In February love is in the air, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) held an event in the Lantern just for the singles.
On Wednesday February 11, CAB held a speed dating event in the Lantern for students to meet other students and maybe even find ‘that’ special someone. The event was advertised in a variety of ways, but primarily by posters and a Facebook group.
“Office of Student Life (OSL) needed a Valentine’s Day event and it’s never been done on campus,” said Chidera [last name unknown], CAB member and one of moderators of the event. Her friend Glorious Kirsh chimed in saying “It’s a quick way to meet a lot of people.”
During the procession the line smiled its way from a table at the entrance to halfway up the stairs. Everyone there was either a new face, a friend already made, or even a wingman to help each other out.
Many students were upperclassmen, juniors and seniors, but there were still plenty of freshmen and sophomores to join the mix. There were also many RAs (Resident Assistant) there to join in on the fun.
Students are placed at tables so they can mingle.
“I’m just here to meet people,” said Kisha McGuire, one of the off-duty RAs. “Though if it turns into something, that would be cool too!”
The process went as follows: after participants signed in, they picked a table with people of similar sexual orientation and had a chat. After a few minutes CAB representatives announced that it was time to move tables, the male students switched tables to mingle with new people.
Although there was a three to two male/female ratio, friends were made nonetheless. Some people came with an idea in mind of the kind of person they wanted to meet while others came just to mingle.
“I’m hoping to find someone with a good sense of humor and [who] is kind,” said Kisha McGuire.
Although the event was a big hit, some people had a few criticisms. One student said, who chose to remain unnamed, that the event “was run very poorly” and “needed more organization.”
In the end, some students did manage to trade numbers, while others went home with newfound friends and some were still left to search for that special someone.
Guest writer
Anjeliko Garcia
agarcia333@ucmerced.edu