A crowd gathered outside of Bollinger Memorial Student Union Thursday as Richard “Abu” Abarr, secondary education junior from Slidell, proposed to his high school sweetheart Erin Ballantyne, business administration junior from Slidell, who accepted. Abarr and Ballantyne met in 2002 during their freshmen year at Pearl River High School.

They started dating their junior year during Homecoming. Ballantyne was on Homecoming court and Abarr was an escort.

After they graduated the couple decided to attend Nicholls.

With one year of preparation for the proposal, Abarr said he wanted something memorable.

“I wanted to plan something that Erin could tell our children about,” Abarr said.

Abarr planned to have his fraternity brothers from Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Ballantyne’s Phi Mu sorority sisters participate in the proposal.

Before Ballantyne walked up to the Union, Abarr said he was nervous and was trying not to forget everything he wanted to say.

“I knew once she was standing in front of me all the right words would come out,” Abarr said.

Ballantyne said when she was going to the Union and saw her Phi Mu sisters standing on the steps, she was angry because she thought they scheduled a picture without her. After she saw SAE there she knew something was amiss.

“I was not sure what was going to happen next,” Ballantyne said.

Abarr had placed rose petals in the shape of a heart in front of the Union and asked Phi Mu to stand on the steps of the Union holding a sign saying, “Will you marry Abu?”

After dropping down on one knee, Abarr proposed and Ballantyne said yes.

Many friends were there to support the couple, and some helped in the preparation.

Owen Shorter, human resource management junior from Hazlehurst, Miss., said he kept Ballantyne distracted by asking her to do things for him and helped Abarr pick out the ring.

“Since Richard and I are roommates, I hid the engagement ring in my room where Erin would not find it,” Shorter said.

Kristen Turnage, mass communication senior from Terrytown, said it was exciting because Phi Mu members knew about the proposal for two weeks.

“It was fun keeping it a secret from her,” Turnage said.

The couple said they plan to get married in spring 2008.

Richard Abarr, secondary education junior from Slidell, proposes to his girlfriend Erin Ballantyne, business administration junior from Slidell, as a crowd gathers Oct. 27 in front of Bollinger Memorial Student Union. (Ashley Falterman)