The day I almost got kicked out of college.

I consider myself to be a good girl to the core. A rule follower. But I almost got kicked out of college my Sophomore year. *GASP*

I don’t tell this story very often, because unless you understand the college I went to, you won’t understand the story. But since it was specifically requested, and because it really is funny now (it wasn’t at the time, believe me!) I will write it for your reading pleasure.

Let me begin by saying that I do not and WILL NOT badmouth the college I went to. No, I don’t agree with the way everything is done there, but like everything else in life, you have to take the bad with the good, and make the most out of every opportunity you’re given. Also, there is no doubt in my mind that God called me to go there, and although I sometimes wonder why I couldn’t have gone to a “normal” school, I really can’t complain because I met my husband there, and that alone is a lot to be thankful for!

Speaking of meeting my husband, he actually has a lot to do with me almost getting kicked out.

Go figure.   :)

Matt and I started dating near the beginning of my Sophomore year at PCC. That fall, a group of our friends got a bunch of people together to go out to dinner for someone’s birthday. If you’re not familiar with PCC rules, in order to leave campus in a “mixed” group (ie guys and girls together), we had to get a chaperone. Being off campus in a mixed group sans chaperone got you an immediate dismissal. Traditionally, the chaperone will arrange to meet you/pick you up on campus, drive to wherever you want to go, spend that meal with you, then take you back and drop you off. Easy enough, right?

I don't really remember all the fine details about this event. All I knew was that the chaperones had told us they weren’t coming to campus to get us, they would just meet us at the restaurant on the beach. None of the girls had cars, so we got into odd numbered “mixed” groups (odd numbers so it would be clear we were being “good” on our way to meet the chaperones) and drove to the restaurant. The chaps arrived right about the time we did, so we went in and enjoyed a lovely dinner away from the chaos of the campus dining hall. When we got ready to leave, the  chaps walked us out into the parking lot and said, “Okay, tell us who rode in which cars.” So we did, and they said “Great! You guys go straight back to campus and have a good night!” and then they left.

The next day, I was going about my normal busy schedule, and stopped to check my mailbox after lunch. My heart nearly came out of my body when I saw a small green slip of paper with MY name and ID number on it. These green slips of paper, “call slips” as they are called, are almost always a VERY BAD THING. But since I couldn’t think of anything I had done wrong, I tried to not worry about it, and just showed up in the Student Life office at my appointed time. I brought some notes to study, because I had a quiz in my next class. Long story short, I found out that the chaps had gone to Student Life to inform them that we drove to the restaurant in odd-numbered mixed groups without a chaperone. I was so confused. “But we did exactly  what the chaperone TOLD us to do! And they knew we all drove together like that, and didn’t say a word about it!” I thought to myself. The lady in Student Life told me that I would be shadowed by a floor leader until Student Life could meet to discuss whether we would be allowed to stay or not. “Shadowing” is also a VERY BAD THING, and I am one of the only people I know of who has been shadowed and lived to tell about it. While you are being shadowed, you are not allowed to speak with anyone on campus other than the floor leader who is shadowing you, and you are only allowed to call home to speak with your parents. Aside from the time we spent in a shelter for Hurricane Ivan, that night while I was being shadowed was the longest of my college years! I was passed around from floor leader to floor leader. I cried and cried, wondering how I (a girl who NEVER got in trouble) was probably going to be sent home the next day. What would my parents say??

Long story short, when I went back to Student Life the next morning, I was told that since I was completely honest with them about everything, and since the chaperones should have done things differently, that I  would be allowed to stay at school, given 50 demerits (less than half of what this type of “offense” normally would be worth), and socialed for two weeks. (Socialed=can’t speak to anyone of the opposite sex except a teacher).

I think the moral of this story is that even good girls can get in trouble, so you might as well be a bad girl.  Nevermind, there really isn't a moral to this story. It's just one of those stories that makes me laugh when I think about when Matt and I started dating.

The end.

~SMurph~