Denni Smith
Faith and Features
Though spring is not in the air, something else seems to fill its place at Oklahoma Baptist University: love — or, more accurately, the public display of it.
Public displays of affection, commonly called PDA, frequently become a topic of conversation on campus. Students talk about who is dating, who broke up, who became engaged and who might be the newest “GC couple.”
Everyone seems to enjoy talking about love, but is the campus’s fascination with relationships becoming toxic?
From the “ring by spring” tradition to controversy surrounding couples in the Geiger Center, one question continues to surface: What kind of PDA is acceptable, and what crosses the line?
The Pressure of “Ring by Spring”
OBU’s “ring by spring” reputation is no secret. The familiar phrase jokes about students finding a relationship — and perhaps becoming engaged — before the end of the school year.
For some students, the tradition adds unnecessary pressure. For others, it creates a lighthearted atmosphere in which students feel more comfortable pursuing relationships.
“I honestly think that it has encouraged me to be more confident about looking for someone to date,” freshman music education major Brady Morris said. “Not to get engaged by spring, though.”
Although campus culture may encourage relationships, some couples become hesitant to show affection because they fear becoming the subject of anonymous gossip.
Yik Yak, an anonymous social media app popular among college students, has become one place where students discuss campus relationships. Users sometimes label a couple showing affection in the Geiger Center as the “GC couple.”
The term often carries a negative meaning and usually refers to a couple whose affection others consider excessive. However, couples do not always agree that they deserve the label.
One student said discovering that others were discussing her relationship online changed the way she behaved. She requested anonymity because of the personal nature of the experience.
“I honestly felt terrible,” she said. “I had Yik Yak and heard people talking about the GC couple, but I never realized my relationship was the one being discussed until they described us and the movie we were watching.”
According to the student, she and her boyfriend were sitting together while watching a movie. She had rested her head on his shoulder but did not believe they were behaving inappropriately.
“Hearing the way people talked about me — about us — really affected the way I acted in our relationship,” she said. “I pulled back and hardly showed any form of PDA, even when it was just us.”
The label continued to affect how she believed others viewed her.
“Some people still know me only as part of the GC couple,” she said. “That bothers me because the nickname has such a bad reputation, and now I feel like I have part of that reputation.”
Her experience raises another question: Does anonymous commentary hold couples accountable, or does it shame them without knowing the complete story?
What Is PDA?
PDA includes visible expressions of affection between people in a relationship when others are present. It may include holding hands, hugging, sitting closely together, kissing or posting about one another on social media.
Not every couple displays affection in the same way, and not every observer has the same level of comfort. One person might consider holding hands innocent, while another may feel uncomfortable seeing a couple cuddle in public.
A generally accepted guideline is to keep public affection brief and respectful. Holding hands or sharing a quick hug is unlikely to disrupt a public setting. More intimate behavior is usually better reserved for private spaces.
The question is not simply whether couples have the right to show affection. It is also whether their behavior demonstrates respect for people sharing the space.
First Corinthians 10:23-24 offers one possible principle: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say — but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ — but not everything is constructive.”
The passage suggests freedom should be accompanied by consideration. A person may be free to do something, but that does not necessarily make it wise or helpful.
First Corinthians 13:4-5 describes love as patient, kind, honoring and not self-seeking. Romans 13:10 adds, “Love does no harm to a neighbor.”
Applied to PDA, those passages suggest love should consider both the people in the relationship and those around them. Couples should not intentionally make others uncomfortable. At the same time, observers should not humiliate couples over harmless expressions of affection.
Where Is the Line?
Excessive PDA is difficult to define because discomfort is subjective. For some, the line begins with prolonged kissing or intimate cuddling. For others, even holding hands may attract attention.
Living on a Christian campus makes the question more complicated. Students may be held to different personal, cultural and spiritual standards. A couple may consider its behavior innocent while another student considers it inappropriate.
However, discomfort alone may not be enough to declare every expression of affection wrong. If couples are judged for holding hands or sitting together, how are they expected to show affection naturally?
That tension exposes a contradiction in campus culture. Students joke about “ring by spring” and celebrate engagements, yet couples may be criticized for showing ordinary affection in public.
There may never be a rule that satisfies everyone. Students come to OBU with different backgrounds, boundaries and ideas about relationships. Couples must use maturity and good judgment, but the campus community also should respond with grace.
Public spaces should not become places for intimate behavior that makes others feel trapped or uncomfortable. At the same time, anonymous gossip can cause genuine harm when it turns ordinary affection into a campuswide joke.
Perhaps the better question is not simply, “How much PDA is too much?” Instead, students might ask whether their behavior — both in relationships and in conversations about others — reflects patience, kindness and respect.
Should campus culture focus on getting a “ring by spring,” or should students focus on building relationships in which love, wisdom and grace can genuinely flourish?
