By Jayden Forsyth, originally published in George Fox University’s The Crescent on February 25, 2026

NEWBERG, Ore. — During Welcome Weekend at George Fox University, speeches, events, and community fairs help new students settle into campus life. Months later, some still remember the offhand remarks: “You could be sitting next to your future spouse,” or “You’ll get your ring by spring here, don’t worry.”

Likely intended as icebreakers, those comments linger. And for many students at George Fox, the idea behind them — that college is as much a place to find a partner as earn a degree — is simply part of the culture.

“I think the culture is prevalent here, but I don’t know if it’s due to George Fox specifically or the administration,” said sophomore Emaleigh Pierce. “I don’t actually think George Fox pushes ring by spring culture. I think people do.”

Sophomore Elijah Argubright agreed. “If GFU wanted ring by spring culture, they would have married housing,” he said. “I think some of the culture does promote romance, but I don’t think it promotes engagement and commitment in that sense.”

The distinction matters to Pierce, who said students who arrive with outsized romantic expectations may feel pressure to rush.

“It launches people into hot and heavy relationships super early,” she said. “What’s her middle name? What’s his favorite color? Questions we asked in kindergarten — do you even know those answers?”

Argubright knows something about campus romance. He recently became engaged to fiancée Abi Severns, also a sophomore. Still, he’s measured in his advice to couples feeling the pull of ring by spring.

“Date for at least a year, at minimum,” he said.

He’s quick to add that even a relationship built on solid footing takes work. “There’s always going to be hard things. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows — even from the start, there were hard things, and there still are.”

What’s made the difference, he said, is a willingness to work through them. “I do not avoid hard conversations, which has made it easier to get through things because I’ve gotten to know her pretty well.”

For Argubright, the effort has been more than worth it.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Abi is the best person ever,'” he said. “And the amount of times that she’s the best person ever far outweighs any possible downside. There’s no one I’d rather be with. There has never been anyone that I’ve wanted to be so close to.”

Ring by spring culture may be woven into life at George Fox, but students say it’s theirs — not the university’s. The administration neither pushes it nor discourages it. The Welcome Weekend remarks, though, have a way of sticking around long after orientation ends.

The Crescent is George Fox University’s student-run newspaper publishing every two weeks. Learn more at The Crescent website.