CASSIE TOMLIN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Melissa Deitch, an elementary education senior, and fiance Josh Wright, a psychology senior and SafeRide director, met two years ago while working at SafeRide. Wright proposed to Deitch by hanging a banner from the SafeRide office.

This Valentine's Day, courting couples on campus will play the dating game while other students, already struck by cupid's arrow, will celebrate marriages that began at the UA.

John Bailey, a business management senior, said he met his wife Kim when both were training to be resident assistants and were assigned to the same floor in Coronado Residence Hall.

"Coronado is an interesting place to fall in love, but that's where it happened," Bailey said.

Student Regent Ben Graff also found love in his residence hall, when he met his now-fiancee Linda Nguyen six years ago at La Paz Residence Hall their sophomore year.

Graff said he worked up the courage to tell her how he felt near a windowsill at La Paz, and two weeks into the relationship, he knew Nguyen was the girl he would marry.

Six years later, Graff took Nguyen to La Paz on their anniversary, fibbing that he had to drop off papers regarding a potential meal plan. Instead, he took Nguyen back to the same windowsill, decked out in lights, and proposed to her.

The 'meal plan' papers were just 30 pages of paper stapled together which said, 'You are going to be my wife.'

"The 'meal plan' papers were just 30 pages of paper stapled together which said, 'You are going to be my wife,'" Graff said. "This was just destiny."

Although there are no records of on-campus nuptials at the UA, campus proposals are not rare.

Josh Wright, director of ASUA SafeRide and a psychology senior, said he met his fiancee Melissa Deitch when she applied to work at SafeRide in August 2003. Nine months later, he proposed to her by hanging a banner from the SafeRide office at the Student Union Memorial Center.

After couples take the first step of engagement, some students said the next challenge is convincing their parents they are ready for marriage.

Maysa Erickson, a molecular and cellular biology sophomore who fell in love with her chemistry study buddy, said their parents were initially against the marriage, but relented and took the couple to Las Vegas and on a cruise to celebrate.

Anna Westendorf, an accounting senior, who married her high school sweetheart in August, said living with him helped ease the transition before marriage.

"We lived together for a year before we got married, and practically lived at each other's dorms before that," Westendorf said. "We were pretty prepared and knew each other's weird habits."

Despite popular belief, many married students said they are not that different from their single counterparts and are not struggling through college barely making ends meet.

In fact, some students said being married aids the educational process as their spouse offers stability and comfort, and they do not have to deal with the stress of dating.

Katie Garcia, a senior majoring in English who got married after her sophomore year, said her husband liked to brag about her 4.0 "married" G.P.A., which she attributes to the support system he provides.

"He is understanding and helpful when I am overwhelmed," Garcia said, who met her husband on campus freshman year through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

"Herb works so hard to care for me and help out around the house," Garcia said.

The ability to skip the dating scene and focus more on school and work is another positive aspect of being married, Bailey said.

Deitch, an elementary education senior, said the social aspect of her life changed after being in a committed relationship.

"We would rather stay at home in our pajamas than go out and party," Deitch said.

Marriage also requires an element of maturity, practicality, compromise and planning, which can become demanding when balancing workloads with a personal life, Wright said.

Finding alone time is also an issue as a married student, Erickson said.

"Marriage has been one of my most trying experiences to date," Erickson said. "It's wonderful always having someone there for you, but sometimes you just want your space."

The financial burden of marriage is alleviated with financial aid from the school, Erickson said, although financial limitations are still obvious.

Of course, the key to any marriage is communication, and although marriage is an investment of time and energy, Garcia said it is well worth it.

While other couples scramble to impress their significant others today, these married couples know love has already found them.

"I don't feel we have to impress each other as much now that we're married," Erickson said. "If he knows what's good for him, he'll get me flowers though."

But how do you know when Cupid's arrow will strike?

"How did I know? You just know," Wright said. "It's one of those indescribable feelings."

-Ben Graff