Perkins Chapel on SMU Campus hosts more than 150 weddings per year, about one-third of those weddings are SMU students or alumni, but not undergraduates. (Rebecca Keay / The Daily Campus)

 On Saturday afternoons, it is a common sight on the boulevard. As students head to the library or rush to meet up with friends, a married pair triumphantly emerges from Perkins Chapel. Many students stop to watch as the bride and groom take their first steps as a married couple.

With a popular wedding venue on campus, it is no wonder that women attending college just to find a husband is a stereotype that pervades SMU.

“You hear the jokes all of the time,” said freshman student Laura Buckley. “‘She is here to marry someone rich-to get her ‘Mrs.’ degree.'”

Buckley’s words echo an article appearing in Princeton University’s student newspaper The Daily Princetonian. The article, “Advice For the Young Women of Princeton: The Daughters I Never Had,” was written by Princeton alumna Susan Patton, and advises female undergraduates to “find a husband on campus” before graduation.

“The cornerstone of your future and happiness will be inextricably linked to the man you marry, and you will never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you,” Patton wrote. By “worthy” Patton is referring to the idea that college, specifically Princeton, is a pool of intellectual equals.

When confronted with Patton’s article and the controversy surrounding it, students and faculty at SMU were divided on the issue of the importance of finding a spouse in college.

While some agree with Patton and see nothing wrong with the “Mrs.” degree’s stereotype, others assert that the main priority of undergraduates should be an education.

Beth Newman, director of women and gender studies at SMU, said that following stereotypes would translate Patton’s article from a Princeton intelligence pool to an SMU “money” pool.

“Women who come to college to get the so-called ‘Mrs.’ degree are selling themselves short,” Newman said. “However, assuming a woman wants to get married, it is of course true that a college campus is a great place to find a mate and there’s nothing wrong with that. Same thing for a man.”

For many students, the stereotype of SMU women seeking “Mrs.” degree is a myth alive and well. For some, it is an extra hurdle they must overcome.

Laura Israel, an engaged English and Psychology major, did not come to SMU with the goal to find a spouse. Even though she was focused on her education, she found her future husband in her sophomore year math class. She believes that there are harmful effects of SMU’s “Mrs.” degree stereotype.

“[There is a] stigma attached to getting married directly after college,” Israel said. “I often feel that my peers are judging me and to some extent devaluing the work that I’ve done while at SMU.”

Young women facing these stereotypes and marrying early like Israel are not alone. In 2008, the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed 20,928 enrolled undergraduates and found that 18 percent of them were married.

And, in an upward trend, 28.7 percent of first-time bachelor degree recipients reported being married or cohabitating one year after graduation in 2009.

Laura Spencer Kade, a junior psychology major married fellow SMU student Aliaksei Patsevich on April 12. She also recognizes that the “Mrs.” stereotype is present on campus.

“Some women attend college to find a husband and SMU is no exception to that rule,” Kade said. “I know of a few women with that goal in the back of their mind but I’ve never heard of anyone actually booking Perkins Chapel.”

More than 150 people a year get married at Perkins Chapel, according to Teresa Duron Rosado, coordinator of weddings. According to the Perkins Chapel website, approximately one-third of those who marry in the chapel are SMU students or alumni.

However, very few of them are SMU undergraduates.

“I have never met someone who was a current [undergraduate] student here,” Rosado said. “That girls come to SMU to get their ‘Mrs.’ degree, it is an urban legend. The women are here because they are smart and here for an education…getting married is just a bonus. Not a target.”

Rosado’s words ring true for Christina Cox, freshman journalism student.

“Marriage should not be the only focus in college,” Cox said. “The pursuit of a ‘Mrs.’ degree is selling us SMU girls short. We need to turn the stereotype around. It’s only working against us.”

Many SMU students agree with Cox, and have noticed women working against this stereotype. Luke Ilijevski, a freshman accounting major, notes that there are many female undergraduates who are focusing on internships, schoolwork, and friends rather than finding a husband.

Whether or not students agree that college is the right time to find “the one,” students with bachelor degrees are more likely to be married by the age of 30 compared to those that do not hold a degree. According to the Pew Research Center in 2008, 62 percent of college-educated adults had been married, as compared to 60 percent who did not hold degrees.

Students also stand to ultimately benefit from their time as an undergrad in the marriage arena. The Council on Contemporary families reported that on average, about 50 percent of American marriages end in divorce. However, the divorce rates are lowest for college graduates.

While this news is comforting to some, many students are not concerned with finding a spouse, or the potential of future divorce.

Cox points out that it is more important to focus on education, making connections and friendships rather than worrying about getting married.

“Adding another degree would be too time consuming, even if that degree is just ‘Mrs.’,” freshman Kayla Fahy said. “If a relationship happens, it happens. If not, then it doesn’t. Life doesn’t end when university does.”