Only at BYU ...

Where couples meet in September and are engaged by Thanksgiving.

While this may be the situation for many at BYU, there are still a lot of singles still at BYU, some who will spend the holiday alone in Provo instead of making the trek home.

Brett Wilkey, a senior from Nephi majoring in psychology, has been home from his mission since 1997, and has yet to take a girl home to meet his parents over the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Thanksgiving is a sore spot for me," Wilkey said. "Because I have a sibling who is married and has children. I definitely thought I'd be married by this time in my life."

Over the years, Wilkey said he thought many girls were "the one," but they didn't reciprocate his feelings.

Wilkey's parents know not to ask if a girl will be coming home with him because they know the answer, he said.

"They used to ask me when I first got home from my mission, but they haven't asked in a long time," he said.

Wilkey will be going home for Thanksgiving, but it will just be for the meal. Then back to Provo with no other set plans.

"I may go and see a friend in California with my cousin," he said. "Other than that, I have no definite plans."

Not all single students at BYU who are staying in Provo over the holiday are in Wilkey's situation.

Patricia Auxier from Chandler, Ariz., a freshman open major, is staying in Provo, but her family is coming to Utah.

Auxier said her brother is getting married the weekend before Thanksgiving, so it wasn't feasible for her to go down two weekends in a row.

She said her family is going to eat Thanksgiving dinner at her sister's house.

"I have tons of homework to do," Auxier said. "It is probably better that I'm staying in Provo so I can do homework instead of hanging out with my friends and family."

Auxier said one good thing about staying in Provo over Thanksgiving is her father is going to pay for her to go snowboarding.

However, Auxier did say there was one downside to the holiday.

"I'll probably gain my freshman 15 over Thanksgiving," Auxier said about the amount of weight freshman expect to gain their first year of college. "It's inevitable."

Wilkey said he thinks it's nice that other people get to see their families over the holidays. He isn't going to spend much time there because he sees them frequently.

Wilkey said he will be glad to have the time off from school and work.

Even though he isn't going to spend much time with is family over the holiday, Wilkey did say he was thankful for the one woman in his life, his mother.



Copyright Brigham Young University 22 Nov 2002