An older man is someone a young, attractive co-ed who wants to look different, rebellious, not easily stereotyped, might consider for an on-campus mate. A man older by decades, not just years (what’s being proposed here), could work wonders in this regard, especially for the co-ed who thinks interracial and same-sex matches have lost much of their traditional shock appeal on campus.

Most normal people would not expect even an attractive co-ed bored by relationships once considered to flout social convention to ever opt for a TG (trans-generation) mate. After all, TGs are people whom a co-ed should avoid even making eye contact with in public. Allowing more intimate contact, such as contact with her textbooks (which the TG mate might offer to carry for her between classes) will surely send shock waves reverberating over college walkways and through classroom corridors.

Even so, finding a TG mate on campus should prove practically impossible, considering there are not umpteen TGs walking around. Young, attractive co-eds should rule out professors as being too much like dating their future bosses. Maintenance men and other college staff are too busy to bother with.

That leaves a handful of stodgy male students who dot the collegiate landscape wearing fashions that fit the post-WWII period, mostly cardigan sweaters with large letters sewn on at the chest and carrying a pipe in one hand. They are almost always being passed by younger male students who are walking much faster, and younger, attractive female students who aren’t showing much interest.

A TG mate’s bizarre dress should be reason enough to elicit disgust from the average college onlooker. If there’s one thing a young, attractive college co-ed can do to fall out of favor with her peers, it’s to be seen out-of-dress. This also applies to her mate’s dress. If he looks silly, so will she. So making a bizarre fashion statement through the bizarre dress of a TG mate might just do the trick for the young, attractive co-ed who wants to inform the rest of campus that she won’t allow herself to be held hostage by their stereotyping.

Once the co-ed has managed to irritate her college crowd, there’s little else to do with the TG mate, though. He isn’t likely to party with her well into the wee hours of the morning. Not awake anyway. By the time she gets up for the day, he’s likely to have already used up most of his, conducted a full twelve hours of activity, eaten three meals, and be in the process of winding down for a restful evening.

Conversation will rarely take place between them. Assuming the lifestyles of these two unrelated species might crisscross at some unforeseen point outside of the pre-arranged campus strolls, the attractive young co-ed and her TG mate aren’t likely to stumble over the one or two things they have a common interest in.

“We showed them,” is as much as the TG mate is going to say as he hands the attractive, young co-ed’s books back to her.

“Yeah,” will suffice for her input.

John Reinier participates in the Senior Guest Program at Kent State and is a guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].