It is no secret that Tarleton State University is a common place for couples to meet. Former Student Body President Chance Cerda said “I do” to former Homecoming Queen Kaylee Carlile this weekend, and last week at the 2014 homecoming game, Texan football player Kody Travis proposed to girlfriend Emmy Silberstein.

However, one unique Tarleton couple met under unusual circumstances. Texan alumnus Landen Miller and alumna Jacy Prewitt will marry each other in Dublin, TX next May.

“Landen and I met the night he was initiated into the Poo,” Prewitt said. “I had already been in a semester and he was a newbie. I thought he was very cute but didn’t think we had anything in common. Turns out we had the most important things in common.”

Miller remembers meeting his future fiancé a little differently.

“Jacy and I actually had a class together freshman year but we never talked to each other. I don’t know if she ever said a word that whole semester,” Miller said. “But two years later when we met through the Purple Poo I found her to not be the quiet or shy type at all… In a few short weeks we became more acquainted and the connection between us was undeniable. The rest is history.”

“It was very difficult keeping our Poo status a secret,” Prewitt said. “We weren’t ever able to Poo things together. If we were both missing from a Tarleton event it would seem weird… We also had to make up a story to explain to our families how we met.”

“I found it particularly difficult to hide my identity because I was involved with many organizations on campus,” Miller said. “Sometimes we would have to come up with elaborate stories or simply avoid people altogether when we knew we were going to be dressed up at events.”

Prewitt confessed that their relationship violated a rule among the Ten Tarleton Peppers and Ten Tarleton Sisters.

“It was also difficult to date each other in the poo because we have a strict no dating rule. We are such a close knit family that we feel dating wouldn’t be a good idea,” Prewitt said. “A break up could cause unnecessary drama that could hinder our main goal of being the spirit of Tarleton… [But] I knew from the very beginning that Landen was the one and told the family that we didn’t make the decision lightly and we knew how serious we were about our relationship, and they gave us their full support.”

As Purple Poo alumni, Miller and Prewitt also had a few thoughts on the Poo strike and the state of traditions on campus.

“I have heard about the current situation on campus,” Prewitt said. “I was so hurt when I heard about the lack of respect for our traditions. The Poo care so much for the students and traditions and they feel that the love is not being returned right now. As Poo, we give up so much time and energy to be at every event. Keeping your identity a secret is stressful and can cause serious issues in our personal life… [But] we love giving up that time and energy.”

“I stand behind the Poo’s decision to strike,” Miller said, “because inevitably it is the student body that enforces tradition, not the 20 Purple Poo. They can only do so much as such a small number of a growing university. I see the disrespect of tradition as a growing pain of the escalating enrollment of Tarleton students. New Texans have to realize that our school traditions really make TSU special. Respecting traditions at TSU requires effort, but it instills a sense of pride for the university while connecting the past to the present and the future.”

“From what I have heard lately, it doesn’t seem like the students even care if the Poo show up or not,” Prewitt added, “and I think that is one of the saddest things that could happen on campus… Without school traditions, Tarleton would be just a place where students went to school. [The Poo] strive to keep Tarleton a place where students feel at home and a part of a community.”

“Students must know that the Purple Poo is an organization filled with students that have enormous pride and respect for everything about TSU,” Miller said. “[They] are the physical embodiment of Tarleton’s traditions and history. Traditions separate the enjoyment and pride of a university from the monotonous experience that many students feel in high schools.  I still to this day feel a sense of pride when walking on the sidewalks around campus.”

Miller and Prewitt are currently in two different locations, with Miller working in an oil field in West Texas and Prewitt working in Waco, and the pair admitted it is sometimes difficult.

“We will unfortunately at times go weeks without seeing each other but do stay in close contact through phone,” Miller said.

“Landen works on a two weeks on, two weeks off schedule,” Prewitt said. “Sometimes that really means more days on and less days off, so it is very hard to see each other regularly.”

Both Miller and Prewitt said there are many things they miss about Stephenville.

“Stephenville and Tarleton just have a great community atmosphere that is inviting and accepting to all people,” Miller said. “I could always tell that the faculty and staff along with the students care about everyone much like a family does. People were always easy-going, willing to talk, and just had that small town aura that was uplifting.”

“I miss my Tarleton community the most,” Prewitt said. “Everywhere I went was like being at a family event. Tarleton students are the most inviting group of people I have ever met. I never felt out of place or unwanted. The faculty and staff were always open and willing to help with any problem or situation. I consider all of my professors role models in my life that taught me with true passion. I left Tarleton knowing that I will always have a family to come home to.”

Despite the distance between them, the couple is making the best of things.

“We are both doing what we feel God has asked us to do and we make our relationship work so well,” Prewitt added. “We see each other as often as we can, and being gone so much makes us truly appreciate everything about each other when we are together.”

The couple has set the wedding date for May 2, 2015 in the location Miller proposed. After that, Miller said, the future is wide open.

“Our plans for the future are uncertain,” he said. “We love Stephenville and plan to stay there while I finish out my work in West Texas, but after that our plans are not set in stone. For the time being I will leave that in God’s hands and just enjoy the ride.”