Students learn to cope with long distance relationships

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many couples will be spending the day with their significant other. However, for some University of South Dakota students, the holiday will be spent a little differently.

First-year marketing major McKenzie Holton has been in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend of two years, Blake Medvec, since coming to campus this past August.

“The issue of communication and the fact that I’m super busy with my extracirriculars definitely causes clashes in scheduling,” Holton said.

Holton said she and her boyfriend first met during high school in their home state of Owatonna, MN. When the time came to go off to college, the two went to different colleges — Blake to South Dakota State University and Holton to USD.

“Everyone’s paired up — especially this time of year — and they cuddle in the MUC, and it makes you miss them,” Holton said.

There are challenges to any relationship, but long distance relationships have their own set of challenges, Holton said.

First-year Monae Williams has been dating her boyfriend Immanual Sodipe for nine months. Immanual is a student at Wabash College in Indiana. The two met in high school in Chicago and started dating when Immanual asked her to prom their seniro year with flowers.

“It’s really hard being so far away,” Williams said. “It’s really rough to make time for each other. (But) we’re working on it — he texts me, and we talk every night before bed and on weekends.”

First-year Marissa Guerdet lives three hours away from her boyfriend who is majoring in agriculture at Iowa Lakes Community College.

“I didn’t expect it to be so hard. In the summer we see each other every day or every other day, and now it’s more like every other weekend,” Guerdet said. “I wish we could be together all of the time.”

While there might be obvious downsides to long distance relationships, Holton said finding things to do to keep busy and enjoying the college experience makes the relationship obstacle easier to handle.

“You have a lot more free time,” Holton said. “I couldn’t do half the stuff I do on campus if I had that kind of time committment with a boyfriend on campus. You also don’t have to shave.”

There are reasons beyond the practical time-saving aspect of long distance relationships, though, Guerdet said.

“When you do get to see each other, it’s really nice,” Guerdet said. “You realize how much you do like them and appreciate them.”

With Valentine’s Day approaching, the couples have come up with creative ways to spend the holiday together. Williams and her boyfriend are sending each other gifts, and once she gets done working on Valentine’s Day, they’re planning to have a Skype date and open their presents “together.”

Guerdet said her and her boyfriend are planning to meet up for a date over the weekend.

“I think we’re going out to eat and then going to see the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ premier,” Guerdet said.

Both Holton and Guerdet said communication is essential if a couple wants to have a healthy long distance relationship.

“As long as you have communication and trust, (the relationship will be) fine,” Holton said.

Guerdet said working around each other’s schedules and making time for each other also helps them make the best of their situation.

“Good communication skills and working around each other’s schedules and make time for each other,” she said.

Even with the challenges of being separated by distance, the couples said their relationships are worth the effort.

“As far as long distance relationships go, if you want (the relationship) to work, you’ll make it work,” Williams said.

(Photo: First-year McKenzie Holton skypes with her boyfriend Blake Medvec Feb. 9 in the lounge of North Complex. Holton and Medvec have been dating for two years and have been in a long distance relationship since August. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)