary reason for attending Bible college may not be the Bible. Maybe they receive the mission from mom and dad or maybe it is a personal assignment. Either way the desired degree appears to be MRS instead of BS or BA. Jokingly serious is the expectation that when the "pink mist" falls in spring, rings appear. "Finding a woman at Multnomah is like shooting fish in a barrel," the men say. "MBC women strip the thrill of the hunt." "Going for a Multnomah woman is like going for a quarter in the urinal. It's just not worth it!" These comments may seem downright crude, or perhaps they are merely said in jest. Either way, decoding the gentlemen's tasteless humor may help reveal the hidden message. In doing a bit of relational homework, I believe I have found the answer. It isn't that guys are just jerks or simply stupid as students from both sexes have suggested. These intelligent, spiritually sensitive, purpose-driven young men are merely scared spitless. While going through a normal day at MBC, a guy may choose to open a door for a woman, say hi when he passes by, or stop to talk between classes. These are normal gestures made by humans who live on the same campus and attend school together. They are usually not meant to imply that the male wishes to pursue the female and marry her. Fear arises when the interpretation of friendly behavior prematurely leads ladies to an "altar" state of mind. To avoid miscommunication, some MBC women choose to view all of their relationships as platonic until a man blatantly professes to them otherwise. Your assignment--if you should choose to accept it: Find ways to honor one another in friendship. Relax. Get to know one another. Get to know yourself. It takes awhile and it is worth every minute. Eventually the time will arrive when you will "go forth and multiply...." Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2003 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.