By ELIZABETH ARROWSMITH
Arrowsmith@newsroom.byu.edu
Walk across BYU's campus and you'll have numerous opportunities to witness public displays of affection (PDA).
'BYU's just got a lot of love,' said Spencer Arntsen, 23, a junior from Houston, majoring in history.
Steven Baker, director of the Honor Code Office, said PDA isn't a concern.
'Generally, we have not been made aware of a major problem with public displays of affection,' he said.
One student, however, said PDA is occurring and can be disturbing to the single individuals on campus.
'It's unfortunate to those people who would like to be able to participate, but can't because they're not good-looking enough or for other reasons,' said Ryan Andrus, 22, a junior from Potomac, Md., majoring in American Studies.
'Public display of affection sickens me,' he said.
Because of the morals of BYU students, kissing has become the hotbed of PDA, said Brandon Reynolds, 21, a senior from Las Vegas, majoring in zoology.
'Provo is the make-out capitol of the world. Just check it out,' he said.
Reynolds quoted 1 Corinthians 16:20 and said that public displays of affection can be justified in the scriptures.
'Greet ye one another with a holy kiss,' the scripture reads.
Marisa Bullock, 20, a sophomore from Highland, majoring in early childhood development, said she doesn't encourage the idea of PDA on campus.
'However, I can't say I've never participated,' she said.
A major reason there is PDA on campus is because of the nature of couples at BYU, Bullock said.
'Everyone is engaged or married. There are a lot of couples, so there is a lot of PDA,' she said.
One student cited a specific reason PDA is not acceptable.
'Because it's not with me,' said Melanie Foulger, 19, a sophomore from Potomac, Md., with an open major.
Heather Hansen, 20, a sophomore from Issaquah, Wash., majoring in family science, said PDA can be annoying.
'It's disturbing when couples are in their own little world trying to be cute to each other,' she said.
PDA is a problem at BYU compared to other universities, Hansen said.
'There's an excess of married and engaged people here,' she said.
On campus, hall staff and resident assistants try to control PDA in the dorms by talking to participants and telling them their actions are inappropriate in public arenas, said Jay Thelin, manager of Helaman Halls.
'That's something we try to do, but we're not always successful because they just go to another place,' he said.
However, PDA doesn't occur excessively with freshman, Thelin said.
'A large majority of our freshman don't date very much,' he said.
Regardless of present displays of affection, BYU is hurtling toward the time of year when PDA is overwhelmingly prevalent on campus, Bullock said.
'In spring-time it gets really bad,' she said.